Passing The Torch

Not long ago, I wrote about my Aunt Doris' passing. I shared how surreal it felt, along with my other first cousins, to be the elder generation of my grandparent's, Albert and Stella Sauter. I talked about how the torch had been passed from our parent's generation to ours, and how we as the oldest generation would also someday leave a legacy. What that legacy will be has yet to be determined, and so remains fraught (Don't you love that word?) with possibilities. This got me thinking about passing of torches, and what I wish to pass on to my descendants.

Then this morning Pastor Keith spoke about "Passing the Gospel Torch". He reminded us of the significance of this type of event in the opening of the Olympics. I checked online about the 2010 torch relay, and it seems that it is carried 45,000 kilometers for over 106 days prior to the start of the Olympics. The flame was carried by approximately 12,000 people, who passed the torch from one to the next, until it reached it's destination. The relay started with the lighting of the torch in front of the ruins of the Temple of Hera in Olympia, Greece, and was carried to the site of the current winter Olympic games in Vancouver, emphasizing the connection between the ancient and modern games. Finally, one person lit the Olympic fire in the opening ceremonies for all the world to see. It occurred to me that each person who had ran had a part in lighting that Olympic flame, even though only one person had the privilege of actually physically lighting it. My pastor pointed out similarities of this relay passage to the sharing of the gospel message.

In 2 Timothy the apostle Paul addressed a young pastor named Timothy. Paul's purpose and practice was clear in passing the torch to this young man, who would teach and lead the next generation of Christians. In chapter 1, verse 3, Paul stated that he personally serves God, as did his own forefathers, with a clear conscience, and with prayer for the next generation. Thus, his practice of prayer and encouragement for Timothy were rooted in a heritage of passing a spiritual torch. He shared his joy at hearing of Timothy's sincere faith, mentioning Timothy's grandmother Lois and mother Eunice, who were also faithful servants of God. He was not in any way implying that Lois and Eunice's faith was inherited by Timothy, but that Timothy was taught well, saw people of genuine faith, and so desired to personally receive and walk in the faith that his predecessors had held dear. There's something very contagious about genuine and transparent faith, and Timothy wanted that faith for himself.

Pastor Keith mentioned three things that Paul considered worthy of this young Pastor's attention, if he was to pass on a lasting spiritual legacy. First of all, in verse 8 Paul exhorted Timothy to be unashamed of speaking openly about Christ. Secondly (v. 8) he told Timothy to be prepared to suffer for the gospel. In the US today, Americans generally do not suffer physically for sharing their faith, as did Paul and the other apostles. We know though that in many parts of the world, even today, to share your faith in Christ openly may mean loss of family acceptance, job opportunities, beatings, or even loss of your life. We more consistently face culturally accepted ridicule that people of faith routinely receive. We are told by Hollywood and media alike that we are intellectually inferior, and emotionally weak. We are also considered restrictive, judgmental, and out of touch with reality. In some cases, people professing to be Christians have rightfully earned this criticism, but in many cases, people of faith are ridiculed, or stereotyped for simply believing. So, for the sincere Christian, who would like to engage in conversation about their faith, or even share a Biblical perspective on cultural issues, personal retribution may come in the form of being socially criticized or ostracized. I wonder why it seems acceptable to bash evangelical Christians for their beliefs, while in the name of tolerance it is unacceptable to criticize anyone else?

The third aspect of passing the gospel torch mentioned this morning was to preserve and protect sound teaching (Verses 13, 14). We protect what we treasure, and we are told that we should protect the accuracy of God's truth, found in the Word of God. In a marketplace of competing ideas today, we need to study and be conversant with the doctrines of the faith so that we recognize truth from error, and logical consistency from a patchwork quilt of thinking. We need to be able to make a reasonable accounting for the gospel message if is to be preserved. This is especially difficult in a postmodernist culture that says truth is relative and subjective.

The Olympic torch was carried by over 12, 000 people. I wonder how many people have carried the gospel torch over the centuries, so that I might be able to have the word of God in my language in 2010? How many have brought this gospel to the countless numbers over the last two millennium so that I could eventually be given the opportunity in 1961 to hear the gospel clearly presented so that I could respond to the call of God on my life? All of those believers who have gone before passed a torch so that I could hear. I pray that my legacy will be no less. What will you pass on to the next generation?