In the final week of the series, we will get very practical about how we as individuals can respond to God’s call during this divisive time. As we will see, Paul sets a high bar for his readers in Colossae. First, to “set your minds on things above” – to live in such a way that our minds are laser focused on the things God cares about. Second, to “put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you,” to be deeply intentional about the sin and idolatry within each of us which seeks to corrupt our trust in Christ. Finally, to “clothe yourself” in things like compassion, kindness, humility, and, most of all, love. Put simply, we each have a choice of how we respond in this cultural moment. We can choose what we think about, what we reject, and what we “wear” as we live out our faith. Let us all keep our eyes focused on Christ and his powerful resurrection. May we become people of love and mercy as we take his hand and follow him into the kingdom of God.

Possible Response Element: Give everyone time to write some kind of commitment on a card based on the invitations from the passage. Perhaps they could bring them to the front, to be prayed over by the pastors, and then to be passed out to the congregation as people leave to pray over the commitments of others