Reflections on "Learning" Titus 3: 12-15; Zechariah 7: 8-10

The final sermon on Titus.  I discovered in my research that this passage is very popular among conservative evangelicals because of its emphasis on teamwork and including others.  If you were to search this passage on the Internet, you would find lots of sermons preached on this passage, which really surprised me.

The idea of doing good works is not new, but the passage really emphasized it, so I thought it would serve as a good reminder for us.  

In our world where church seems to have less relevance, hearing the words of the first Christian communities and how they began to understand themselves and their tasks might be very helpful.

“Learning” Titus 3: 12-15; FPC, Troy; Titus Summer Series; 8/26/12

This passage concludes Paul's letter to Titus. It finishes by mentioning a few persons personally and exhorting people to learn to do good works.

Move 1: Reflect on the mention of personal names.

a. For the budding biblical scholars in our midst, the mention of personal names is one of the arguments for Paul's authorship

1. Paul had a habit of mentioning people in the faith community by name.
2. I suspect Paul used it as a tool for credibility.
3. Fundraisers will tell you that a personal note on a form letter greatly increases the likelihood of donor giving.
4. Paul could have done it; those writing in Paul's name might have understood that as well.

100. Reminder that ministry is personal.

1. In A Theology of Personal Ministry [Zondervan], Lawrence Richards and Gib Martin state (p. 201), “The key to effective ministry is never found in its institutional setting, but always in its relational setting. Whenever believers come to know and care for others—and reach out to share, encourage, and help— there is the setting for the most significant ministries that can take place.”

2. The institutional questions facing the early church might have been how what criteria do we need for leaders of the church; or what should we teach our members.

But the answer is found in the personal commitments to ministry and one another that are made by those believers as they come together.

4. that is true for us today. We have institutional questions: how does the church minister in the 21^st century; we have a Session that tries to guide and give vision and direction.
5. But ultimately, the ministry is done personally.

d. This letter reminds us that ministry is personal.

Move 2: The letter also models for us the importance of expanding the circle of leadership and inviting others into ministry.

a. The letter is no longer a conversation between Titus and the author exclusively.

b. Others are needed (I adapted the following descriptions of the people from a sermon entitled PAUL’S TEAM; Titus 3:12-15; June 3, 2007; Steve J. Cole; Flagstaff Christian Fellowship; http://www.fcfonline.org/content/1/sermons/060307M.pdf)  

1. Artemas: This is the only reference to this man. From his name we can guess that he was a Gentile. From the fact that Paul considered him a worthy replacement for Titus, we can surmise that he was a competent, knowledgeable, and faithful. If Titus is going to go to other places to help, someone like Artemas will need to take over his work in Crete.

2. Tychicus – another faithful Gentile believer, a native of Asia (western Turkey). He had traveled with Paul, along with some others, at the close of Paul’s third missionary journey (Acts 20:4). Later, he was with Paul during his first Roman imprisonment.

Paul sent the letters to the Ephesians and Colossians with Tychicus, who told those churches about Paul’s circumstances (Eph. 6:21-22; Col. 4:7-9). IN the letter to the Colossians, Paul calls Tychicus “our beloved brother and faithful servant and fellow bond-servant in the Lord” (Col. 4:7).

3. Zenas the lawyer --This is the only reference to Zenas in the Bible. His Greek name may mean that he was a Gentile lawyer, but the fact that he was poor enough for Paul to ask Titus to help supply his needs may mean that he was a Jewish expert in the Mosaic law. In any case, he had set aside his career long enough to accompany Apollos on this trip. The two men probably carried the epistle of Titus to Crete. One of the early church traditions has it that Zenas was the bishop of Lydda.

4. Apollos – He was a Jew from Alexandria in northern Egypt, an eloquent orator, mighty in the Scriptures, and fervent in spirit (Acts 18:24, 25). He came to Ephesus where Priscilla and Aquila, took him aside and taught him the way of God more accurately. Later, he had a powerful ministry in Corinth.

b. Ministry needs others.

1. Lillian Daniel, in the book that she co-authored with Martin Copenhaver entitled This Odd and Wondrous Calling, relates that at her daughter’s elementary school musical, the printed program modestly explained: “This musical was originally written for 15 actors, but it has been adapted to accommodate our cast of 206.”

She continues, “You know what kind of show this was. It was the chaotic result of no-cut auditions, where no performer is left without something special to do. Each grade had a scene they had been rehearsing for months. They danced, they sang, they dressed up like archaeologists and Egyptian mummies. Somehow 206 children made their way across the stage that night. It was not a short program.”

2. You know that type of show. Everyone is involved.

3. That's the type of ministry to which Christ calls us – everyone needs to be involved.

4. Yes, some have special gifts that are needed for special tasks; but all of us are needed for the overall ministry.
   
   
5. To change people's lives, to change the world demands lots of help.

Ministry is personal and involves lots of people.

Move 3: Exhortation to learn how to do good works

a. A couple of things to note right off the bat about doing good works.

1. Good works do not save us.

2. . That has been addressed earlier in the Chapter 5 when we are told that Christ does not save us because of our good works.

3. Good works is not about earning salvation.

b. Secondly, notice that they are told to do good works so that they “may not be unproductive.”

1. the letters seems less concerned about the recipients of the good works than than ones doing good works.

2. . Not to say that the people who benefit from the good works do not matter.

3. We could spend another sermon or two discussing how important the people we serve are, or the importance of the good deeds connecting with the needs of the people being served.

4. Last week as you heard the stories of mission opportunities that have happened this summer, I hope you heard how much the people being served were valued.

5. But, in the context of this letter, the good works are not done to earn salvation, the issue is not the people being served.

c. The primary questions is what it means to follow the resurrected Christ.

1. One of the basic building blocks is learning how to do do good works.

2. Not a new idea – the prophet Zechariah, whom we read this morning – tells Israel how it should live as God's people, and it includes caring for the widows and orphans and offering hospitality to strangers.

2. Learning to respond to the resurrection of Christ by extending God's freeing grace to others.

d. Learning also suggests teaching.

1. Role of the church as an institution.

2. be a place where people can come to learn about how to do good deeds.

3. Giving hand-on opportunities to engage in ministry.

4. Studying together to learn where God's Word sends and what God is calling us to do.

Conclusion: We are about to begin celebrating our Bicentennial. 200 years of being First Presbyterian Church here in downtown Troy.

Ultimately, the measure of this church is not the number of years it has been in existence, but the way in which we have shared the good news of Christ's resurrection and equipped those who have heard the good news to go into the world to do good works.

"Learning" Titus 3: 12-15

This passage concludes Paul's letter to Titus.  It finishes by mentioning a few persons personally (a Pauline trait) and exhorting people to learn to do good works.  Here are my initial thoughts as I explore the passage:

1.  The letter mentions that one of the persons is a lawyer.  It made me wonder if they had lawyer jokes back in those days!  Did it note that one was a lawyer to suggest that even a learned lawyer needed to learn?  Were there two people with the same name, so the mention of being a lawyer merely a way to identify which person?

2.  It suggests we have to learn to devote ourselves to good works.  how do we learn that?  If we have to learn, it also suggests to me that the church has a role in teaching.

3.  Notice that they are to learn good works so that they "may not be unproductive."  That seems to speak to the person performing the good work, not the person receiving the good work.

4. Earlier in Chapter 3 we are reminded that Christ does not save us because of our good works.

Not sure where the sermon is here, but hopefully it will arrive by Sunday!

"Good Deeds" Titus 3:8

I will be gone this Sunday, but the service will revolve around Titus 3:8, which notes the call to do good deeds.  As part of the service, several people will share what they did over the summer -- good deeds, if you will.

In the Sanctuary service, we will be testing a new sound system and enjoying the music provided by the Melody Men.

Peace,

Richard

Reflections on "Those around Us" Titus 2: 1-15; Joel 2: 28-32

my blog post from last week had little to do with the sermon!  When I quickly outlined the Titus sermon series, I missed the point of this text.  After trying to make the text fit my notes, I gave up and tried to make the sermon fit the text.

In some ways, this text would be better to discuss in a Bible study than preach.  There is a lot of material about household codes and how this passage reflects the early church's understanding of household codes in light of being followers of Christ.  Within that context, reflecting on the NT approach to slavery would have been very interesting.

I struggled against the text all week (I probably read the text a dozen times, which is a few more than usual). As I finished the sermon in the sanctuary, I realized what my problem had been all week.  I want to the gospel to be radical and life-changing; this letter to Titus announces the gospel, but then calls for everyone to stay confined to the boxes in which society has placed them.  I would rather preach Joel than Titus!  the irony, of course, is that in the context I live and preach where most of us who gather each week have comfortable lives and are treated fairly well by the status quo, Titus' message may fit our context better than Joel.

The sermon veered off the written text more than normal, so if you heard the sermon and then read this, it may seem rather different.

“Those Around Us” August 12, 2012; FPC, Troy; Titus 2 1-15

Introduction: I went to be last night dissatisfied with my sermon preparation and where it had led me. That sometimes happen. When it does, I go to bed hopeful that somewhere in the night I will get a sermon delivered to my dreams.

I did have a dream last night. I was preaching to a United Church of Christ congregation out west that had a window in the back of the sanctuary with beautiful deserts vistas – the orange and red colors of a desert landscape.

When I awakened I pondered with the dream meant. All I could conclude was that I would rather be preaching at UCC church in the desert than tackling this passage from Titus.

I find this a very difficult passage to preach – not sure where the appropriate point of entry is. Here are some thoughts on the text.

Move 1: Context matters when interpreting this text.

a. When this letter is written to Titus, the community of faith in which he reads it has a very different context than the community of faith in which we hear these words.

b. They were a small, minority group trying to carve out their niche in a world where they had little power.

1. The Roman government still controlled everything.

2. In the world of faith, the Judaism has staked out a minor place in the landscape, but the Christians were even a minority within that group.

3. If you believed that Christ was the Son of God and that he had been raised from the dead, you were part of a very small minority that was struggling to figure out what that meant.

100. Even in our time when there is an ongoing debate about the role of church and state, followers of Christ are in power or have access to power.

1. we may choose to limit the power faith plays in our secular government, but to even have that conversation means we are at a different place than the early Christians.

2. they were at the mercy of the Roman government and the world around them that knew very little about Christianity and probably cared even less.

500. As we read this letter, then, we have to be careful about recognizing our different context.

Context matters.

Move 2: Theology matters.

a. We discover that the foundation for how the Christians are to act grows directly out of what they believe about God.

b. At the tail-end of this passage we read about these theological underpinnings.

1. the grace of God has appeared in Christ bringing salvation to all.

2. Jesus gave himself to redeem us, to make us right with God.

3. there is a waiting time between for the second coming in glory of Jesus Christ.

4. Nothing particular radical there, although it has a rather universal understanding of God's grace and Jesus' redeeming power.

Move 3: our theology ought to shape the way we live.

a. The letter takes the theological foundation and applies it to their daily living.

1. The first part of the passage we read suggests ways in which Titus should teach how their belief in God impacts their everyday lives.
   
   
   b. As the letter defines what should be taught to older men and older women, younger men and younger women, and even slaves, we perhaps recognize that these way of life reflects the household codes of that time.

1. It would not be unusual for writings in that time to focus on household codes – that is, the way in which the different groups within the household should act.

2. There are many examples of other comments on how men and women, husbands and wives, and slaves should treat one another within their household context.
   
   
   c. This letter reminds Titus that for Christians how they live out the household codes matters and that it should reflect what they believe about God.

1. Everyone should be living in ways that reflect God's grace and Jesus' desire to redeem.


2. Relationships are critical.


3. the redemption that Jesus offers not only calls them to right relationship with God, but right relationship with each other.

500. But, this letter lacks the sense of liberation that we might expect from those who follow the resurrected Christ.

1. In raising Christ from the dead, God has radically changed the world.

2. To confine this power to the household codes of their society seems to lack that same sense of liberation.

3. But, we remember the context. These early Christians had no power, no change to make systemic changes; all they could control was the way they acted, their ethical behavior.
   
   
4. so they are challenged to live out their calling in the context of their lives, with the hope that as they model for the larger world how they live out the household codes, the world might notice.

Move 4: What do we do with this?

a. Recognize the claim that our theology ought to have practical implications for how we live our lives.

1. If we say that God's grace has appeared bring salvation to all, what does that look like in the way we live our lives?

2. what are we doing in the context of our lives to show and share God's grace?

3. If we believe that Jesus came to redeem us so that he could purify for himself a people who are zealous for good deeds, how do our actions reflect that redemption and desire for good deeds.

b. This letter to Titus suggests that our faith has implications for everyone.

1. Not just one segment of the household, but all people, regardless of their rank or status.

2. The older and the wiser men need to be changed; the older women need to be changed; the younger men and the younger women both need to be changed.

3. even the slaves are impacted by our God's saving grace.

100. We also need to be aware that we live in a different context than the one in which this letter is written.

1. We hear these words in a world where we as followers of Christ do have the power to make systemic changes.

2. We live out our faith in a context where we can at times do more than just model ethical behavior and hope others notice.

3. Remember the prophet Joel -- he describes what happens when God arrives and it is a time when the old men dream dreams and the young men have visions.  This is the reverse of what would have been expected.  Joel suggesting that when God comes it upsets the applecart and is unexpected.  
   
   
   4. If we settle for the status quo because of Titus' approach, we do not do justice to our context relative to do the context in which Titus was written.

500. finally, I find some wisdom in the way this letter seems to call us to “dial it down.”

1. Did you notice that in each category of instruction, there was the sense that everyone needed to cool it?

2. It seems to me that in our world today the polarization and high-pitched rhetoric is on the rise making it harder and harder to live in community with one another.

3. I refereed a high school soccer game recently. It was between two boy's teams and there was lots of energy and anger and intensity. My partner that game was a younger referee who is on the fast track to making it big as a referee. At 28, he is already working Major League Soccer scrimmages and is going to be become a National referee next year.

As we talked before the game, he was describing how game management was stressed. I suggested that he could practice that quite a bit because we were about to referee a scrimmage between two physical teams whose skill level was far less than what he was used to refereeing and we had very little powers of enforcement because it was not the regular season so the players would not be worried about getting yellow cards or red cards (being thrown out of the game) since there would be no repercussions for their actions.

As I suspected, the game was a tough one to handle. Lots of emotions and physical play. But it was fun to watch this younger referee, who was really working hard to help keep the game under control.

He was very demonstrative with his arms; he would announce "settle down" and he motioned with his arms in a downward fashion;  we called the game really tight for quite some time; we talked to the players; and it took awhile, but the exhorting finally carried the day. The players quit the silly stuff and began to play soccer.

That's what I hear this letter telling Titus to do. Get everyone to take a deep breath and settle down.

Give God a chance to be at work.

Conclusion: Our theology matters to all of us as we discover God in our midst wherever we are and hear God's call to live out our discipleship in all places.

"those Around Us" Titus 2: 1-15

As I reflect on this week's passage from Titus, I am reminded that many sermons I preach hit on the theme of community.  In fact, a couple of week's ago I used the powerful image of needing three persons in our lives:  someone we mentor; someone who mentors us; someone who walks with us.  That idea speaks to the importance of community.

This week, the letter to Titus pushes on him to model for all the different ages in the community how to live as Christ calls us to live.  It hits me three ways (at this point):  the importance of modeling behavior for others; the presence of all the different ages with their different issues in our community of faith; trying to decide if it works better to connect with someone in your demographic or if it is better to have a blend of demographics.   I have shared previously (I think) that I attended a Presbyterian Church in college because the chapel program only had students (and a few faculty).  I missed the broader demographics of a church.  But, retreats with other college students held by the chapel gave me an opportunity to share and learn from peers.  Which is better?

What thoughts do you have as you read the text?

Peace,

Richard

"The Search Committee's Task" Titus 1: 5-16

I did not post preliminary thoughts because I was at camp and didn't focus on this week's sermon until Saturday night.  I did know I was preaching this text all week, but never was able to think about it much.  That may have been more a reflection of trying to get a sermon out of this list of what to expect from elders and bishops than the time constraints of camp!

I struggled with the text because I wanted to argue against it.  Not the content of it -- the letter has a nice list of what we might expect from our leaders.  But, I wanted to hear the "rest of the story," to see if Titus managed to find any people that met this criteria and then hear about how long they managed to do things so perfectly!

But, I also did not like the idea that the ideals for our church leaders should be ignored because no one can meet the challenge.  

My struggle between those two perspectives led to the sermon below.

“The Search Committee Task” August 5, 2012; FPC, Troy; Titus 1: 6-12

Introduction: I had a great week teaching the parables at Kirkmont. Fun stories; the kids got into it. One day I asked a question and Caroline answered. When I asked her how she knew the answer, she said she'd heard it in a sermon! She set the bar pretty high for ya'll.

Exciting week of parables, and then I return home to Titus. A letter. Explaining structure. A list of expectations. Quite a shift.

Move 1: the early church in Crete has a problem.

a. Rebellious people, idle talkers and deceivers are upsetting the new followers of Christ.

1. They spread rumors about fellow Cretans.
2. They say they be3lieve in God but their actions deny God.
3. They disobey.

4. sounds a bit like the world I know. If you go to K's any morning and listen in on the conversations taking place there, I bet you hear a lot of the same complaints. Or, if you go up to our Upper Gathering area on a Sunday morning between worship services, you might hear similar conversations.

b. The solution?
1. Titus needs to select elders (the Greek word here is presbuteros, which is where we get the name of our denomination – elders) and bishops.
2. Sounds like a good idea.
3. We remember that when Moses was confronted with how to manage God's people in the wilderness, he selected people to help lead.


c. Titus does not even have to develop criteria for the elders and bishops – it is part of of his instruction.


1. Elders need to blameless, married only once, have children who are believers, not accused of debauchery and not rebellious.


2. Bishops need to be blameless; not quick-tempered or arrogant or addicted to wine or violent or greedy; he must be hospitable, a lover of goodness, prudent, upright, devout and self-controlled. He must also have a a firm grasp of the Word.

3.  Who wants to be on that search committee?

100. we do not know how it works for Titus as he picks these elders and bishops, but we recognize the challenge he faces.

1. who can he find that meets all these criteria?

2. In fact, if we went through the list of the leaders of God's people, who would meet this criteria?

3. Peter – no way. He betrays.

4. Moses – probably not. He had a temper and argued with God a lot.

5. King David – he had a problem with stealing a woman from someone else.

c. The problem any search committee faces is that their pool of candidates include people like you and I.


1. The pastor search committees of this church (y'all don't need them very often) found Rev. Sensenbrenner and me. Between the two of us combined we do not even come close to perfection (I didn't ask him, but I'm sure he would agree!).

2. Or think about the nominating committees of this church – they go looking for elders, deacons and Trustees – and they have to choose from one of y'all (or someone sitting in the pew next to you!).

Move 2: So what is Titus to do with these instructions? What are we to do with them?

a. Reminder of the important expectations we have for our leaders.

1. not enough to say that we are all imperfect, so we cannot have criteria.

2. We create expectations and hope our leaders can grow into them.

b. When our own Nominating committee gathers this fall, they will reflect on the tasks and responsibilities of our elders, deacons and Trustees.

1. Think about the best that they can be.

2. What we hope they can do in leadership.

100. then they will call people into service.

1. Will any elder, or deacon or Trustee serve perfectly?
   I doubt it.

2. But we lift up the model of what it means to be in leadership.

3. It is not enough to say no one can do it right. We have to choose those leaders and share our expectations so that they can work to grow into that model.

Move 3: The early church has the same challenge that we have and the same hope.

a. The challenge is our humanity.

b. the hope is the God who can beat work in us and through us.

c. Tom Are, Village Presbyterian Church, tells the story of a woman and her high school age daughter who joined the church he served in S. Carolina. The elders met with the new members. The mom answered all the questions and was received into membership. Immediately following the meeting, there was mingling with the elders and the new members.

Tom says he'd been watching as one of this older elders had been focused on the high school age daughter of the new member. This man was one of those elders who did best on the Building and Grounds committee where he did not have to talk to people! He kept staring at the high with her multiple piercings and orangish colored hair that seemed to attract the attention of this elder who showed up every week in coat and tie and was the model of decorum each week.

Tom noted that the elder immediately made a bee-line to the young woman. As the minister who had knew this elder well, he tried to intercept him, afraid that the elder might voice his opinion of orange hair, or multiple piercings, or whatever else seemed wrong unsure of what. Tom notes that of all the elders present, this man was the last one he wanted to have a conversation with the young woman.

But, he got there too late. The elder had started in on his conversation with the young woman. So Tom got to stand there and listen as the elder in coat and tie told this young woman that his granddaughter had just gone off to college and she always sat with him and his wife, and he was wondering if she would sit with them sometimes since she was about her

age. (Tom Are, Jr. Midwinter Lectures, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, January, 2012).

Conclusion: Sometimes the leaders get it right. Amen.

Reflections on "Meeting Titus" Titus 1: 1-5

I am a week behind due to being gone to camp last week and my inability to manage the technology to make  posting the sermon possible!  As I mentioned several times in sermons earlier this summer, I was teaching those parables to the 4th - 8th graders at camp.  I had a great time with them.  I added a game or two to help explore each parable, and then we looked at the text of each parable.  The kids did a great job and even enjoyed (mostly) the parables.

Back to this sermon.  It started out like a Bible study with several facts about Titus.  I sort of like sharing that info, but it it not particularly exciting.  The challenge for me in this series on Titus is to move from the study of Titus to a sermon without it being just a Bible study.

the image of needing three people in our lives: someone to mentor us, someone to share our burden, and someone for us to mentor is a powerful image that is probably worthy of its own sermon series, not just mention in a sermon.

“Meeting Titus” July 29, 2012; FPC, Troy, Titus 1: 1-5

Introduction: Five weeks series on Titus to finish the summer.

If you do not know where Titus is, you can, of course, find it by looking up the page number that is found in the worship folder.

Another clue – it is the last in the series of “T” books in the New Testament: 1 & 2 Thessalonians; 1& 2 timothy; then Titus.

It is known as one of the Pastoral letters, joining with 1 & 2 Timothy in that distinction.

The New Interpreter's Bible describes Titus as one of the most important books of the NT and one of the most discredited.

As the early Christian church tried to figure out how to organize itself and become institutionalized when it realized that there might be a long time before Christ returned, they found in Titus important comments on how to organize and what to expect from church leadership.

But, Titus has also been discredited through the years because many scholars do not believe that it was actually written by Paul. The style is a bit different (A typical opening, although other Pauline examples would have used “servant (or slave) of Jesus Christ” rather than “of God”). (1:1).; the understanding of church seems much more structured than Paul, and so on. Thus, many believe it is a later work attributed to Paul by someone or a group of people who tried to imagine what Paul might say in their current context.

Move 1: Who is Titus?

a. Titus is never mentioned in Acts, but we read about him in letters of Paul.

b. Titus was a Gentile who accompanied Paul and Barnabas to their famous conference with the Jerusalem apostles (Galatians 3: 2).

1. We remember that some of the disciples did not really appreciated Paul or his ministry.

2. So Paul went to Jerusalem with Barnabas and met with James and Peter.

3. They discuss how circumcision and dietary regulations would fit into the developing group of people who followed the resurrected Christ.

4. As you may recall, they decided to split their work: James and Peter would preach Christ to the Jews; Paul and Barnabas would preach Christ to the Gentiles.

5. Titus was there with Paul when all that happened.

100. Titus was the key administrator of the collection of the saints in Jerusalem that Paul collected from the church in Corinth (2 Cor. 8: 16-17, 23; 12: 18).

1. as part of Paul's commitment to the larger church, if you will, Paul strongly urged the church in Corinth to collect money for the poor Jewish-Christians in Jerusalem.

2. Titus was put in charge of that offering.

500. Titus also acted as a diplomatic envoy, so to speak, from Paul to the church in Corinth (2 Corinthians 2: 13; 7: 6-7, 13-16)

e.  Titus has been left in Crete, although there is no other indication in the biblical texts that Paul had a mission to that island.

f. In other words, we do not know much about Titus; he was not a big-shot in the early church like Paul. He wasn't one of the important leaders that we read about, but he was there in the background ministering with Paul; doing some of the grunt work; making sure the follow-up stuff got done.

Move 2: We all need people in our lives to support us as we live out calling as disciples of Christ.

a. Charles Swindoll quotes Howard Hendricks – “Every Christian needs three individuals in his or her life. We need someone who is before us who mentors us. We need another beside us who shares our burden. And we need someone beyond us whom we are mentoring. Otherwise, we grow stagnant.”Charles Swindoll, the Church Awakening: An Urgent Call for Renewal (97)

b. Who mentors or has mentored you?

1. “Mac and Peggy poured their hearts and lives into our frantic, confused, and often miserable teenage existences, celebrating with our infrequent victories and commiserating with our too frequent failures. They seemed to actually care about the outcome of those things that were so monumental to us but inconsequential to most around us, sometimes even to our families. It was as if they infused significance into our lives when we felt woefully insignificant. Mac wasn't much at preaching the gospel, but he was pretty good at living it.” Welcome to Fred, Brad Wittington (103)

2. Who in your life has been that person?

c. Who has shared the burden with you?

1.  Colleagues with whom I have shared for 20+ years what we have encountered in our lives of ministry.

2. Some of it is celebration.
3. Some of it is practical help – changing how I do pre-marital counseling.
4. Some of it is challenging.
5. Some of it is nurturing.
6. Between us we have dealt with: community leader of flood repairs; asked to leave a church due to conflict; transitioned into retirement; closed a church; been the beloved associate working with the disliked Sr. pastor; dealt with children choosing significant others who had other faith traditions; dealing with serious medical condition while pastoring; going through multiple searches for a new call
   
   
   d.  Whom  do you mentor?

1. Not just for 60+ members who are wise and want to reach out to the younger generation.

2. My question for our Sr. Highs – what Jr. high kids or grade school kids do you reach out to and help along the way?

3. For our elementary age kids – what little kids running around this place do you make feel special by giving them attention and showing them what it means to care about them?

4. Adults with older kids – how are you mentoring the younger couples with young kids?

5. When you think about the people who have mentored you, it seems appropriate to ask and expect you to be doing that for others.

d. Titus seemed to function in two of these roles for Paul – he was being mentored by Paul, and he shared Paul's burden.

Conclusion: Titus may be a relative unknown to us, but he mattered to Paul.

Who matters to you? To whom do you matter?