Mother's Day Sermon Part 1

Mothers do so much for us. And they are indeed deserving of recognition. But perhaps the most important responsibility of a mother is not just to change diapers or clean up messes, but to provide a spark that encourages and fosters faith in children. In the passage for today from 2 Timothy, Paul implores Timothy to “fan into flame the gift of God.” He wants to see Timothy on fire for Christ, sharing the gospel and glorifying God wherever he goes. But in order to do so, he must first fan that flame. The Greek here means literally to “rekindle.” We get the picture of embers or even the very beginning of a fire in its earliest stages. But we all know that a fire can’t start without a spark. And that spark often times is a faithful, loving mother. It definitely was in Timothy’s case. Look at 2 Timothy 1:5
“I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.”

The faith of Timothy’s mother and grandmother were passed down to him. Paul says it lived in them and now lives in him. A little background on Timothy’s mother can be found in Acts 16:1:
“Paul came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was a Jewess and a believer, but whose father was a Greek.”

Timothy’s mother, Eunice, was a Jew who had converted and accepted Christ. But her life was not perfect. First, as a Jew, she probably would have been ostracized for marrying a Greek. Such a thing was forbidden. Then, she believed, but her husband apparently did not. We can only imagine the difficulty this caused her. He probably would not have supported her in her spiritual growth. Her life was not enviable. Ignored by her own people, possibly ridiculed and demoralized by her husband, yet her faith lived on and she passed it down to her son. Bruce talked last week about the role of a godly wife bringing salvation to the unbelieving family. Perhaps Eunice did just that. Obviously she did to Timothy. Her sincere faith lived on in her son. It’s a compelling story and a model for many to follow.

Her example and teaching produced Timothy, Paul’s right hand man; an integral part of many churches and in the spreading of the gospel. No matter how difficult her life may have been, her legacy was invaluable. As Abraham Lincoln says, “No man is poor who has had a godly mother.”

Paul goes on in verse 7 to describe just what sort of faith it was that was passed down by Eunice:
For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.”

Paul talks of the same spirit that should be present in the lives of all believers. This spirit is not timid. The word translated here as “timid” is often used in battle contexts to mean “cowardice.” In other words, Christians are not cowards. We do not turn tail and run. We are not afraid of conflict because we have a spirit within us that empowers us to boldly live out our faith. And just what is this faith that Eunice clearly portrayed, sparked and passed down to Timothy, and that Paul encouraged Timothy to rekindle? This faith contains a Spirit of power, love, self-discipline.