THE KIRK OF KILDAIRE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

CARY, NC

www.kirkofkildaire.org

A sermon preached by Joseph Welker, Jr.

Faith in the Foxhole

2 Timothy 2:1;8-15

October 14, 2007

I wonder how long Timothy had been a leader of the church. We know he was young leader. He and Paul had met when Paul was on a mission through Lystra. Timothy's mother was a Jewish Christian and his father was Greek. He was raised by his Mother in the faith and he grew up in the church. He must have been one outstanding youth… like some of the youth here at the Kirk. He was well respected. Paul heard this and saw this in him. So Paul had invited Timothy to join him on his mission trip. It must have been exciting times for them. The church was growing throughout the known world. On the trip, they must have developed quite a relationship. Timothy became like a son to Paul. Paul was his mentor, I'm sure.

When I read the letter today from Paul (who is now in prison) to Timothy trying to lead a church… it sounds to me as if Timothy is a bit discouraged and struggling. I know that can happen to young pastors. It still does. The drop out rate of pastors in the first five years of ministry is extremely high. You might call them very critical years.

I remember as an associate Pastor in the first church I served becoming very discouraged and disillusioned. I even preached a sermon called "Dear Professor" in which I proceeded to share with the congregation in as kind a way as possible the sources of my disillusionment. One kind elder came up after the sermon and asked if I was "okay." Well… no!

Looking back I think I know what happened. When you enter the ministry it is often because the church of your childhood and youth was very important to you. In college, I was blessed to find another church that cared for me through a campus ministry. You are surrounded by advisors and people who affirm you and you find it meaningful. You begin to see yourself serving this church in the years ahead. You'd like to be there for others. You go to seminary, become ordained and there you are in your first call. Then you discover something. You are not a youth anymore. You are a leader. And there are all sorts of expectations out there. Some you can meet, some you cannot.

There are all sorts of people out there. Some inspire you. Others discourage you. Some disappoint you. Some seem to make it their business to criticize you. And you wonder, is this what you signed up for? What else can you do with a seminary degree? It is easy to become discouraged in your early years of ministry. You have to work through it and with mentors and friends like I was blessed to have… I did. I'm thinking Paul was such a mentor for Timothy.

So I wonder if young Timothy was experiencing this kind of discouragement. After all, things were changing for the early church. The days when 3000 people joined the church in one day are in the past. The days when all the believers were of one mind and shared everything, but a distant memory. Now the church is facing conflict from within and without. From within there are dissenters who are trying to change the gospel message and sowing seeds of doubt. From without, the Christians are facing persecution for their beliefs. Even death. I bet the new member classes weren't quite as large anymore. In fact, they may have been losing members. Brothers and sisters, do you know how Timothy feels? Perhaps he wonders if it is worth it. "Is this what I signed up for?"

When things go bad it is easy to give up, you know. And what you need of course is someone who understands… to encourage you.

I think of a coach for a normally successful football team I heard about that had lost early games this season. This was going to be a long season. The coach had been on losing teams himself as a player. He knew the frustration and discouragement that comes with losing. When asked about the losing team and the morale he said, "This is foxhole football. You find out who is going to be in your foxhole, who is going to fight and scratch and claw to make it through…. You don't want anybody in a foxhole with you that is not going to fight to win, whatever the situation is… there's no other way except just to keep grinding…it's tough… I really know what the guys are feeling right now, but… this is a good group of guys. They are pulling together. Nobody is pointing fingers…" One of the senior players said, "Man, it's really heartbreaking… When we went 13-0, everybody was on the bandwagon. Let's see who is going to be on the bandwagon when we are going through times of struggle…."

Perhaps Paul would want to know the same thing. Who is going to be on the Christian bandwagon when there are times of struggle. To which I might add, who will be the voice of encouragement and support to strengthen those who are struggling.

The letter we have today is a very personal letter from Paul-trying to encourage his young friend through a very difficult time. He'd do it face to face but he is in prison. He tells Timothy to hang on. Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus… remember Paul knows what hardship is like-he has been chained and locked up like a common criminal-but that doesn't mean the gospel is in chains.

Most of all, he reminds him that in the midst of suffering Christ is faithful and is with us. Don't' give up on him or the gospel or the church. Christ will be with us as we seek to be faithful to him:
"If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him… Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved by God, a worker who has no need to be ashamed…"

I love this letter from Paul. How blessed Timothy was to have a mentor and friend like Paul to write to him at his lowest point. You know Christianity is easy when the blessings are flowing and faith is clicking on all cylinders… but then comes the difficulties and discouragement… and you can use someone like a Paul.

The church is blessed with Paul-like people you know. You don't have to go it alone. There are those Stephen ministers ready to be a friend, ready share the journey of suffering or discouragement with you. Some of you have developed relationships over the years through a Sunday School class, small group, fellowship meals, mission trips, choirs, committees, the Session, workdays, -so many ways… and then one day, you discover you have lost your job or you have cancer or you're going to have surgery. Guess who calls you. One of your friends you met in one of those church ministries. There they are, like Paul ready to offer a word of encouragement. And you say to me or someone else, I don't know how I would have made it without my faith and my friends. That's what Paul is doing.

But can I push you a little more and push us all to think a little bit beyond the Kirk and ourselves? Think for a moment about your brothers and sisters in the world who are suffering for the faith these days? It's easy to forget them as we worship with comfort and ease in America.

Around the world fellow brothers and sisters are struggling. I think today of the 2000 Christians living in Palestine in the midst of the conflict on the Gaza strip. What was their Sabbath like today?

I think of the Christians living in Iraq-how alone they may feel. There are only 3% of them. Their churches have been bombed. Pastors attacked. Some have been kidnapped by Al Qaeda and ransomed for their unwillingness to convert to Islam. Ask them if they've got commitment. You bet.

Our Ethiopian brothers and sisters at the Kirk who escaped the persecutions in the 70s and 80s can tell you what it is like to live under hardship as Christians. I am guessing they still have friends struggling back home. Ask them what it was like to hold on to faith. I bet you will learn a lot!

Add to the list of those who suffer… the Christians in Sudan or India or Somalia or North Korea or China… There is a long list of Christians in foxholes trying to hold on to their faith.

And even if you aren't in a foxhole for your beliefs… how about holding on to faith when you are trying to feed your family or simply struggling to survive. I think of brothers and sisters I've met in Africa… in Guatemala… Mexico and others in so many 3rd world countries trying to be faithful under very difficult circumstances. Every day is a foxhole.

I've been wondering how we might encourage them. Maybe the most important thing about mission trips is the encouragement we offer by offering our personal support face to face.

One of the roles of our mission co-workers is to go on our behalf to offer encouragement. We are blessed at the Kirk to have people like David and Jeanine in Guatemala and Dan and Elizabeth Turk in Madagascar and so many other missionaries who have left the comfort and prosperity of the US to try to support fellow Christians. It's not an easy life and I got to thinking, how might we support them?

There are many ways… our prayers… our presence when possible… our support. Today I am inviting you to support them in a very tangible way… there are envelops on the communion table already addressed to missionaries serving the church. I encourage you to take an envelope and write a letter of thanks - that can be very encouraging- and support. If you prefer email, the link is in the bulletin today. It would mean more than you can imagine.

I have a friend who I think survived on the letters of support from another friend. In this case, he wasn't a missionary … but was a church musician who had lost his way. He gave me permission to tell his story.

I met Jim over 30 years ago when we both worked at Camp Greenville. He was a counselor and a very gifted organist even back then. He simply had the gift. He could play anything we threw at him and play it well. I lost touch with Jim over the years as I went through college, seminary… the life thing.

One day I got a call from Jim. It turns out that Jim was now in recovery from substance abuse and drug addictions. He was practicing one of the 12 steps in which you apologize to the people you let down. He went through that… but would still struggle for years… becoming addicted again… becoming a conman in order to raise money to feed his addiction… being in and out of prison and recovery a couple of times. I'm proud to say that I am most encouraged about his future this time. This time Jim, has a church organist position at a large Catholic church in South Carolina. Think of what it meant for that church to give Jim another chance-knowing his history. Since he has been out of prison, we have regained contact. Recently Jim sent me a sampling of letters that sustained him.

What surprised me was to discover who wrote to Jim. Stanley Hauerwas-- a a world renowned scholar at Duke Divinity School. Who was Jim to him?

Jim had written a letter from prison to him in response to an article in the newspaper. Dr. Hauerwas wrote back and then the chain of letters began. During his time in prison and recovery, Dr. Hauerwas wrote letters to Jim … encouraging him… exchanging ideas of books to read…

My friend told me
"During my incarceration (which I consider a time of discernment and rehabilitation) I could not have had a better friend than Dr. Hauerwas. I saved all of his letters to me-there are well over 100. I know that someday I will read them with more gratitude than I even feel now…. "

I read the letters and I can see why Jim holds on to them. For in those letters during his time of deepest struggle and suffering… he was given a gift of grace, support and encouragement that was just what he needed. Now, my friend has another chance at life. And a chance to use his gifts for the glory of God.

Perhaps one day, someone will say of us what Jim said of Dr. Hauerwas. "During my time of suffering, I could not have had a better friend than -- you!" [1]

Perhaps that is why the church held on to these personal letters from Paul. Perhaps, those who preserved them wanted to show us how one Christian can support another one in the most difficult of times. I don't know. I'm just glad we held on to them. For in them, I hear Paul trying to encourage us. For that we can be grateful. Amen.

[1] This story was used with permission from "Jim." The real name has been changed to Jim to provide anonymity.