Daily Liturgy and Scripture

(sorry I'm late!) Paul has a familiar theme as he closes this letter: bringing the church together. Not only reminding masters in power that they must be fair, but also extending special greetings to specific people and praising the work of several. Can you imagine being present in a small house church, hearing your name read from the letter of Paul? It must have been a great encouragement to these believers, and probably helped smaller house churches get to know one another better.

There is a pattern laid out in this section that Paul takes straight from Jesus: submission and love. It’s illustrated in wives, husbands, children, and slaves, but it’s intended also for the body of Christ, just as Jesus demonstrated it with God the Father: we do not seek power over one another, but we submit to one another in love, and we accept one another in love. Jesus was not the slave of the Father, and his will was not crushed by the Father. They worked together, and submission was required to keep the flow of love going. If we are going to follow this example, we also cannot seek power over others, but we must seek to do what we do in love, and submit to those to whom we should submit.

Paul wants the fledgeling Colossian church to know that what they do matters, their bodies matter. They weren’t spirits, disembodied from a life on earth. They were a body of Christ, made of bodily people, and so they must embody what his life looks like in their own. The same is true of us.

Paul knows that the Church isn't the only place trying to convince people of a particular world view, there are certainly others. Knowing that, he wants to equip his young believers with the tools to keep their mind focused on Christ and not follow every fad that comes down the road. 

As Paul continues addressing this young church from his prison cell, he continues to bind them to the thing which holds them fast, even in his absence: Jesus. Faith in Christ is the foundation for all things that follow, so Paul reminds them that Christ is in them, and this is the hope of glory. He’s getting to some details for Christian living, but the foundation of this house is pretty critical.

Paul is writing this letter to the church in Colossae, a new church plant when compared to the Philippian church we just finished. He's giving them something pretty valuable in this opening section: a look at Jesus and why he came. What we believe about Jesus remains critical today, which is why we have creeds recited in many churches. Paul is helping them to understand that Jesus was truly from God, and was working with God the Father in the master plan of the New Kingdom. 

Paul gives a pretty full formula to avoid worry in this passage, mostly from his own life. Being content with what you have, keeping your mind on good things, and finding the peace of God. There is another factor as well: sharing in one another’s troubles. It is one thing to be able to train our own minds not to worry, but it is another to be among people who support and love us, helping us through our tough times. This is one of the greatest purposes of the Church.

It is quite a thing to say, “follow my example.” Few would want to put themselves to that kind of scrutiny. Even in doing so, Paul seems to be shedding the things that would make him a hero to follow, including his high status as a Pharisee and an expert in the law. Yet here he is, devoid of accolades, putting himself out front. Of course, he is not there alone. If we are following Jesus, there is always someone in front of us, and if we’re following him, we’re leading others in the right direction.

Paul is certainly living in uncertain times. He is in prison, and his talk of “being poured out like a drink offering” means that he may have also thought he would die there. But God has not left this faithful church without a Shepherd. Paul wants to send both Timothy and Epaphroditus; one is his star pupil, and the other is a Philippian Christian who came to Paul on behalf of them. God brings his body together for his purposes, and his Spirit is with us always to guide all.

Life in Christ is about far more than waiting for our time to live forever with him in Heaven, there are things going on here and now. One of those is imitating him, and that means learning submission. Jesus wasn’t a heartless ruler who wanted everyone to bow to him. He modeled for us something very different: by emptying himself, he set an example that was unlike any other before him. By lowering himself, he set and example for us to submit to him and to one another in love.