Rev. Dr. Eun Strawser—Year C Proper 25

Anthony: Alright friends, we’re down to our last text. Time is flying by. It is 2 Timothy 4:6–8, 16–18. It is a Revised Common Lectionary passage for Proper 25 in Ordinary Time, October 26. Would you read it for us please?

Eun:

As for me, I am already being poured out as a libation, and the time of my departure has come. 7 I have fought the good fight; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith. 8 From now on there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing. 16 At my first defense no one came to my support, but all deserted me. May it not be counted against them! 17 But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. 18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and save me for his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Anthony: Amen. “But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength.” Those are such good words. What would you say to Christians who want to declare with confidence like Paul did, “I fought the good fight.” Maybe they haven’t finished the race yet, but they’re running the race faithfully. What gives Paul the right to make such a bold claim?

Eun: Oh, I’m like crying in my little corner again, reading that passage. I actually think that it’s what Paul has been talking about all along. It’s that it’s because Jesus has already done that work. He’s already fought that fight. He’s already finished that race. And again, he is the one who is most faithful.

So, I feel like Paul’s bold claim isn’t really about him. His boldness and his confidence still rest in the fact that he can do all of these things and proclaim all these things about himself because he’s relied in utter, utter dependence on Jesus the Christ.

Anthony: Preach. Yes.

Eun: I think that, and I just love that the things that he talks about is he’s going receive this crown of righteousness and all these things, and it’s because all he did was long for Jesus, long to be in his presence, long for his appearing. I love that. That’s where the effort lies in. Do we like love Jesus that much?

When you think about a bold proclamation in today’s society that maybe humiliates us or makes us feel a little bit shy, but we still feel like it’s worth it to do it, it really always centers around love, doesn’t it? Romantic love and those silly stories and movies and things. So, we’re captivated by it because some, for some reason, it transforms people to do these things. And I love that at the end, Paul is proclaiming that he’s loved Jesus, that he’s loved God, that he’s longed for him all this time. And I think that’s where his boldness comes from.

Anthony: The scripture says, but the Lord stood by me and gave me strength. Verse 17. As a final word, Eun, how have you personally experienced the Lord standing by you and giving you strength in your own life? We’d love to hear from you.

Eun: Yeah, I think again, my new book You Were Never Meant to Lead Alone, a love letter to myself, and I say this, embarrassed, a little bit shy about it, but I wept so much having to recall the suffering and loneliness and pain points in this life, really, really trying to lead in ways and minister in ways where it felt like suffering so many times. And I know that my only strength really is because the Lord stood by me.

I remember when my husband and I had visited Jerusalem and we were in the garden of Gethsemane. And it was such a busy tour and things, but they gave us one little quiet moment to be able to sit and reflect. And I remember just sitting in that garden and crying out to God because it was right after experiencing such a depth of betrayal within the church context.

And I feel like Jesus said, “I understand what it means to be betrayed.” This is him telling me in the Garden of Gethsemane. And he said, “And yet, I still moved forward. I still said a “yes” to being crucified because there’s resurrection on the other side of it.” And I felt like only Jesus could call me forward that way because he’s experienced all of the suffering and so much in greater amount than I ever will.

And so, yeah. The Lord stood by me and gave me strength in my darkest of times, in times of betrayal, in times of loneliness, in times of failure, the mistakes. The Lord stood by me and gave me strength.

Anthony: And it seems that way to me, Eun. Thank you for sharing that story of your own experience.

The scripture time and time again takes us back to remembering, like, remember what the Lord has done for you. I’m thinking of Hagar in the desert when God meets her in her moment of just great distress and saves her, and she calls him El Roi, the God Who Sees. I think it’s so important that we remember, God sees us; he sees the pain; he understands. We have a high priest who understands.

And that’s just such a good word because anytime we’re standing up proclaiming the gospel in a church, there are people in the pews that are really, really hurting. And to be able to say … and I thank you for sharing your story, and I know you said it’s maybe hard to talk about, but I’m grateful for that because your strength that you receive from the Lord strengthens me.

And so, in that way, as I look back on my own life, I give thanks for the times that I was walking through the valley, the shadow of death, because it was in those times that I really sensed the Lord’s presence and his faithfulness and his strength. I give thanks for those times. I don’t want to go back. I don’t want to do it again, but I’m so thankful, and I think it’s just so important as part of our testimony, we share those things, don’t you, because I just think it strengthens the whole body. And so, we do that. And I just thank you for you sharing yours.

I’m grateful for you and I’ve told you this before, but you can be my pastor anytime. It’d be awesome. I’d love to move to Hawaii, but I don’t think that’s in the cards for me. But again, I’m just so grateful for you. And folks check out her books on Amazon, the two books that we’ve previously mentioned.

And I certainly want thank our team that helped make this podcast possible. Reuel Enerio, Elizabeth Mullins, and Michelle Hartman. So grateful to work with them. And, Eun, as is our tradition here on Gospel Reverb, we close with a word of prayer. So, thank you for being here and please pray for us.

Eun: I’d love to. Jesus, I just thank you that you see us. Thank you for being the God who takes the time, makes the effort, values seeing each and every one of us, and I pray that you would give us the courage and boldness and deep sense of joy and love to also see you. Would you make us seeing you be visible and public to those around us? Would our ability to long for your appearing, long for your presence, long to see you face to face be such a love that proclaims to the world around them an invitation to enter into this kind of relationship with you. Where it’s full of flourishing and mercy and grace and truth and beauty that none of us could really imagine fully. Thank you that you understand suffering, you understand betrayal, you understand all of our failures and unfaithful moments, and you remain to be the one who is faithful and is for us. It’s in your good name we pray. Amen.

Anthony: Amen.