A Song to Live By

A Reflection on the 2nd Reading for September 25th, 2022:
​Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

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1 Timothy
6.11-16
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As for you, man of God; pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life, to which you were called and for which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

In the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you to keep the commandment without spot or blame until the manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he will bring about at the right time. He is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords.

It is he alone who has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no human being has ever seen or can see; to him be honour and eternal dominion. Amen.

Paul’s words to Timothy have that hymnic quality again. I’m a musician, never far away from the organ loft or a piano. As I read today’s scripture, the words of familiar hymns and religious songs sprang to mind – “I will fight the good fight” from Only This I Want and the soaring, stirring “King of Kings! And Lord of Lords!” from Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus. I can almost only hear hymn lyrics in this letter … songs that I’ve sung or played, that have dug their way deep into my heart, and into my experience of faith. Clearly, this is a passage of scripture that has spoken to many Christian composers and lyricists.

Paul’s letter is a prayer, an entreaty, and a mission all in one. He exhorts us to reaffirm our faith, over and over. He reminds us what we are called to – if this life is a battle, it is not won with blades but with the qualities of righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness. We are to pursue these qualities, we are to commit to them in the presence of many witnesses (just like our baptism, confirmation, and wedding all are meant to be witnessed and held by our church communities), and then he charges us to keep the commandment without spot or blame until Jesus returns. A tall order! But Paul is encouraging: “[T]ake hold of the eternal life, to which you were called.” In other words, keep our eye on the prize. Jesus is waiting. Like the song O Come to the Altar says, “Jesus is calling.”

I imagine the Christian who moves through the world embodying these characteristics, and I aspire to be like her or him. Faith-filled, loving and loved, holy and godly, persevering and able to endure the long, long journey through life and the struggles and sufferings that are intrinsically part of human existence. Righteous: moral, upholding justice, standing up for what is good and right. And gentle: accepting of God’s will, not acting in resentment and anger towards others, humble, respectful.

How we need this encouragement! Especially in today’s world, as reflected by the opening line of the hymn Christ Be Our Light: “Longing for light, we wait in darkness.”

Paul gives us guidelines for how to live. Interestingly, he also mentions “the good confession” twice in this passage. I don’t think confession as we know it now (the Sacrament of Reconciliation) existed back when he was writing, but certainly it is the one sacrament that can help us keep the commandment even with spot and blame until Jesus returns. In the good fight, confession is our shield and our refreshment.

At the end of it all, we fight the good fight so that we can go home to Jesus. He is worthy of honour; He is waiting for us in love and light. Let us live out Paul’s exhortation – let his words be the song of our hearts.

I’ll close with the refrain from one last song of praise that echoes the final line of St. Paul’s prayer: 
 
You alone are holy.
You alone are Lord.
You alone are worthy to be honoured and adored.
Mercy, you have given.
Kindness, you have shown.
Love is you alone.
- You Alone
 

Song references:
Only This I Want – by Dan Schutte
Hallelujah Chorus from Messiah – by George Friedrich Handel
O Come to the Altar – by Chris Brown, Mack Brock, Steven Furtick, & Wade Joye
Christ Be Our Light – by Bernadette Farrell
You Alone – by Sarah Hart & Dwight Liles



Kim Tan

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