Category: St. Titus

Luke 10:1-9 - Lectionary for St. Titus, Pastor and Confessor

2/4/2021

2/4/21
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

In Luke 10:1-9 Jesus sends workers out to the places he is planning to go. He urges them to go with a sense of urgency and dependence on God. They bring a blessing of God's peace to their hosts and carry on the work of ministrywhere they land. Their work is to bring healing and to proclaim God's kingdom.

It's easy for us to get some sort of romantic notion about this as the typical life of the Christian, particularly the Christian worker. While there's some truth to the concept, we want to remember that these 72 people were a select few who were sent out on a rather limited basis. They weren't going to spend the rest of their lives doing this work. They were making a visit to prepare people for the arrival of Jesus.

In one way, though, this is exactly the same message that pastors and evangelists have today. We ask God's peace on a community and we pray that the Lord will bless the people. We bring healing in whatever way we can, particularly the spiritual healing that comes through the Scripture, but we also pray for people's physical and emotional healing. Our message is focused on the urgent call, "Jesus is coming soon, be ready to welcome him."

We realize in all of this that we are sent out as lambs among wolves. We purposely make no attempt to guard ourselves against the opposition of our world. We speak the truth and do good, no matter what others say of us. And our trust is not in our own ability, but in God's ability to keep us.

The central idea is that Jesus is planning to come. He is going to bring all our work to fruition. He is going to establish his kingdom on earth, as it is in heaven, and we pray that he will establish it in us as we eagerly expect him. Jesus, the soon coming Lord, is able to keep his people.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

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Titus 1:1-9 - Lectionary for St. Titus, Pastor and Confessor

2/3/2021

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2/3/21
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

Our reading from Titus 1:1-9 opens a window into church order around the middle of the first century. Specifically, Paul tells Titus of his big mission in Crete. He is to appoint elders in every town (v. 5). This might not seem to be such a big task to us, unless we have ever served on the nominating committee of a local church congregation, and until we realize that the elder, as described by Paul, is also called an "overseer." This is the same word used of pastors and of bishops. Titus is appointing pastors who are likely to end up in a supervisory role over other pastors. That's a challenge.

I know what most of us think of when we consider a church call committee. They are looking for someone who will be the pastor to the local church. They want someone who is young and energetic, with forty years of pastoral experience. They want a scholar who reads everything and has plenty of time to play with the teens of the church. They want someone who will lead the church in a brand new direction of ministry to the community, adding vitality, and changing nothing whatsoever. Of course, all this is impossible.

Perhaps that's part of the reason that the churches in the towns don't seem to be selecting their own elders/pastors/overseers/bishops. Titus appoints them. It isn't so much a matter of the local congregation exercising its muscles and attracting someone.

Do these elders come from within the town? Are they outsiders? We really aren't told. We do know, though, that they have an assignment and are expected to be there. They don't seem to have a whole lot more choice in the matter than the churches do.

Is it just a matter of having a warm body in the office of pastor? Not precisely. Notice that Paul gives lots of qualifications, including being the husband of one wife, having believing children, and generally being of a good reputation. I know there have been lots of debates over the years about whether pastors may be unmarried and childless. Paul appears to have been unmarried and childless, though he wasn't precisely a pastor. However, I think it is perfectly reasonable to expect that some unmarried and childless people would end up as pastors.

All the other characteristics, if we think of them, are perfectly normal for a godly man. If he is to be an example of Christian piety and if he is to be of a good reputation in the community, all these characteristics are quite understandable. None is something exceptional. Yet we must realize that they are markers of someone who takes the Christian faith seriously.

Titus appoints elders. The main job of these elders seems to be that they should teach and correct false doctrine. It isn't an easy job. But someone's got to do it. The elders, the pastors, the bishops we have today, we must remember, are a gift from God. They have a vital function in the body. We need to welcome them, accept them, pray for them, and encourage them to do their work well. In this way they will certainly be a blessing to the Church.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

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Psalm 71:1-14 - Lectionary for St. Titus, Pastor and Confessor

2/2/2021

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2/2/21
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

Our reading from Psalm 71:1-14 points again and again to our dependence on God. He is the refuge, the deliverer, the rescuer, the safe place.

We live in a world of uncertainty. To listen to some voices in the public square, this is a new phenomenon. Yet it was the same kind of world three thousand years ago. It was the same kind of world two thousand, one thousand, or one hundred years ago. What makes us think our time is so special?

We are uncertain in ourselves. That's uncomfortable. I'll grant it freely. Not knowing what is going to happen next makes us uneasy. The issue, however, is not with our world. It's a rough place, but it hasn't really changed that much.

The problem we have is that we are uncertain in ourselves. You and I are not big, strong, wise, and stable enough to bring order out of chaos. We aren't able to govern a large enough part of the future. We fall short even in small things. How much more in large things? If we want some sort of certainty, we can't find it in ourselves, we need to find it somewhere else.

Where will we look? The Psalm has us look to the God of all. He is the one who can govern us, who knows how our world works, who can keep us in his place of refuge, who can defend us from all harm and danger.

When we look to God, however, even in great faith, we are still confronted with this deadly looking world. It can shake us up. In what way are we safe? When we consider the tens of thousands of people who die each year under persecution for their Christian faith, we might not feel too safe as Christians. When we consider the threats of famine, general warfare, and disease, we might not feel particularly safe. When we consider the fact that we simply age and eventually die, we can easily feel very mortal. Where's the security? The world seems pretty deadly.

God is not the god of this time only, but he is the God of all eternity. He is able to keep his people, even if they die, for eternity. He is able to overcome death itself. The Christian shouldn't approach death with fear. The Christian recognizes that life is eternal, though it is interrputed for a little while by death.

We have nothing to fear. The Lord of all eternity is able to keep you and me in eternity, pefectly safe. Our certainty is found in him, not in ourselves. He is the Lord God, the almighty.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

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Acts 20:28-35 - Lectionary for St. Titus, Pastor and Confessor

2/1/2021

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2/1/21
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

In Acts 20:28-35 the apostle Paul speaks with a number of elders, encouraging them. They are due to face many challenges - "fierce wolves," "men speaking twisted things." We don't actually know if Titus, whose day we recognize on January 26, was among those elders. But we do know that Paul was speaking to men like Titus. These elders serve as pastors of congregations. They are the resident theologians, encouragers, prayer warriors, and leaders, making disciples to be like Jesus.

What is the work of a pastor like? It involves facing opposition, often the kind of opposition which will twist words, assume bad motives for good actions, and attempt to destroy the work of God. Paul reminds these elders that he has worked tirelessly to care for God's people. He has spoken to them from God's word. He has worked with his hands when needed to make ends meet, since the Christians have not always been able to support their leaders financially. His desire has been to provide Christians, any who will receive the Gospel, the words of forgiveness and eternal life, given freely by God's grace through Jesus.

In verse 35 he reminds us that the Lord says it is more blessed to give than to receive. When we give away the Gospel, the grace of God, we certainly don't lose anything. Rather, we are provided with God's encouragement.

It's a good thing to be a pastor. I would encourage any young man who has a desire to work with God's Word to consider whether the Lord would be calling him to be a pastor. It's a gift of God to be able to give to God's people. As Paul passed the torch on to younger pastors such as Timothy and Titus, we in this generation are seeking those who would be the pastors to the next generation. It's a wonderful calling.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

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Luke 10:1-9 - Lectionary for St. Titus, Pastor and Confessor

Titus 1:1-9 - Lectionary for St. Titus, Pastor and Confessor

Psalm 71:1-14 - Lectionary for St. Titus, Pastor and Confessor

Acts 20:28-35 - Lectionary for St. Titus, Pastor and Confessor

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Luke 10:1-9 - Lectionary for St. Titus, Pastor and Confessor

Titus 1:1-9 - Lectionary for St. Titus, Pastor and Confessor

Psalm 71:1-14 - Lectionary for St. Titus, Pastor and Confessor

Acts 20:28-35 - Lectionary for St. Titus, Pastor and Confessor

​Help Fuel This Ministry by Clicking Here!

About Throwing Inkwells

Blog Feeds

Categories

Help Fuel This Ministry by Clicking Here!