The last point, which served as the conclusion, came courtesy of Lisa, our Associate Pastor, as she discussed with me her observation that the "proper" context in the lectionary for these two passages from the third chapter of Colossians is Easter and the first week of Christmas. I had noticed that fact when I laid out the sermon series a few months ago, but I had not thought about it during my sermon preparation. When she mentioned it, the final part of the sermon fell into place.
“Even My FB Post?” August 11, 2019; SAPC, Denton; Colossians 3; Richard B. Culp
12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Introduction: Quite a passage.
Like a part of Paul’s letter to the Galatians we read earlier this summer, Paul has a list of dos and don’ts for the Colossians.
Such a good list of things to do, we have been using part of that section for our Call to Faithfulness in worship each week this summer.
We confess our sins before God, hear how God has forgiven us, and then with a clean slate listen for how to be faithful.
The portion of the Letter to Colossians that I read is also one fo the recommended texts for weddings (note - the passage stops just before Paul’s discussion of submissiveness!).
In fact, in a month or so this passage will be read right here at my daughter’s wedding. She and her fiancé are here this morning to get a sneak preview of the wedding sermon (or to suggest how it ought to be preached!).
For a few minutes, let’s take a look at this passage.
Move 1: We begin with the lists.
a. Remember, the foundation for these lists, the reason Paul can demand we try to live according to these lists is because of what Christ has done.
1. When we die with Christ in our baptism, we are dead to sin.
2. When we are raised with Christ to new life, it means we are new creations.
3. being a new creation is powerful image Paul gives us.
4. I am sure there is a high tech way to describe new creations, but I am more of a low tech guy, so think for a minute about play dough.
5. I’ve always loved play dough.
6. Even though my lack of artistic ability limits what I can do with play dough, being able to take play dough, smash it back into its original lump of dough and then craft something new makes sense.
7. The old creation, then, is what the play dough was fashioned into before Christ; then in Christ our old life is smushed back into a lump, and we are remolded into a new creation.
8. Because of Christ, we have to opportunity, we are called, we are challenged to become new creations - to give up the old list and live into the new list.
b. notice that there are two lists - the don’ts followed by the dos.
1. The don’ts are broken into two categories -sins are desire and sins of disunity.
2. the first don’ts are thing we do when our desire has no regard for the other person involved. When all we care about is what we want and do not care how it hurts or how it hurts others.
3. The second series of don’ts is about things we do that break relationship. When we act with disregard for how it creates a divide between ourselves and others.
4. In fact, those two categories provide a pretty good definition of sin — when we act on our desires and ignore others and when we act in ways that break relationship with others.
5. The dos reveal how we are called to act as new creations in Christ.
6. the ways we act toward others that build relationships and create new possibilities for people to discover God’s love.
c. Lists not really check lists; more like reflection questions?
1. Maybe too subtle a difference, but Paul is not creating a new sets of laws for the followers of Chirst.
2. Paul is not giving us a check list where we check off when we have avoided a don’t or done a do.
3. Paul is giving us a guide to use as we examine how we are living as new creations.
christ frees us from the law.
4. Not marking off what you do each day, but looking back over the day and determining if you are living as a new creation.
Move 2: Paul has high expectation for how we live our lives.
a. Do not read Paul’s words about Christ “being seated at the right hand of God” or “set your minds on things above” and think that Paul is saying “Wait until heaven to live your life as a new creation.”
1. Or, if we hear the call to faithfulness at church, and then leave it in the sanctaury, as if the call to faithfulness has no connection to how we live our lives at work, or school, or at home or in our neighborhoods.
2. Paul’s list reveals his high expectation that what we do in the nitty gritty of our lives reflects our calling to be new creations.
3. In other words, even my FB post should show the world that in Christ I am a new creation.
4. OK, mentioning FB reveals that I am not quite put to speed technologically, so even my Instagram post or tweet, or however you express yourself to the world, even that should show forth your status as a new creation in Christ.
b. New Testament scholar NT Wright notes that “According to the early Christians, the church doesn't exist in order to provide a place where people can pursue their private spiritual agendas or develop their own spiritual potential. Nor does it exist in order to provide a safe haven in which people can hide from the wicked world and ensure that they themselves arrives safely at an otherworldly destination. Private spiritual growth and ultimate salvation come rather as the by-products of the main, central, overarching purpose for which God has called and is calling...that through the church God will announce to the wider world that he is indeed its wise, loving and just creation; that through Jesus he has defeated the powers that corrupt and enslave it; and that by his Spirit he is at work to heal and renew it” (203-204). N.T Wright, Simply Christian
1. We do not follow Christ to escape the world, but to bring Christ’s love to the world.
2. Christ calls us to be new creations, so we can move beyond our sinfulness and go into the world to model a new way of a life - a way of life that places the concerns of others above our own desires, that strive for unity in the face of disconnectedness.
Move 3: A task, maybe an impossible task, made possible only in Christ.
a. “Set your hearts on things above…”
1. the only way we can live as new creations is to set our sights on Christ.
2. think about the difference - if you are only looking at the other person or the situation before you, your context is limited to that particular moment.
3. Imagine, instead, if you look to Christ and then to that person or situation - you put everything in the context of how you can live in Christ in that particular moment.
4. I suspect it would change your response.
5. “in Christ” gives us the perspective of a new creation.
b. Likewise, we are only able to dare to live in Christ because Christ lives in us.
1. The power to see things differently, to act differently, to overcome our old self is only possible because of Christ.
2. As many of you know, we have what is called the lectionary - a three year cycle of Bible readings for each Sunday.
3. wE have been doing the series on Galatians and Colossians this summer because both of those letters are in the lectionary readings for this summer.
4. But to make it a full summer of Galatians and Colossians (we knew you wanted to spend all summer on these two letters), we included some passages that were not part fo the summer lectionary.
5. Today’s readings are not part of the summer lectionary. Guess where they can be found? the first reading is a suggested reading for Easter; the second reading is for the first Sunday of the Christmas season?
6. Why? Because to live as God’s chosen people is a response to what God has done for us in Christ and can only be done when Christ lives in us. Amen.
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