Praying for the President
This week we are looking at the little book of First Timothy. The book is ostensibly from the apostle Paul to his student and fellow missionary, Timothy. The scholars aren't sure Paul wrote this, but whoever wrote it, the stress of the text is clear: instruction for a young missionary and the new churches he is leading.
The letter comes in the context of a rise in persecution of Christian churches, and also of those churches still figuring out who they are and what they believe. In the first chapter, the writer (we'll call him Paul for ease of prose) cautions Timothy about those in the churches who get all hung up on "myths and genealogies." He worries about those engaged in "meaningless talk" and great stress on law. How easy it is to spin our wheels wondering about the details of things like who wrote this letter and not about the greater demands of the gospel?
Early in the life of the Christian churches, especially in the context of persecution and in a powerful Greco/Roman culture, it would have been tempting for the churches to cocoon themselves and separate from the society around them. Several "heresies" arose to encourage people to do just that, waiting for the second coming of Jesus. It is also tempting, especially when a group is threatened, to put together all kinds of careful ways to maintain identity with rules which have the result of making sure of who is "in" and who is "out."
The writer of Timothy is trying to counter those tendencies. He tells Timothy that first, the community's identity is in worship, and specifically in prayer. That prayer is not only to be for those in the community and their needs, but for "everyone." Specifically, for "kings and all in high positions." Remember that in the Roman cults, people prayed to the emperor, but in the churches, people are now to pray for the emperor. Can you imagine how difficult this must have been? Remember "love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you?" But Paul puts the emperor and all with power under the same God as all of us and in need to "being saved" and coming to the "knowledge of truth," just like everyone else.
That "knowledge of truth" probably was not meant to be intellectual information, but that all might experience the presence and love of God through Jesus and so be led in such a way that they would want all people to "lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity." People in power, not just political rulers, but also those with economic or military power, need our prayers because our ability to live peaceably and with dignity is very dependent on their actions and decisions, as we well experience in our day. So, far from separating from the world around them, the early Christians were called to engage that world in prayer and seek the transformation of the world, not their removal from it.
When was the last time you prayed for George Bush or Dick Cheney? or Bill Gates or (name your CEO)? or President al-Maliki of Iraq or the leaders of Iran or North Korea or Israel or Palestine or the Sudan? or Osama bin Laden? Or your boss? Really prayed for them not that they might be hurt but that they might know God fully and live abundant lives of love in God?
The letter comes in the context of a rise in persecution of Christian churches, and also of those churches still figuring out who they are and what they believe. In the first chapter, the writer (we'll call him Paul for ease of prose) cautions Timothy about those in the churches who get all hung up on "myths and genealogies." He worries about those engaged in "meaningless talk" and great stress on law. How easy it is to spin our wheels wondering about the details of things like who wrote this letter and not about the greater demands of the gospel?
Early in the life of the Christian churches, especially in the context of persecution and in a powerful Greco/Roman culture, it would have been tempting for the churches to cocoon themselves and separate from the society around them. Several "heresies" arose to encourage people to do just that, waiting for the second coming of Jesus. It is also tempting, especially when a group is threatened, to put together all kinds of careful ways to maintain identity with rules which have the result of making sure of who is "in" and who is "out."
The writer of Timothy is trying to counter those tendencies. He tells Timothy that first, the community's identity is in worship, and specifically in prayer. That prayer is not only to be for those in the community and their needs, but for "everyone." Specifically, for "kings and all in high positions." Remember that in the Roman cults, people prayed to the emperor, but in the churches, people are now to pray for the emperor. Can you imagine how difficult this must have been? Remember "love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you?" But Paul puts the emperor and all with power under the same God as all of us and in need to "being saved" and coming to the "knowledge of truth," just like everyone else.
That "knowledge of truth" probably was not meant to be intellectual information, but that all might experience the presence and love of God through Jesus and so be led in such a way that they would want all people to "lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity." People in power, not just political rulers, but also those with economic or military power, need our prayers because our ability to live peaceably and with dignity is very dependent on their actions and decisions, as we well experience in our day. So, far from separating from the world around them, the early Christians were called to engage that world in prayer and seek the transformation of the world, not their removal from it.
When was the last time you prayed for George Bush or Dick Cheney? or Bill Gates or (name your CEO)? or President al-Maliki of Iraq or the leaders of Iran or North Korea or Israel or Palestine or the Sudan? or Osama bin Laden? Or your boss? Really prayed for them not that they might be hurt but that they might know God fully and live abundant lives of love in God?
Labels: I Timothy 2:1-7
posted by shelly @ 9:22 AM
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