Shaped by our saints

Paul and Timothy were friends. They had a close relationship – but more than friends, Paul was also Timothy’s mentor. Several times in his letters, Paul mentions Timothy as a trusted companion and colleague. In 1 Corinthians, Paul writes to a troubled and divided church in Corinth, “I send you Timothy, who is my beloved and faithful child of God, to remind you of my ways in Christ Jesus …”

Paul mentions a time when they shared “tears” and that Timothy was constantly in his prayers. Obviously, there was a close and powerful connection between Paul and Timothy. A friendship-mentoring relationship.

It’s been said that 2 Timothy is really a teaching, or, mentoring letter from Paul to Timothy. At the beginning of his letter, Paul reminds Timothy that he’s also had other positive mentors in his life – and not to forget them, his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice. (Wouldn’t it be cool to have your matriarchs mentioned in the Bible?)

Paul reminded Timothy of the strong faith of his grandma and mom – and he encouraged Timothy to claim their faith as his own, to be strengthened by it, and, it wasn’t just any kind of faith. A few verses later, Paul writes these words to Timothy, “Be strong in the grace that is in Jesus Christ. If we have died with him, we will also live with him.”

Paul named these two important elements for Timothy to claim as his own: 1) the grace that was in Jesus; 2) the death and resurrection of Jesus. Paul encouraged Timothy to live with the same attitude of grace that guided Jesus’ life; and to also live within the power of the resurrection of Jesus.

Timothy, like all of us, was, in part, influenced by his mentors: his grandmother, his mother and Paul. Of course, there were more. Those weren’t his only mentors.

Think about your mentors. Who are your mentors? How have they shaped you?

I know I’m not the only one who’s gone through a major transition in life. It was during that period of deep reflection – and most of the time major transitions in life are tough because change is hard and, then, there’s the fear of the unknown – I thought about the set of circumstances that led to my being kicked out of my former denomination and the mentors who were there for me.

They were there with their calming presence, gentle listening ears and good advice. Mentors helped me make wise choices and helped me hold on to my faith. They helped me realize that I have the power and that, ultimately, my life is the sum of my choices. I’m a product of my choices and my mentors have been a positive influence on me. I’m so grateful for the mentors in my life.

Think about the different events and people that have had a formative impact on your life. There are so many people, forces and events beyond our control, both positive and negative that have shaped us and made a profound impact on us.

During those difficult circumstances in life, the process of healing and empowerment involves separating out the positives and the negatives and then holding on to the positives and letting go of the negatives. All Saints Day has become a deeply personal and sacred time of reflecting – a time for thinking back and remembering and honoring those people in my life who have blessed me with their positive Christ-like gifts. It’s a time for reflecting on the good they’ve given me and celebrating them with love and gratitude.

We probably all have a different definition of what a saint is – but this year I’d like you to think of a saint as being synonymous with a mentor. The saints are the ones who’ve passed on to us tools for life, their spirit, teachings and values – tools that we can use on our faith journey.

Now, the saints in my life, like me, are not perfect, but the light of God’s love and grace shines in their essence. They modeled love and grace and passed it on to me. Like signs, their lives point beyond themselves to something greater and that is, for me, following Jesus and striving to live out his teachings.

I encourage you to take some sacred moments to name those mentors in your life. Name and claim again the gifts of grace they passed on to you. It could be someone past or present. Maybe it was a parent or grandparent; a spouse, a teacher; a pastor; a youth leader; a colleague; a friend; an author, someone you have known only through the written word. Think of them; name them and reclaim the gifts of grace they have given you.

My community of mentors/saints keeps on growing, there’s:

My mother, who lived a life of faith with grace, nurturing love and had a heart of hospitality even when surrounded by difficult situations, disappointment and extreme suffering.

My grandma and grandpa, who taught me to pray. I used to love the morning devotions we’d have before we went off to school when they’d stay at our house.

Iva, my 92-year-old friend who taught me “thoughts are things.”

These are just some of the saints I name today, and in giving thanks for them, I also reclaim the gifts of grace they’ve given me. This is a time to remember and be grateful.

Rev. Dan Koeshall is the senior pastor at The Metropolitan Community Church (The Met), 2633 Denver Street, San Diego, California, themetchurch.org. Services every Sunday at 9 and 11 a.m.