AMEN

I have used this reading many times when a loved one has died. ✨

It was used primarily for an older adult who had fought the good fight of faith for many years. ✨

I hope that the same can be said of me when I die. ✨

Paul often referred to his ministry as “the race”, one of the translations for “the course.” Paul had served the Lord from the time of his conversion to the time of his death. ✨

He is encouraging Timothy and letting him know that he is confident in the promises of Jesus as he approaches the end of his life and that he is also satisfied that all those who follow Jesus will receive the same reward of eternal life in heaven. ✨

This confidence gives us all hope, so I chose it for those funerals. ✨

This encourages Timothy to remain faithful to the truth and warns him that there will be those who will fall away from the actual teachings. ✨

He even warns that teachers will rise and twist the teachings to their purposes. ✨

This happened in Paul’s time and has happened in every generation since. ✨

I have always liked the prologue to Luke’s Gospel to respond to false teachings – use the Bible as a yardstick for finding the truth. ✨

We, too, are encouraged to fight the good fight by doing the right thing, keeping the faith and not letting others lead us away from God, so we will finish the course of our lifetime still loving Jesus and believing in his promises. ✨