Eve of Epiphany 1

Text: Colossians 1:1-14 (see below)

The city of Colossae sits about a hundred miles to the west of Ephesus. At the time of Paul’s imprisonment, Colossae, once a commercial center, had greatly diminished in prominence and trade. It reminds me of many towns and cities where I live here in Northeast Ohio. When times go bad economically, people’s thoughts, passions and philosophies begin to drift in an attempt to seek understanding; in an attempt to make sense of what is happening around them.

From prison, Paul writes to this congregation about a grave development that had begun to occur. While the heresy is never mentioned directly in Paul’s letter, it can be determined from what Paul does write that the issue is syncretism. Simply put, syncretism is the combining of different, often contradictory, schools of thought and belief. From what biblical scholars can tell us about the religious climate of the first century, what was happening to the faith community in Colossae was a blending of Greek philosophy with Christian and Jewish thought. Add to this various cultic practices of the time and you have a recipe for disaster. Is anything different in our time and culture? Do you ever listen to what some Christian churches proclaim these days as the faith? Or examine closely their spiritual practices?

Paul encourages the members of the Colossae church to get back to basics. In verse 5 and 6 of the opening salutation Paul writes: ”… for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. You have heard of this hope before in the word of the truth, the gospel that has come to you. Just as it is bearing fruit and growing in the whole world, so it has been bearing fruit among yourselves from the day you heard it and truly comprehended the grace of God.”

For Paul, it appears that faith, hope and love are the fruit of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. (Sound familiar?) These three crucial components of the Christian Way were beginning to grow and bring forth fruit not only in Colossae but throughout the Mediterranean world. Where do you see these three qualities bearing fruit in your spiritual community? What practices or programs in your church hinder these traits from having a more prominent place in the day to day life of your congregation? Why do we Christians make the process (faith journey) so complicated when it is truly a very simple path to follow?

Faith, hope and love, if developed to their fullest, can assist every one of us, who call ourselves Christians, to a deeper understanding of the Christian Way and enable us to offer to others and to ourselves one of the greatest gifts of all, and the one that Paul concludes his opening address to the Colossians, the forgiveness of sins. That is the key. A cornerstone for the Christian Church is practicing and offering to one another forgiveness. You would think that Christians would understand this, that our Church leaders would shepherd us, for Jesus and those who followed him like Paul spoke about forgiveness ALL the time!

If you desire, like I do, to move from darkness to light, from vagueness to clarity, then begin to simplify your walk with God; get serious about cultivating faith, hope and love in your daily life; and be about forgiving others, asking for forgiveness, and forgiving yourself. Write to me and tell me what you think.

Love One Another - Brian

 

Love Alone

Gian Carlo Menotti

The Child we seek doesn't need our gold. On love, on love alone, he will build his kingdom.

Source: Amahl and the Night Visitors

Colossians 1:1-14

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, to the saints and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ in Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father. In our prayers for you we always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. You have heard of this hope before in the word of the truth, the gospel that has come to you. Just as it is bearing fruit and growing in the whole world, so it has been bearing fruit among yourselves from the day you heard it and truly comprehended the grace of God. This you learned from Epaphras, our beloved fellow-servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, and he has made known to us your love in the Spirit. For this reason, since the day we heard it, we have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God. May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.