Our reading this morning is 2 Timothy 4: 9-22:

9 Do your best to come to me soon, 10 for Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica; Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. 11 Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful in my ministry. 12 I have sent Tychicus to Ephesus. 13 When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments. 14 Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the Lord will pay him back for his deeds. 15 You also must beware of him, for he strongly opposed our message.

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.

19 Greet Prisca and Aquila, and the household of Onesiphorus. 20 Erastus remained in Corinth; Trophimus I left ill in Miletus. 21 Do your best to come before winter. Eubulus sends greetings to you, as do Pudens and Linus and Claudia and all the brothers and sisters.

22 The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you.

Paul today talks to Timothy like a beloved son. Come to me soon.  I’m alone, everyone has left me. Bring my favorite cloak.  You know the one I’m talking about.  Bring the parchments.  Look out for this guy, he did me wrong and would do the same to you.

It’s that bit of fatherly need and fatherly advice. 

You can tell in reading this just how much Paul loved Timothy. And you can tell how much he treasured him.  He ends this section, and this letter with these words, come to me soon. 

Today, be thankful for family.  Our families are imperfect because they are made of people.  No group, no organization, nothing, made of people will be perfect.  Even family.  Family can grate at us.  Family can seem to be a hindrance or even a harm.  Family can be filled with dysfunction.

If you have a great relationship with your biological family, thank God for that, celebrate it, and give thanks. 

If not though, who are the family (like Paul and Timothy) that you have chosen?  Who are the people that lean on?  That you count on?  That you can count on to know the cloak that you are talking about?  Thank God for them.

And be for them the type of family that you need. 

Let’s thank God for those relationships in our lives. And let’s be the kind of people that we’d like to have our in our lives. 

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