Run the race

Tonight we heard part of Paul’s second letter to Timothy (4:1-8). In it Paul is reflecting upon his work and his ministry as that ministry draws to a close. He is stuck in prison in Rome awaiting his execution. He is aware that his earthly work is basically done, and he is ready to move on.

But as his life draws to a close he still spends his time encouraging Timothy and his fellow Christians to continue the work they are doing in proclaiming the gospel message. The basic charge that he gives is that the message of Jesus should be proclaimed. It should be proclaimed with persistence and with a determination to maintain sound doctrine.

Paul continues with the challenges that those proclaiming the message will face – they will be met people trying to teach their own truths, and they may have to suffer as well. And Paul spoke from experience. He had faced all of these things, problems from persecution, problems of different factions within Church groups he had helped to establish, and problems between different personalities.

And yet as he approached the end of his life and reflected upon his ministry he was able to do so with some satisfaction. He was sure that he had fought the good fight, that he had finished the race and kept the faith. He knew that he had worked to inherit the great prize of heavenly glory, and that is the promise that God offers to us all.

Maybe Paul was writing mainly to Church leaders, but there was often little distinction between leaders and members of the Church at that time, and so Paul may well have been addressing his comments to all of the followers of Jesus. And that is very relevant to the Church today.

Because the mission of the Church is a mission to be carried out by everyone of us as Christians. Paul wrote of the need for everyone to tell others the good news of Jesus love for us all, he wrote of the need to do so even when it’s difficult, even when we’re embarrassed or shy or not sure what to say, he wrote of the need to be prepared to face hardships in the course of our ministry, but of course he wrote a reminder of the wonderful crown of righteousness that he was to inherit – the crown of righteousness that we all seek in God’s glorious and everlasting kingdom.

But there is one more thing that Paul realised which doesn’t really come over in this brief reading, and that is that he relied on the grace and mercy of God for his salvation, not upon any of the work that he had done. There is nothing that we can do in terms of good works that will make us worthy to approach God, but we do good things as a response to the invitation of God to draw near to Him. We do good things as a gesture of our thanks and as a recognition of our need to tell others the good news that we ourselves have heard.

Paul worked hard after his conversion to share the gospel. He literally gave his life in the service of God, and he did so gladly, recognising that Jesus had given everything for him.

There’s a true story about a wealthy man and his son who loved to collect rare works of art. They had everything in their collection, from Picasso to Raphael. They would often sit together and admire the great works of art. When the Vietnam conflict broke out, the son went to war. He was very courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The father was notified and grieved deeply for his only son.

About a month later, just before Christmas, there was a knock at the door. A young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands. He said,"Sir, you don't know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life. He saved many lives that day, and he was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart and he died instantly. He often talked about you, and your love for art. The young man held out his package. "I know this isn't much. I'm not really a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have this."

The father opened the package. It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting. The father was so drawn to the eyes that his own eyes welled up with tears. He thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the picture. "Oh, no sir, I could never repay what your son did for me. It's a gift."

The father hung the portrait over his mantlepiece. Every time visitors came to his home he took them to see the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the other great works he had collected. The man died a few months later and there was to be a great auction of his paintings. Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing the great paintings and having an opportunity to purchase one for their collection. On the platform sat the painting of the son. The auctioneer pounded his gavel.

"We will start the bidding with this picture of the son. Who will bid for this picture?"

There was silence. Then a voice in the back of the room shouted. "We want to see the famous paintings. Skip this one."

But the auctioneer persisted. "Will someone bid for this painting? Who will start the bidding? $100, $200?"

Another voice shouted angrily. "We didn't come to see this painting.. We came to see the Van Goghs, the Rembrandts. Get on with the real bids!"

But still the auctioneer continued. "The son! The son! Who'll take the son?"

Finally, a voice came from the very back of the room. It was the longtime gardener of the man and his son. "I'll give $10 for the painting." Being a poor man, it was all he could afford.

"We have $10, who will bid $20?"

"Give it to him for $10. Let's see the masters." Came a voice from the back of the room.

"$10 is the bid, won't someone bid $20?" The crowd was becoming angry. They didn't want the picture of the son. They wanted the more worthy investments for their collections.

The auctioneer pounded the gavel. "Going once, twice, SOLD for $10!"

A man sitting on the second row shouted. "Now let's get on with the collection!"

The auctioneer laid down his gavel. "I'm sorry, the auction is over."

"What about the paintings?" shouted some of the collectors

"I am sorry. When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will. I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation until this time. Only the painting of the son would be auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including the paintings. The man who took the son gets everything!"

God gave His son 2,000 years ago to die on a cruel cross. Much like the auctioneer, His message today is, "The son, the son, who'll take the son?"

…. St Paul understood very well that message, that whoever takes the Son gets everything. AMEN