Praying for All

1 Timothy 2:1-7

Ordinary 25

September 22, 2019

Commissioning for Worship Through Service Weekend

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all who are in high positions, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity. This is right and is acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God; there is also one mediator between God and humankind, Christ Jesus, himself human, who gave himself a ransom for all—this was attested at the right time. 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.

In a gathering of church kids, I was once asked my favorite chapter of the Bible. Without hesitation, I replied, “Psalm 117.” It caught everybody’s attention. They didn’t know that one. Somebody quickly looked it up, and then looked at me curiously.

Here it is, my favorite chapter of the Bible, Psalm 117:

Praise the Lord, all you nations! Extol him, all you peoples!
For great is his steadfast love towards us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures for ever.
Praise the Lord!

They looked at one another. “That’s your favorite chapter? Why do you like Psalm 117?” I’ll bet some of you know the answer: because it’s the shortest. It’s only two verses long.

And yet it is one of the largest texts of the whole Bible. Did you hear what it summons? “Praise the Lord, all you nations! Extol God, all you peoples.” It’s an invitation for everybody. All nations, all peoples.

In the same way, our brief passage from 1 Timothy goes by quickly. But don’t miss how big it is. Repeatedly the apostle Paul speaks of “everybody” and “all.” Everybody in the human race has one mediator between them and God and it is Jesus. This Jesus is the one who has given his life as a ransom for all. No one is exempt from the reach of God's love. No one is excluded from the embrace that God offers.

I have known people who have a hard time with that. I remember the old cranky priest who lived a few blocks up the street from my first congregation. I don’t remember his name, but I remember what he said. He proudly reported how somebody knocked on his door and asked for a gift of food. The priest looked at him and said, “Are you a member of my congregation?” The man said, “No,” to which the priest said, “Get your foot off my porch.”

I suppose if you are trying to protect the holiness of God from getting tarshished, that is one option. But the more biblical approach, the Christ-like, is to offer love and mercy to all. To everyone.

Paul is reminding us of the scope of God's salvation. It is greater than one tiny single soul or even one needy person. Paul's Jewish Bible never offered such restriction. No, in his Bible, the great visions of salvation have to do with the redemption of the whole world. The wolf will lie down with the lamb, the fatling and the ox together, the little child in his meekness shall lead them all. The mountains of pride are brought low, the valleys of despair are  lifted up. All flesh shall see the glory of God. This is big.

So we never can restrict how far God can reach, and that’s what Paul says in today’s text. So after today’s benediction, some friends will stitch together quilts for the homeless downstairs. When they finish one, they pray that the one receiving their quilt will know that he or she is loved. They are not dispensing these quilts nearly to the Presbyterians. If anyone needs a warm sleeping bag, here it is.

Everyone.  All. That is God's great desire, to save everyone. To bring all to a knowledge of the Gospel truth. It is God’s deepest desire to embrace every one of heaven’s children, beginning with those the world might otherwise deem unworthy.

So this is the grand purpose we undertake today. We step beyond the safe and careful walls of a church building to be God's people in the world. As someone says about the text from 1 Timothy,

God is at work doing saving work – calling all human beings to their full humanity, summoning worldly rulers to their proper place for justice, healing the estrangement between humanity and God. (Tom Long, p. 63)

We pray for that. We work for that. Not much more needs to be said today. Even if the message is short, it’s still enormous. God is calling us to take part in the saving work of heaven here on earth. Do what you can. Pray, pray, pray. And get to work on the matters for which you are praying.

(c) William G. Carter. All rights reserved.