The Festival of St. Timothy, Bishop and Confessor
Posted on January 24, 2025 by under
Scripture: 1 Timothy 6:11-16 (NKJV)
6:11 But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 13 I urge you in the sight of God who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus who witnessed the good confession before Pontius Pilate, 14 that you keep this commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ’s appearing, 15 which He will manifest in His own time, He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen.
Devotion
St. Paul mentions an “unapproachable light” that no man has seen or can see. He is referring to the divine glory of God. This is in agreement with what St. John said in the reading a couple of days ago, “No one has seen God at any time” (John 1:18). Our sinfulness prevents us from seeing God face to face. We would die if we did.
But there is a way that we can see God. St. John immediately adds this, “The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.” In the Person of Jesus Christ, we can see God in the flesh. Wherever Jesus is, there the glory of God is revealed in its fullness. We cannot approach God, but He has approached us as a man; not to kill us, but to give us life.
Those who have received this revelation of the person of Christ for their salvation have the solemn duty to reveal Him to the world in their confession. St. Timothy was such a confessor of Christ, who faithfully passed on the revelation that had been entrusted to him by St. Paul. Timothy kept this commandment in the context of his vocation as “man of God,” that is, a bishop and pastor. Each of us is called to follow his example as our own vocations demand.
Collect: O Lord, as Thou didst preserve faithful Timothy to a steadfast confession of Thy Holy Word, even as he instructed those who would be set apart for ministry in Thy Church, we pray that Thou wouldst so bless Thy people in this generation with steadfast confessors, through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Collect for the Second Sunday after the Epiphany of our Lord
Almighty and Everlasting God, Who dost govern all things in heaven and earth: Mercifully hear the supplications of Thy people, and grant us Thy peace all the days of our life; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
