I preached this sermon at pulpit supply at First Presbyterian Church in Fort Thomas, Kentucky.
The lectionary text is 1 Timothy 6:6-19 – Love of Money & Final Charge to Timothy.
There come times for each of us when you come up against challenges that you don’t think you’re ready for. Times that you are sure others are better prepared, are better fit. But circumstances have a way of thrusting you into a position that you don’t know how you’re going to fare. In the military, it is called, “above your paygrade.” This is when things get interesting.
You don’t think you’re worthy of the position or opportunity. You don’t deserve it. You shouldn’t be in it. You’re an imposter. But someone thinks you earned it. Someone has faith in you, even when you might not have faith in yourself. Young Timothy was in such a position.
I was an impostor. After 25 years of work in IT, first as a programmer, then consultant and manager, I asked my bosses for a new challenge. I wasn’t expecting what happened. That afternoon, the CEO was at my desk. “Dave,” John said excitedly, “I have just the opportunity for you. The project manager for our biggest client just resigned.” He asked if I would take over the client as the project manager. This was the prelude to the celebration story I told a couple weeks ago.
Within a week, I was in Chicago with two other accomplished project managers, one from IBM and one from the client, Walgreens. You’ve heard of both of them, haven’t you? I didn’t have a project management certification, or decades of PM experience. Of the three of us, I was clearly the odd one out. Sesame Street would sing, “One of these things is not like the others.”
And yet, those two PMs embraced me. They valued my input, treated me as an equal, and together we succeeded. And if you check out at a Walgreens today, you’re using the NextGen point of sale system that our team built. Break out the Chimay!
My biggest help was the IBM project manager, Susan. She must have seen how nervous I was. When I needed guidance, she had my back. When I needed encouragement, she gave it. She had more faith in me than I did. I really had the Impostor Syndrome.
Even the best feel this way:
· Albert Einstein said his reputation was bigger than he deserved.
· Tom Hanks worried he’ll be found out as a fraud — two Oscars later.
· Serena Williams compared herself to her sister and still doubted herself — with 23 Grand Slams to her name.
In the Bible:
· Moses definitely felt like an impostor, blaming his speech impediment or thinking his older brother Aaron was more qualified.
· Jeremiah said, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.” God was having none of it.
· Gideon’s uncertainty ran deep until God convinced him of his mission and abilities in the book of Judges.
Impostor Syndrome is real.
I wrote about the Walgreen’s experience a few weeks ago and knew it would illustrate the point I was making quite well. I didn’t think I could do better. Then this week happened. I volunteered to be a cross country coach for an elementary school. Our first practice was Tuesday. I had envisioned having a dozen kids eager to run alongside me, recreating the final scene on the beach from Chariots of Fire, where we are all smiling and challenging ourselves with legs and arms pumping, orchestral music blaring.
Instead, I had only four boys who were more interested in playing on the playground than running together with me on the concrete sidewalks. One boy was running in Crocs, another wouldn’t run in the shoes he brought and was running in his socks. Another couldn’t keep his shoelaces tied. Two boys would run ahead ignoring my directions while the other two lagged behind with excuses. It was like herding kittens. “I’m feeling sick.” “I’m thirsty!” “Can I go to the bathroom?” “My side hurts.”
Friends, I lead pace groups at marathons. I support folks in a substance abuse recovery program, using running as a tool. I give motivational speeches at races. But I don’t think I’m up to the challenge of four grade school boys who… well, four grade school boys. I’m above my paygrade.
I’m going to need someone who believes in me. Right now, I’m being encouraged by two people in the school who believe in me, I think, because I passed a background check and they don’t want to coach this team. This story on being an impostor is ongoing.
(WE)
When have you been there, above your paygrade? At work, school, or even at church — stretched beyond your comfort zone, wondering, “Why me? I don’t belong here.”
I felt it at Session meetings as a new elder, being talked over and disregarded. Jim, an experienced ruling elder, stopped that. He made sure my voice — and the other new elders’ voices — were heard. Now I’m the experienced elder, and I try to do the same. Are you watching for the “newbies” and helping them find their voice?
(GOD)
The Apostle Paul faced his own challenge: growing the early church in a hostile culture, while false teachings and division threatened it from within.
Ephesus was at the heart of it all, 250,000 people, second only in size to Rome in the whole of the Roman Empire. Ephesus also had the largest Christian church at that time.
We heard throughout 1 Timothy of the issues in the church of Ephesus piling up:
1) Culturally, pagan religions were powerful and growing outside forces.
2) There was an allure of the secular world for vocational and financial success.
3) Within the church, Leadership was inept at best, corrupt at worst.
4) What role would women have in the church, especially in public worship?
5) What was the proper attitude toward money?
With that background of the size and scope of the challenge, you would think Paul would send in an experienced leader. One who has worked through similar issues, an experienced disciple with courage and perseverance. Someone like Tough Titus, an early disciple of Paul.
Instead, Paul chose Timothy.
Timothy certainly suffered from Impostor Syndrome. He earned the nickname “Timid Timothy.”
We met him in Acts, when Paul was introduced to him as a young man. Timothy was one of the earliest disciples of Paul, with a Jewish mother and a Greek father. His mixed heritage made him an outcast, a mamzer.
Timothy had other things going against him.
· He was young and inexperienced.
· Paul described him as having a timid personality in the Second letter to Timothy. He would have been talked over at Session meetings.
· He had health issues – stomach problems pointed out by Paul.
· His first assignment to the church in Corinth hadn’t gone well.
No governing body would have selected him to lead a church. Session wouldn’t have listened to him as their moderator. Presbytery wouldn’t have approved him to be a pastor.
If anyone felt like an impostor, it was Timothy. But Paul had faith in him. And Paul did what good leaders do: he took him back to the basics. Like Vince Lombardi opening the Green Bay training camp by saying (who knows it?), “Gentlemen, this is a football.” Back to basics.
In the reading from two weeks ago, Paul wrote how he himself was, “the worst of sinners.” Building on this show of mercy and grace from God, Paul worked through the basics of our faith with Timothy. He taught him to how to worship, how to choose leaders, how to help the needy, how to handle money, and how to preach with authenticity and authority.
Paul then placed Timothy in charge of this huge church of Ephesus on purpose, knowing Timothy was prepared.
2 Letter to Timothy is allegedly the last recorded words of Paul, and goes to the next level in the relationship between Paul and Timothy. I read it as less instructing and more encouraging, less logic and more emotion. Paul knew his time was drawing to an end. He referred to Timothy in the salutation of his first letter as “my true son in the faith,” and in the second letter, simply, “My dear son.” So imagine a father on his deathbed writing a letter to his son, trying to send one final message of encouragement and hope. That’s 2 Timothy. But I’m getting ahead of the lectionary series of Bible passages that has 2 Timothy in upcoming Sundays.
I wrote a letter to each of my two sons as they went off to college, writing a message of pride and love and encouragement and hope. I tenderly signed it “Dad” between the tear stains. Imagine Paul penning a message on parchment that could be his last letter to someone he considers his son. I don’t know how I could write such a letter.
Paul’s mentorship of Timothy in these two pastoral letters was deeply intentional, relational, and spiritually grounded—it’s a masterclass in leadership development that still resonates today.
1) Paul led by example – Timothy learned by watching Paul’s faith, patience, love, dedication and perseverance, even in the face of persecution.
2) He gave Timothy tools and confidence, training him for the ministry, building him up with the basics.
3) Their relationship evolved from teacher-student to one of teammates, then to a father-son bond. Paul says in Romans 16:21, “Timothy, my fellow worker,” then called him “Son” in the pastoral letters.
4) Finally, in our reading today from chapter 6, he encouraged Timothy:
11But flee from these things [Longing to be rich and the love of money], you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, [d]per
(YOU)
I appreciated the support and confidence people had in me when I needed it: Susan from IBM, Jim at session meetings, John, the CEO at PCMS. It helped me so much.
I’m still waiting for that encouragement for the cross country team.
(WE)
Some of us struggling with Impostor Syndrome or lack of confidence like Timothy would be wise to follow Paul’s prescription:
· Don’t be discouraged by your weaknesses. Instead, discover your positives, your spiritual gifts and talents and use them for God. While I took my turn as a Sunday school teacher, my spiritual gifts are around administration and now, teaching. Thankfully, many of you have the spiritual gift of shepherding, service, and hospitality, among others.
· Be transparent and let others see the work God has done in you – and is still doing. Share your abilities. I’m standing in front of you, a person with a deep fear of public speaking. My prayer at the beginning of this sermon is sincere. I’d like to think that with God’s help, I have mostly overcome it.
· Don’t let what you can’t do interfere with what you can do!
We can all follow Paul’s masterclass on leadership development to grow in confidence ourselves and to look for opportunities to help others. As Paul says in 1 Thessalonions, “Encourage one another and build each other up, just as you are doing.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:11.In Jesus’ name.
