Colossians wraps up with a long list of church people. Who are these people anyway? We know a few from other letters, but we don’t know much, and it’s easy to skip over this section. But this is perhaps the most important part!

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What do we do with this part of the letter? The writer begins by talking about a resurrection ethic: “Since you have been raised with Christ…” The vision is beautiful, the instructions are clear. And then they lay out some imperial, patriarchal household codes that seem to contradict everything they just said! How do we reconcile these two? I promise it’s not what you think.

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The writer to the Colossians is very concerned about some teachings that have infiltrated the church: namely, that faith is merely spiritual and that the body has nothing to tell us of God. But that couldn’t be farther from the truth! What if our bodies are spiritual, too? What if the embodiment of the Divine in Jesus has something to say about our own embodiment being conduits of Divine love?

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The writer to the Colossians has some news, some very good news for the people of God: the good news is for the Gentiles! And the way to spiritual maturity for the Colossians is to let this news change them.

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On the first Monday of each month, we will be offering a Lectio Divina podcast.

Lectio Divina is a practice of reading scripture not for learning something practical or theological, but rather to allow the Living Spirit of Christ to speak to us through a word, a phrase, a pause. It lets the text be the text as it speaks to our own hearts.

You’ll hear the same scripture from a couple of different voices. We invite you to close your eyes or find a quiet place to listen. During each reading, consider what God is bringing to your awareness.

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In true First Day fashion, we do an overview of our subject and test. Who are the Colossians? How do we read somebody’s mail from thousands of years ago responsibly and imaginatively? This is our assignment for the next few weeks.

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Today, we engage in a lectio divina practice with the scripture from Matthew 13:31-35; 44-50. You will hear from a few of our congregants as well as the congregation itself in this guided spiritual meditation. Our orienting question for this practice is: “What is the one thing God is telling you?”

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Guest preacher Sally Gary.

Sally Gary is founder and director of CenterPeace, a 501(c)(3) non-profit ministry dedicated to creating space for conversation about faith and sexuality. CenterPeace hosts workshops and retreats for church leaders and their congregations to better understand and welcome the LGBTQ+ community. CenterPeace also hosts retreats for parents of LGBTQ+ individuals and spiritual formation retreats for LGBTQ+ Christians.

Sally holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in communication from Abilene Christian University and a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from Texas Tech University School of Law. A former high school speech and debate coach, trial lawyer and communication professor at Abilene Christian University, Sally is a teacher at heart.

Learn more about Sally and her work with CenterPeace HERE.

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Guest Preacher Mollie Donihe Wilkerson.

Mollie Donihe Wilkerson grew up in the shadow of the Blue Ridge Mountains of Southwest Virginia and loves them dearly. She studied Social Work in college then followed a pull toward theological education all the way to Vanderbilt Divinity School, where she received her Master of Divinity in 2020. Marrying her academic interests with a near lifelong love of sewing, Mollie is now a craftswoman by trade, making textile art and accompanying folks through creative expression as a spiritual practice. Mollie lives in Fort Worth with her beloved. 

Learn more about Mollie by visiting her website: https://www.molliedonihe.com/

We tag along with Jacob in this sermon as he is on the run from a mess he has made. And though his story has been full of action up until this point, it comes to a screeching halt. He needs to rest. And when he closes his eyes, he finds that God has something to say that can only be said when he stops hustling, stops running, and truly rests.

Find us on social media: Facebook and Instagram. Or, contact us through our website: www.azlechristianchurch.org. To contribute financially to the ongoing ministry of Azle Christian Church, you can give on our website or find us on Venmo (@Azle-ChristianChurch).