Be Still And Know

2 Timothy 2:5 I wonder if you remember that agonising moment in the 2022 Commonwealth Games when our amazing 4x400m women’s relay team was disqualified. It was all the more painful because they seemed to have won the race. They gave a confident and delighted interview straight after their success, only to learn that Jodie Williams and Victoria Ohuruogu had stepped out of lane on the second leg of the relay. Their smiles of rejoicing quickly turned to tears of distress. It was all terribly sad to watch, but the fact is that they had infringed the rules. As hard as it may be, there have to be rules in every sport - and that has always been the case. The metaphor of the soldier that we looked at yesterday was drawn from Roman life. However, the metaphor of the athlete was definitely drawn from Greek life. The Greeks had established their games at Olympia in the 8th Century BC and conducted them for the next 800 years. They had elaborate rules which governed every part of the games, including the preparation

2 Timothy 2:3-4 It’s not surprising that the apostle Paul often referred to soldiers in his letters. He had seen plenty of Roman soldiers in his time and, no doubt, had often reflected on the life that they lived. They provided him with a powerful metaphor for the Christian life. On their website, the British army identifies six key values. All of them could be applied to the Christian life. They are: Courage: doing and saying the right thing, not the easy thing; Discipline: doing things properly and setting the right example; Respect for others: treat others as you expect to be treated: Integrity: being honest with yourself and your teammates; Loyalty: support the army and your teammates and selfless commitment: mates and mission first, me second. Paul identified three aspects of a soldier’s life which Timothy needed to reflect upon. First, soldiers need to be ready to suffer. Nobody likes suffering but, in a world that is opposed to God, it is inevitable that Christians will suffer – sometimes physicall

2 Timothy 2:2 Every sensible organisation needs to reflect on its succession planning. Leaders come and go and it’s important that careful thought is given to the way in which potential new leaders are identified, trained and appointed. This was basically Paul’s concern in this verse. He had trusted his young friend Timothy to teach the Christian truths but Timothy, in turn, needed to look out for people to whom he could pass on this responsibility. The precious gospel couldn’t just be handed on to anyone. The truths of the faith needed to be given to trustworthy people who could be relied upon to pass them on faithfully to others. The key word is “trustworthy”. I have interviewed many people for jobs over the years, and however brilliant a person’s qualifications are, the most crucial question is whether they can be trusted. The simple fact is that a person who cannot be trusted is dangerous. They may be incredibly gifted or amazingly qualified but, if you never know whether they are going to turn up or

2 Timothy 1:13 Living the Christian life doesn’t come naturally to any of us. We all need teaching to help us to live for Christ. However, there’s a problem with the word ‘teaching’ - it tends to make us think about classrooms and exams. We might be tempted to think that there is a textbook somewhere with the answers to every question of the Christian life. But there isn’t. The teaching that we need is intensely practical. You may have a complete understanding of every biblical passage about love, but if you are not loving then you have missed the point. You may be able to offer a very good definition of faith, but if you don’t exercise faith then it will do you no good. Paul believed that there was a core of Christian teaching that was absolutely crucial, but knew that that teaching needed to be shaped by the faith and love that Timothy had experienced since he met Christ. The teaching that Paul speaks about here is “wholesome”. Other versions of the Bible refer to it as “sound” - a word which has a medi

2 Timothy 1:12 Security is a big issue in our society. Billions of pounds are spent each year in the attempt to keep things safe. Nothing could make it clearer that, sadly, we live with a massive level of insecurity. I’ve only once lived in a house which had its own safe. It was so heavy that we never attempted to move it, but we found it the best place to hide chocolate biscuits when our children were young! We didn’t have anything more valuable to put inside it, and I often gleefully imagined the disappointment of anyone who tried to break into it with an oxy-acetylene torch! Paul knew that there was no security issue more important than his salvation. In today’s verse, he celebrates the fact that God is totally reliable and would keep him absolutely safe until Jesus returned or called him to himself. In a world full of insecurities, we all need to be sure that our salvation is secure. Paul’s words don’t mean that we just sit back and let God get on with the job of guarding us. We have our part to pla

2 Timothy 1:9 When Jesus met Paul on the road to Damascus, everything changed. He moved from darkness to light. He experienced the forgiveness of his sins and entered into a new life with God which would never end. His whole life changed direction and he became an enthusiastic champion of the Christian faith, encouraging everyone to discover this salvation for themselves. In this verse, he reminds Timothy that salvation is not the end of the process. God saves us for a purpose, so that we will live a transformed life of holiness. Holiness is the kind of word from which we all naturally shrink. Like Isaiah long ago, we are more than aware of how unholy we are, and how unholy our society is. However, holiness is God’s intention for us because that is life at its best. Let me illustrate this by sharing the experience of living with hard water. My wife and I have spent much of our married life living in chalky areas and, as you probably know, chalk tends to fur up water pipes. It does it very gradually but, a

2 Timothy 1:8 This isn’t the first time that Paul had spoken about the issue of shame. In his letter to the church in Rome he declared boldly that he was “not ashamed of the gospel” (Romans 1:16). There’s no doubt that he said this because he knew many people thought he should feel shame. Paul had been brought up in the strict disciplines of the Jewish faith. He was a Pharisee and had studied under the most respected rabbis of his day. He knew that there were many people who wanted him to feel thoroughly ashamed of his Christian convictions, which they saw as betraying his Jewish roots. But, on the contrary, he was so proud of his new-found faith that he was more than happy to boast about his salvation and new life in Christ. He was the very opposite of ashamed! Paul knew however that there were many reasons why young Timothy might feel ashamed of telling others about the Lord. Indeed, shame can be an obstacle for all of us. We might hate to be seen as different, or a bit odd. We would rather fit in with t

2 Timothy 1:7 The apostle Paul wanted his young friend Timothy to be the best. There was no question that Timothy was going to face enormous challenges. He would continually confront opponents to the Christian faith, but he would also face issues of Church organisation and discipline. He had a tough job ahead of him. Paul knew it was vital that he was neither fearful nor timid. From the references to Timothy in Paul’s first letter to him, and in 1 Corinthians 16:10-11, we get the impression that he was quite a sensitive person and probably naturally inclined to be timid. Paul knew that this would be a terrible handicap in his leadership role. The fear of other people or of failure will always greatly restrict a leader’s effectiveness. God doesn’t want fearful and timid leaders, but ones who are marked by his power and love, and who show self- discipline. The power that a Christian leader needs is not the authoritarian power which orders people about but the gentle, gracious, servant-hearted power which keeps

2 Timothy 1:5-6 When I was a boy one of the great pleasures of Saturday afternoons was that I would light a bonfire with my dad. I came to love the smell of bonfires, probably because it reminded me of those happy moments. And the greatest pleasure of all was the process of getting the fire going. Sometimes we struggled but then, by fanning the flames carefully, we would have the joy of seeing the fire take hold. Paul used this image to speak of his longing for the growth of Timothy’s faith. It wasn’t enough that he had a godly grandmother and mother. He needed to have a strong faith himself and so the flames needed to be carefully fanned. Through the centuries, many people have looked at Christianity as a club. All that matters is that you’re a member of the club and have your ticket for heaven. The New Testament presents Christian faith as a relationship with God. And because it’s a relationship, and no relationship can stand still, it is either getting stronger or weaker. That was very much Paul’s thin

2 Timothy 1:3 Paul’s second letter to his young friend Timothy is deeply moving. Paul knew that he was close to death and was keen to do everything he could to encourage, strengthen and direct Timothy in his ministry. He knew that it was absolutely vital Timothy had a clear conscience. We all have a conscience, which helps us to know the difference between right and wrong. When we trudge through life with a guilty conscience, it is an oppressively heavy burden to bear. I’m sure that Paul’s colourful early life had left him with many sins and failures which weighed heavily on him, and it was out of relief that he could now declare, as a Christian, that he lived with a clear conscience. There is a delightful German proverb which runs: “A good conscience is a soft pillow.” That is to say, we can sleep soundly when our conscience is clear. No wonder Paul was so keen that Timothy should share his experience of a clear conscience. He could then get on with his ministry without being dragged down by guilt and re

Mark 16:6-7 Long ago, I remember an old man telling me of an experience he had as a teenager. It happened during the first world war, when many of the young men from his village had gone to fight in France. Some families received the terrible news that their sons had been killed, but one family heard that their son was “missing believed killed”. Everyone encouraged the family to believe that their boy would be found but, as weeks turned to months, all hope was lost. Then, much later, at the end of the war, my friend was cycling into his village and saw that a huge crowd had gathered. Such a thing was unheard of in that sleepy community. In the centre of the crowd was the mother of the missing soldier. She was dancing and shouting: “He’s alive!” as she held a telegram informing her that her son had been taken prisoner and would soon be returning home. Just imagine the joy of that mother and the celebrations that followed. Then multiply it by 1,000 to understand some small part of the amazement of the women who

Mark 16:1 As soon as the Sabbath came to an end, these three women started their preparations for anointing the body of Jesus. The Sabbath ends about 40 minutes after sunset, as soon as three stars are seen in the sky. That was probably between 5:30 and 6pm. They knew that they wouldn’t have time to anoint Jesus’ body; that would have to wait until the Sunday morning. But they had enough time to go to the market to purchase the spices they were going to need. The women’s minds must have been in absolute turmoil. Jesus, their master and friend, had been taken away from them in the most violent and disturbing manner. The disciples had all gone into hiding, but the women knew what needed to be done and were determined to do it. They were clearly incredibly courageous. The Romans would have been unhappy to see anyone giving attention to Jesus’ body. But they knew that this was something they could and should do. It reminds us of the woman who anointed Jesus in Bethany only a few days before. Like her, they di

Mark 15:37-39 One of the reasons I love the Bible is that it is always bubbling with life and continually has new things to say to us. I know these verses extremely well but only today have I been struck by the fact that, just before Jesus breathed his last, he let out a loud cry. This is the last thing that you would have expected of a man dying on the cross. It would have been hard for Jesus to breathe at all, and so a whimper would have been the most that you would have expected. But the fact that he let out a loud cry gives the impression of it being a shout of triumph. His work of salvation was finished. He had won the final victory over sin and death. The tearing of the curtain of the Temple confirmed that a new era had opened up. In the past, only the High Priest could enter into the Holy of Holies but now, through the death of Christ on the cross, a new way had been opened up for anyone who would turn to him. The old barriers and restrictions had been torn down as Jesus opened his arms wide to the who

Mark 14:22-24 There are many different ways to convey a message. In the Old Testament, we often see the prophets acting out their message. One such moment was when Ahijah tore his robe into twelve pieces and gave ten of them to Jereboam to demonstrate that ten of the tribes would make him king (1 Kings 11:29-32). Jeremiah also used actions to emphasise his messages. In Jeremiah 27:2, we find him with a yoke fastened to his neck to show how the Babylonians would conquer the land. Nobody could have misunderstood his message. In our reading today, Jesus shared a special meal with his disciples. It was the time of the Passover and the meal which they shared was similar to a traditional Passover meal, but also very different. Using the powerful imagery of the broken bread and the wine, Jesus told his disciples that these symbols spoke of his own body and blood. Jesus had already clearly told them that he was going to die, but now he demonstrated it through sharing a simple meal with them. I wonder what the d

Mark 14:8-9 Jesus said this after a woman had anointed him in Bethany. It was clearly an amazing moment. It was quite usual for a house guest to be greeted by being given a few drops of perfume. What was extraordinary about this particular incident is that the woman deliberately broke open the whole perfume bottle. The onlookers immediately responded to the apparent waste of money. The perfume was made from nard, which came from far away and was, therefore, extremely expensive. It was suggested that it would have been the equivalent to one year’s wages. Jesus vigorously defended the woman’s actions. The people who suggested that the perfume could have been sold and the money given to the poor weren’t wrong. That could have been done. But it would have missed the point. This woman was preparing Jesus’ body for burial, and nothing could be more important than that. Jesus’ death on the cross was going to bring salvation to the world, so her action was of the first importance. I am particularly struck by the

Mark 12:29-31 The Jewish teachers of the law were famous for two things. Firstly, they took hold of the 613 laws that were given to Moses and added layer upon layer of other regulations. But they also enjoyed being able to reduce the whole law to a short sentence. That’s what Jesus does here. He took the vast weight of the Jewish law and summed it up with the command to love God and one’s neighbour. He was the first person to bring together these two instructions into a single command. The words that Jesus used would have been well known to any Jew. They were known as the Shema and were the words that opened every act of Jewish worship, and still do. Jews are constantly reminded of them. On every doorpost in a Jewish home, there is a small cylindrical box called a Mezuzah. Inside the box there is a tiny copy of the Shema. It is also contained in the phylacteries, or little leather boxes, which devout Jews wear as they pray. You will still see them being worn by many Jews at the Western Wall (otherwise known a

Mark 11:16-17 The Temple in Jerusalem was an impressive building, occupying a vast 30-acre site in the heart of the city. It was divided into distinct parts, with the commercial activity all taking place in the extensive Court of the Gentiles. This area was bordered by a low wall, on which notices hung, indicating that the penalty for any non-Jew going beyond it was death. The trading area was extremely busy. It is said that on one occasion, a trader offered 3,000 sheep for sale on a single day. The priests were also involved in the trading and the High Priest was thought to have owned shops in the area. If you have ever been to what we now call ‘The Old City’ in Jerusalem, or any other middle eastern bazaar, you will have a good idea of what it was like. It was noisy and hectic as traders went about their business. Jesus was furious at this abuse of the Temple and energetically drove out the traders. The Temple was, of course, principally the focus of worship for Jews. But the Court of the Gentiles was the

Mark 11:9-10 Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem shows us his extraordinary courage. He could have slipped quietly into the city. But in deliberately entering on a donkey, everyone knew that he was making a powerful statement. He was declaring for all to see that he was indeed the Messiah, the one who had come to save his people. Their praises show that they were entirely clear what was happening. Some may even have recalled that this was exactly what Zechariah had prophesied: “Rejoice, O people of Zion! Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem! Look, your king is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious, yet he is humble, riding on a donkey— riding on a donkey’s colt” (Zechariah 9:9). There is no doubt that the people were delighted to welcome their Messiah but there were clearly very different ideas of what such a person would do. Jesus wasn’t offering himself as the one who would kick out the occupying Roman forces, and that was probably the kind of liberation most people were looking for. The though

Mark 11:1 Jesus lived most of his life in the Galilee region, which was about a four-day journey north of Jerusalem. Nevertheless, he paid many visits to Jerusalem and had some good friends in the area. His particular friends were Mary, Martha and Lazarus who lived in Bethany, just outside the city. Clearly, in one of his visits there, he had prepared the ground for his final triumphal entry into Jerusalem. So he was able to send two of his disciples on ahead to get a donkey with the instruction that, if the owner asked why they were taking it, they were to say that the master needed it and would return it soon. Jesus had prepared the way for this decisive journey to Jerusalem, and that was an important principle for the disciples to remember in the years to come. When they went on their missionary journeys around the world, they needed to know that the Lord had gone ahead of them. His Spirit had prepared the way. As they headed out in search of the donkey, the disciples had simply to trust their master a

Mark 10:51-53 On the face of it, Jesus’ question would seem entirely unnecessary. Surely it was obvious what a blind man would want Jesus, the famous healer, to do. So why did he ask it? I believe he asked it because, in doing so, he gave the man dignity. Jesus didn’t barge into his life and do what he considered would be best for him; he listened to Bartimaeus. The blind man declared his desire to be able to see again and Jesus, recognising the man’s faith, healed him. Jesus never barges into our lives. He asks us what we want him to do for us. Yes, we all need forgiveness, but he will only give it to us when we are serious about our request. The fact is that many people want to hang on to their sins. Sin has become such a part of life that they can’t imagine being separated from their bitterness, selfishness, anger, sexual sin or whatever it happens to be. The offer of forgiveness from Jesus is real and definite but he won’t give it as a sticking plaster to place over our ongoing sin. He forgives us only wh