Grandma Lois

First Lesson: Lamentations 1: 1-6
Responsive Reading: Psalm 137
Second Lesson: 2 Timothy 1: 1-14
​Gospel Lesson: Luke 17: 5-10

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Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,

“Since my youth, God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds.  Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, my God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your mighty acts to all who are to come.”--Psalm 71:17-18

I have a friend named Tim, who is a pastor just outside Atlanta.  I want to begin by telling you about Tim’s Grandma Marie, who recently passed.

Marie blessed Tim’s life in many ways over the years from her cooking to her listening.  What was most remarkable about Marie was what she taught Tim about God’s grace as a child[1].

When Tim was young, his dad took him not only to visit Grandma but go to the local county fair to see monster trucks.  On top of the excitement of the monster trunks, Tim’s dad said he could have the biggest soda that they sold.  Tim went to bed that night as excited over his evening as any boy could be.  Overnight though there was an accident,  Tim’s bladder couldn’t handle all the soda.  Tim woke up with wet bed sheets[2].

Tim has to break the news to Grandma Marie at breakfast that next morning.  Tim was thoroughly embarrassed as he was at the age where boys weren’t supposed to wet the bed anymore.  So as soon as Tim sees his Grandma, he starts bawling, shedding crocodile tears[3].  What Grandma Marie said to Tim next were words that he would never forget:
“What could you have possibly done to make you cry this hard[4].”

Tim sat in church many Sundays as a child, but he never got a better sermon than that one sentence from Grandma Marie.  She was willing to forgive, even before he admitted his wrong-doing.  Grandma Marie’s love for Tim far surpassed anything that he could or would do wrong.

Tim’s Grandma Marie leads us into our lesson today from 2 Timothy 1[5].  2 Timothy is a personal letter written from the Apostle Paul to his fellow worker in the Gospel Timothy.  The New Testament paints Timothy as one of Paul’s closest friends.  Timothy and Paul were so close that he’s listed as a supporting author to many of Paul’s letters to the First Christian churches[6].

So our lesson for Today addresses the original source of Timothy’s faith. 

Paul declares to Timothy: “I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also[7].”

So who were Lois and Eunice of which are lesson speaks as remarkable women of faith?

We know that in the Book of Acts that Paul had visited Lystra (listra) where Lois and Eunice lived.  We know that when Paul visited Lystra that Timothy was already well, respected within the Christian Community[8].  Paul appears to have met Timothy’s mother Eunice and grandmother Lois during this visit and praises them both as remarkable woman of faith[9]. 

What else can we say about Eunice and Lois?  What we know about Timothy’s family tree from the Book of Acts is that his mother was Jewish and his father, Greek[10].  So this seems to indicate that Timothy was raised in a mixed-faith home.  Eunice appears to be Timothy’s spiritual influence within his immediate family when growing up. 

Lois’ mention is perhaps even more noteworthy.  Lois is mentioned as the one who not only helped teach Eunice the scriptures but help raise Timothy in the Christian faith[11].  The reference Paul makes seems to indicate that Lois either lived in Timothy’s household or very nearby as I did to my Grandmother growing up, eventually making her a part of numerous sermons.

Later in the Book of 2 Timothy, Paul makes the following mention:
“But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which can make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus[12].”

So Paul’s reference points out how Timothy never travels throughout the world preaching the Gospel if it wasn’t for both the influence of his mother, Eunice and grandmother Lois.

While both Eunice and Lois are important in Timothy’s life, I want to highlight the Lois' of this world a bit more this morning as we’ve got a lot of people with us who have grandchildren or even great-grandchildren, or even other children within this community that they can influence for the better.

How might we exactly do this in 2019??

Today is a milestone sermon that I’m giving as it’s the last Sunday morning that I will preach in my 30’s.  So as I prepare to turn 40 later this week, who do I want to be when I enter the Lois generation.

Many of you from within this congregation know John Sandstrom.  For those of you who don’t, John  previously worked for the railroad with North Shore Mining.  John currently substitute teaches and is the Girls Basketball Coach for Silver Bay.  John described himself as the only first-year basketball coach in the state on Medicare.

What does John do that is so remarkable? 

I want to tell you about a basketball game last winter between Silver Bay and Chisholm.   Neither team’s girls talents in life lie in the game of basketball.  They both had way more losses than wins on the season.   Silver Bay went into the game thinking they could get a victory!

 As soon as the ball is tapped, everything that could have possibly gone wrong for Silver Bay did.   By the 2nd Half, Chisholm was up over “30”. 

Coach Sandstrom was all out of ideas; he admitted that for the first time all season, he actually “yelled”at the team during half-time to his later regret.

Coach Sandstrom though would proceed to give one of the most remarkable post-game speeches that I’ve ever heard. 
Coach Sandstrom stands before the team declaring: “While things didn’t go our way tonight, I want to let you know that I wouldn’t trade you for any girls basketball team in the State of Minnesota.”

The girls on the Silver Bay basketball team will never receive a more powerful sermon  about how their value in life and God’s eyes goes beyond wins and losses on the Basketball court.  John saw to it that girls left one of the worst losses of the season with tears of joy in their eyes. 

Here’s the reason that I want to be like John Sandstrom when I get older.  Nearly everyone can praise great athletes or straight-A students.  John though goes out of his way to notice and praise the gifts of students who don’t even see their own talents.   John is so popular with Silver Bay students that was named graduation speaker last year. 

John certainly doesn’t have to do any of these things with his time.  He would be plenty content spending his days fishing and watching baseball.  John understands though that just like Lois and Eunice, there is no more important calling as Christian people than raising the next generation.

Without the presence of Lois and Eunice, no Timothy is bringing  Jesus Christ unto the ends of the Earth.

What might this mean for us as a congregation? We get a lot of gray hairs here on Sunday morning, every time we meet as a Church Council; we talk about how we can get younger heads of hair to join us.  We might assume there’s a great evangelistic strategy involved.  What if the solution though is more straightforward? What if what God is calling us to do is being an extra set of grandparents to a kid in need.
Gunnar Frahm from our congregation lost his dad at the age of 4[13].  Two years later, his grandpa E.J. died.  Frank Moschet afterward approached Gunnar saying: “I’ll be your Grandpa if you’d like.” 

Frank reaching out to Gunnar formed a special friendship between the two of them.  When Frank passed at the end of August, Gunnar was one of the last people to visit him.  As long as Gunnar lives, he’ll never forget Frank’s influence over him. 

What we can be as a congregation is like Frank, the best set of extra parents and grandparents in town.  Lois wouldn’t’ usually have been the one to raise her grandchild Timothy in the faith.  But God had a reason for keeping Lois within Timothy’s life.  Timothy doesn’t become such a passionate spokesperson for the Christian Gospel without her.

Grandparents whether biological or not as in the story of my friend Tim, the Biblical Timothy or any number of adopted grandchildren throughout Silver Bay can serve as the sources of God’s grace who shape others as Christian people long after we’ve left this earth behind.

With this in mind, let me close with one final story[14].  Once upon a time, there was a young man named Geoffrey.

Geoffrey grew up in a tough part of the Bronx.  Geoffrey was going through such a hard period in life; he had nearly reached his breaking point. Geoffrey had lost his infant son, his beloved brother, and now he was visiting his dying Grandmother.  Geoffrey came to believe that this was evidence that no God could exist and be so cruel. So Geoffrey goes to see his Grandmother shortly before her death[15].   

Geoffrey proceeds to ask: “Grandma, do you still believe in God?”

Grandma responds: “Of course I do.  Why do you ask me that?”

Geoffrey says: “Because you are sick.  You have cancer.”

To which Grandma replies: “Being sick doesn’t have anything to do with faith[16].

Grandma proceeds to set Geoffrey on a course that would affect him for the rest of his life: “Geoffrey, listen to me.  I know you’ve been through so much with the loss of your son and your brother.  But don’t lose faith in God or yourself…God has a plan and you’re part of it, so you can’t give up…Do you hear me?  Your problem is that you think if you study your books hard enough, you will find all the answers.  All the answers aren’t in books.  They never will be.  So do I believe in God?  Yes.  More now that ever before[17].”

The following would be the last time that Geoffrey and his Grandmother visited each other.  As Geoffrey struggled with her passing, he would seek to borrow his Grandmother’s faith to lift him up[18].”

Geoffrey came to realize something after her loss that every child needs a Grandma Lois, a Grandma Marie, a Grandpa Frank, or a Grandpa John in their life.

They need someone to look up to in the faith, someone to forgive, someone whose example they can cling to in their darkest of days.  So this is why God gives us Grandparents [19].    Amen
 
             
 


[1] Wrenn, Tim. “My Grandma.” Facebook. 17.Aug.2019. Web. Aug. 27.2019.
[2] Wrenn, Tim. “My Grandma.” Facebook.
[3] Wrenn, Tim. “My Grandma.” Facebook.
[4] Wrenn, Tim. “My Grandma.” Facebook.
[5] 2 Timothy 1:1-14. 
[6] “Saint Timothy.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 20.Aug.2019. Web. Aug.27.2019.
[7] 2 Timothy 1:5.
[8] Acts 16:1
[9] “Lois.” All the Women of the Bible. Zondervan Publishing.1988. Web. Aug.27.2019. Found on Bible Gateway.com
[10] Acts 16:1
[11] Shay, Kim. “Women in Scripture.” Out of Ordinary: Blogger Publishing. 15.Feb.2017. Web. Aug.27.2019.
[12] 2 Timothy 3:14-15.
[13] Frahm, Renee. “God puts people in your life when you need them the most.” Facebook. 23. Aug.2019. Web. Aug.27.2019.
[14] Stier, Leon. “Leaning on Grandma’s Faith.” Email Mediatations. 22.May.2015. Web. Aug.27.2019. Story appears both in Geoffrey Canada’s authobiography Reaching Up for Manhood:  Transforming the Lives of Boys in America.  quoted in James Dobson’s Bringing Up Boys.
[15] Stier, Leon. “Leaning on Grandma’s Faith.” Email Mediatations.
[16] Stier, Leon. “Leaning on Grandma’s Faith.” Email Mediatations.
[17] Stier, Leon. “Leaning on Grandma’s Faith.” Email Mediatations.
[18] Stier, Leon. “Leaning on Grandma’s Faith.” Email Mediatations.
[19] Stier, Leon. “Leaning on Grandma’s Faith.” Email Mediatations.