I Tim 2:1-8 and Celebrating the Work of Chris Long

"First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity. 3 This is right and is acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God; there is also one mediator between God and humankind, Christ Jesus, himself human, 6 who gave himself a ransom for all—this was attested at the right time. 7 For this I was appointed a herald and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth. 8 I desire, then, that in every place the men should pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or argument;.."

Introduction--The "Problem" with Our Text

Like an imperfectly tuned trumpet which belts out a "CHARGE!" that is greeted more by bemusement than support, so this passage belts out some relatively uncontroversial words before it goes, to our modern sensibilities, "off key." But, we are "saved" from this potential embarrassment by the makers of the Revised Common Lectionary, who cut off the reading after v. 8--which exhorts men (yes, this is males in the Greek) to pray. Yet we are foolish if we are fooled by the Lectionary, for after all, the passage continues:

"9 also that the women should dress themselves modestly and decently in suitable clothing, not with their hair braided, or with gold, pearls, or expensive clothes, 10 but with good works, as is proper for women who profess reverence for God. 11 Let a woman learn in silence with full submission. 12 I permit no woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she is to keep silent..."

Just as standing up in the floor of the US House of Representatives today and declaring one's hope for a full and unconditional victory in Iraq would be greeted with hoots of derision from about 80% of one's colleagues, so reading the "rest" of this passage in 2007 is greeted with smiles, chuckles or indignant comments from about 80% of American Christians today. Verses 9-12 are words that are out of tune with the times, at least for most American Christians (the words probably go over better in many other nations). That is not to say that 80% of denominations or religious groups have full inclusion of women in the ordained ministries or leadership roles of the church. Rather, I think this reflects majority feeling today.

To make things worse, this passage throws out a number of things that have been studied over the years that ring "hollow" today. For example, people have done studies on the four Greek words in v. 1 on prayer, trying to differentiate precisely what is meant by each word and coming up with theories of prayer that reflect their speculative undestanding of the words. Sort of a waste of time. Or, people have used v. 5 as a weapon in the arsenal of the Calvinist-Arminian debate over the concept of a limited atonement. Does God really want all people to be saved or does the passage only say this because it accommodates to our limited capacities? Again, this is a debate that won't energize many people today.

So, where is the Word of God today in this passage? I, for one, believe the Word of God is in the words of God--that is, that the text is alive with meaning whether we pick up on it or not--but where are those words today? In the remainder of this essay I will only make one point, give an advertisement for my brother, and then urge you to think of ways that you might link exhortation and song in your life.

II. The "Promise" of Our Text

Rather than just going through the verses and urging us to pray, to recognize the mediatorial role of Christ, to celebrate the apostleship of Paul, I will step back from the passage and ask about its structure. The author gives an exhortation, and then the author buttresses the exhortation with a quotation from an early Christian hymn. That hymn is set apart from the rest of the text in many NT versions, as well as the version of the Greek New Testament I use (the 26th edition of Nestle/Aland). It goes like this (vv. 5-6):

"For there is one God;
there is also one mediator between God and humankind,
Christ Jesus, himself divine,
who gave himself a ransom for all."

Of course we don't know the "tune," nor the rhythm or beat, but we have here, as in Phil. 2 and other places, the example of early Christian liturgy/music coming in to supplement theology and exhortation. My point today is that we ought to do the same today--to cultivate ways in which we can integrate music into our proclamation and teaching. Music and the words from hymns/choruses, then would become a way not only to bring home the lessons we are teaching but to give people the kind of "mental breaks" from the straight "listening" that educational theorists and psychologists have told us are necessary today.

Now for the Commercial

Well, how do we do this? How do we integrate music and word in a meaningful worship experience? Here is where I am going to promote the work of my brother, Chris Long. Chris is a leading force for promoting meaningful interactive worship services for today. Here is an article he has written where he talks about the integration of song and word in worship. So committed is he to the notion of making worship live that he organizes and puts on worship seminars, usually attended by hundreds, around the country--seminars that range from technical advice on how to run sound systems to theological reflection on the meaning of worship. Here is an "ad" for those seminars. Chris is committed to connecting the exhortation to the music, and to make our lives richer as a result.

Conclusion

So, this is a way to "save" a difficult passage. Rather than looking at it as a discrete set of pieces of advice, look at the structure of the passage and focus on the connection of exhortation to song to worship. Then, we wil have a message that transcends time and connects to our hearts today. And you may also have learned a new strategy for preaching. Let me give the last word to my brother Chris:

"When we talk with our people about worship, we need to speak of an activity in which we offer all that we are in a effort to engage the Living God and give Him room to do the restorative and healing work he longs to do among us. We gather to pour ourselves out at the feet of Him who sits on the throne, and He is faithful to touch and fill us up in ways that only He knows will meet our needs and further His kingdom."

Amen to that!

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