September 16 2007 Lectionary Reading: 1 Timothy 2.1-7

Text: “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone” 1 Timothy 2.1-7 (NIV)

On the one sunny day there was, it seems, in July, we took a trip through to Stirling. Not being all that interested in shopping, I decided to go and have a look round the Castle, and so set off up that steep brae that climbs up from the town towards Stirling Castle esplanade. As I came up towards the top of the Castle hill, I suddenly remembered, because I was standing right outside it, that there is a beautiful old church there – the Kirk of the Holyrude. It was a delight to walk a few paces up a small lane, away from the street with its visitors and tourists, and step into the church, into the coolness and quiet – to feel at once a sense of the long years of worship that have taken place in the building. Within the main sanctuary there is a little chapel, called the Forrester aisle, set aside as it now is, for prayer. It has a few seats round it, some lit candles on the table, and a great sense of peace. Here, within the great main building for worship, is a place set aside to pray. Anyone, no matter who, can come, pause for a moment, gather their thoughts and pray.

When we read what Paul says in 1 Timothy 2, that is what he is writing to Timothy about: prayer in worship. Prayer is the theme of all our readings this morning. Solomon, in prayer, asks for wisdom from God, so that he can rule his people wisely and well. And in Luke’s gospel we heard the teaching of the Lord on prayer and being faithful in prayer.

Here in his letter to Timothy, Paul has set that faithfulness in prayer in a wide, wide landscape. Writing to Timothy, Paul follows the crystal clear flowing waters of prayer back to its source in the heights – in the being of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. We, following Paul, will try do this morning too. We will try to follow prayer, prayer for others, back to its source in God.

What does Paul say first, about prayer ? Well, he is writing to the young Timothy with guidance. Timothy was in charge of the congregation at Ephesus. A Christian community set in the midst of a pagan city – a little community of men and women, praying and worshipping, deepening daily in faith in Christ – a sign in that city of the new era that God has begun in Jesus Christ. In your worship, Paul writes, I ask you to pray for all – for as many as is possible – everybody round you in Ephesus, in the whole city. Pray for its leaders, its council, its officials, it traders and merchants, its workers. Pray for the king and those who are in high positions.

Now when Paul writes this to Timothy, he doesn’t ask the congregation in Ephesus simply to mention the city authorities when they pray – but actually to pray for them. Make things specific, writes Paul, – in prayer, bring people by name, and the real situations they are in, before God. Ask God’s blessing for those in positions of responsibility, those who are in challenging situations. And, when you see the Lord working in these situations, do not forget to give thanks for the government of the city, and its officials, and all who work in it. Pray for all these things, says Paul, pray for all. Here, as the New Testament speaks of faithful prayer, are we not struck by the breadth, the height, the openness, the range of such prayer ? And this is how broad and high and open in range our own prayer should be…. pray for all, says Paul

Now, we can guess that perhaps there were some in the congregation in Ephesus who asked – Shouldn’t we put ourselves first as a congregation ? After all, we are those who worship Jesus Christ – should we not put the real concerns of our congregation, our Church in its proper place ? Why prayer for all ? How does Paul answer this question ?

Why pray for all ?

Well, first, Paul answers this question very practically. When you pray for the king, the leaders, the officials in the city of Ephesus, says Paul, you are asking God to bless the city with good government. And with good government comes peace and order, and peace and order is not only of great benefit to everyone in the city – it is a great blessing to you as followers of Jesus Christ – for this means that you men and women in the Church can grow and flourish in faith in Jesus Christ, grow in holiness. Part of the great struggle of the Church in Africa is that there is often no peace, no stability, and this adds to the challenge to grow in depth of faith and holiness of life.

It is a very great blessing to live in a peaceful country like this……

We pray for all – because God’s blessing on this city and all its citizens is a blessing to us.

Why pray for all ?

We pray for all, writes Paul, because this is pleasing to God, whose loving concern is for all. The Father wishes all the peoples of the earth to be saved, all the peoples of the earth to come to the knowledge of the living truth in Jesus. As John 3.16 declares – God so loved the world…. God, lives in loving communion, as Father, Son and Holy Spirit and we were created to share that communion with Him – to find our true life, and purpose and meaning in life shared with God.

But as men and women we have turned our backs on God, forgetting Him, seeking to live life, out of our own resources – not out of the life that He gives.

And so we have come under the domination of sin, the consequence of

our broken relationship with God.

But, God, in His love still seeks to restore that relationship. Seeks all men and women, all the nations of the earth – all men and women. So when we pray for all, pray for others, leaders, peoples, governments, nations, when we pray for the sorrows of this earth and bring the strife and sin of the world before God - this is pleasing to God, for we share His loving concern for all. That is why we pray for all.

Why pray for all ?

We pray for all, because, writes Paul – Jesus has given Himself on the cross for all. Paul has in mind here the wonderful words of Jesus in Mark 10.45 – Jesus says “The Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve and to give His life – a ransom for many”. The loving, lowly life of Jesus, His life lived in loving service for others, comes to a perfect expression at the cross, where Jesus, in lowly loving service for us, gave up His life – as a ransom.

When Paul speaks about the cross, he speaks about it in many different ways:

sometimes he will speak of the death of Jesus

as a sacrifice for us, that frees us from sin, or

sometimes he will speak of it as a victory over death for us.

Here he speaks about the death of Jesus as a ransom:

Now Paul’s readers would know all about that. In Paul’s day a ransom was paid in different situations:

If your brother or sister was a slave, you had earned enough, you could pay a ransom to buy freedom for them.

Or if a father or brother was a prisoner of war, with all the rest of the family, you might gather enough money together to pay a ransom to bring them home.

Or if a field or vineyard that had once belonged to the family had been snapped up by creditors many years ago - you might, if you had become wealthy, pay a ransom to buy it back, restore those fields and pastures with all their memories to the family.

The meaning is clear –

when a ransom is paid a human being is set free,

when a ransom is paid, it restores what was lost.

What Jesus has done at the cross, in giving Himself,

is to pay the ransom for us,

writes Paul, Jesus has set us free, and He has restored to us what we had lost, life in the living God – and – this is for all.

We pray for all, for Jesus died for us all.

You see how deeply rooted in the good earth, the good soil of the Gospel,

prayer for others is ?

Prayer for others – prayer for all in this city of ours,

for its wellbeing, and peace, brings that same wellbeing and peace to ourselves.

Prayer for others – prayer for all in this city of ours,

is pleasing to God, for God’s loving concern is for all.

Prayer for others – when we pray for all in this city of ours,

in our own lowly way, we are following our Lord Jesus,

who died to set us free from sin, to restore us to that wonderful relationship with God. Jesus, who died for all

This is why each week in our Order of Service we have printed in small italic letters, before the last hymn – the words Prayer for Others. Because the living Word as it is found in Paul’s writings, calls us to pray for all - for this city, for its Council, for the Churches here, for the leadership of this country – for all in this city.

The men and women whom God seeks through

His Son Jesus -

who has given Himself for all, as a ransom to set us free.

Jesus

who has given Himself for all, to restore us to life with God in all its fullness.

AMEN.