Peace UMC Worship Blog
Blogging Toward Sunday, October 23rd, 2016
What Disciples Do: Disciples Give Ultimate Allegiance to Christ
 
Colossians 1:11-22
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. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers-all things have been created through him and for him. He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.
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As we approach the final week of our "What Disciples Do" series, our scripture from the first chapter of Colossians calls us to claim the essence of Christian faith: Disciples put Christ first in their lives. All the rest of what disciples do and how disciples live and choices disciples make flows from that essential fact. The remaining chapters of the letter to the young Christians in Colossae flows from the verses above, which are most likely an early Christian hymn familiar to them all.

The letter, probably written by the apostle Paul or one of his surrogates during one of his imprisonments, encourages a faithful church to remain faithful and grow in faithfulness during difficult days ahead. The writer warns the community to avoid any teaching or practice that competes with Christ for first place in their lives.

This passage is usually assigned to the last Sunday in the Christian calendar: The Reign of Christ (or Christ the King). On this Sunday, worshipers are reminded that, as Christians, they are subject to Christ alone; that Christ's power transcends all other power, and that salvation has been won for all through him. Before the beginning Advent, our "Christian New Year," we are reminded in this powerful passage of the multiple meanings of Christ's identity. The same Christ who is hailed as king also suffers a cruel death at the hands of the state, and the same Christ who rules over all creation with God also enters the world as a vulnerable human baby.

New testament scholar Walter Wink has written a careful study of Colossians in his work The Powers That Be. He suggests that in this passage we hear clearly that the work of Christ seeks not only to reconcile the people to God and free them from the powers of this world, but also "to reconcile the powers themselves to God (The Powers That Be, epilogue)." It's not enough to say "NO" to following the competing powers of our world. The call of Christ is to transform those systems and powers so that they reflect the mercy, grace and compassion we share in the kingdom of God.

This is a great place to end one series and begin another. Remembering that Christ "has first place in everything" for us and for the world, and that in Christ "all things hold together" in a world that sometimes seems to be falling apart, may we commit to put Christ first in our lives and in our commitments. In our next series, which will take us to the end of the Church year and "The Reign of Christ Sunday," we will explore ways of "Defying Gravity" that holds us down from rising to put Christ first in all things, including how we make decisions about relationships, lifestyle, and how we spend our time and money. In the words of the theme of a summer church youth retreat I attended many years ago that still guides me today: Christ Above All!

See you in Church!
LeeAnn
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