Pastor’s Corner 10-5-2025

Hello church friends!

The cold in the air and the squashes in the supermarket tell me that fall has fully arrived. It is also in the fall that We cover some more obscure parts of Scripture. This week's scripture reading at church includes a passage from 2nd Timothy (1:1-14). In this passage, the author is addressing a younger Christian (2 Tim 1:2) whose mother and grandmother were widely known in the early early Christian community (2 Tim 1:5). Most of the reading speaks for itself on face value, and I would like to highlight some of the forensic clues that paint a broader picture of the early Christian community.

One thing to notice is that early Christians touched each other as part of prayer and spiritual practice (2 Tim 1:6). Echoes of this practice are with us in the Lutheran community. We lay hands on someone in prayer for healing, ordination, and commendation. 

We also see that early Christians encouraged their members to have unique and powerful personalities (2 Tim 1:7). It was thought that a people who had been saved from death (2 Tim 1:10) would have the courage to be publicly honest about their spiritual life and relationships (2 Tim 1:11-12). 

Readings like this both convey a classic Christian teaching about faith and have small clues that illustrate how early Christians related to each other and their society. Even though we will be different than them, we can learn a lot from how they responded to the challenges of their time. When you read this reading. (2 Tim 1:1-14) What do you notice about the community? How do you think you would fit into the community of 2 Timothy? 

As always, I remember you and my prayers and look forward to seeing you soon.

Faithfully,

Pr. Josh