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Pentecost +12 – Ever Growing Community of Christ
Rev. Doug Floyd
Last Supper by Peter Paul Rubens (1630-1631)
Pentecost +12 – Ever Growing Community of Christ
Rev. Doug Floyd
Colossians 4:2-6
Today marks the end of our summer long reflections on Colossians. This week I reread all the sermons on our website, and then I reread the book of Colossians. One theme that surfaced again and again is our rootedness in Christ. This made me think of a little book I read with some friends in college, The Green Letters by Myles Stanford. This book was one of a several books that introduced me to a life shaped by God’s abundant grace as revealed in Christ.
Here some 40 years later I am still learning about this life of grace. I still love reading with God’s people and learning from God’s people. We are bound together in Christ and through Christ we are bound to saints across the ages. This is a treasure.
We have talked about how the community of Colossae was ordinary, even insignificant, and yet they were loved by God. When they heard the gospel, the Spirit opened the door of their hearts, and they received this good news. They were raised up into the great communion of love.
While Paul is addressing the personal and individual faith of each member of the community, we must not forget that he is addressing the whole fellowship. At the end of chapter 4, he encourages them to pass this letter on to the church at Laodicea, and to read the letter that he wrote to the church at Laodicea. While these letters may address specific concerns of each community, they are intended for the body of Christ across space and time. So, we hear these words addressed to us today.
Even as Paul focuses our attention upon the redeeming and glorifying work of Jesus Christ among us, he emphasizes the unspeakable glory of Christ Jesus who is the image of the invisible God. The Good News that was hidden for ages has been revealed. It is Jesus Christ, the firstborn of all creation.
“For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.” [1]
“He has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present [us] holy and blameless and above reproach before him.”[2] As ordinary and even insignificant people, we have been reconciled to God. Our hope is hidden beyond the veil of this life before the very throne of God. We live in and through the reality of this sacred communion of love as revealed in Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Our relation to one another is shaped in Christ. Our relation to the culture is shaped in Christ. We have tasted the sweet love of God, and we will never be the same again.
Even as we set our minds on things above, we turn our hearts out to a culture in need of the good news of Jesus Christ. We do this in prayer, thanksgiving, and wise hospitality toward those outside the faith.
“Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.”[3] Here is an exhortation to pray, watch, and give thanks. This is certainly applicable to each of us in our daily lives, but it also speaks to the community. The letter is being read aloud when the community gathers. In this community, outsiders have been welcomed. Love has been poured out in fellowship, in the peace, and in the supper of the Lamb.
As often as the community gathers, we are invited to lift up our voices in prayer. To be watchful. To give thanks. “Prayers of the people” offers some guidance to our prayers, but we can lift individual voices as well. I appreciate when some people cry out for specific individuals and for situations our world. Consider how Sherry has encouraged us to pray for specific places of persecution like Nigeria. As the covenant community, we offer priestly prayers for a world in need. Even as we pray, we are called to be watchful in thanksgiving.
There is one sense in which we are always watching for the coming of the Lord. There is another sense in which we are watching for those who would seduce us from the truth. In 1 Peter 5:8, we read “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”
We respond to these attacks with humble hearts, trusting God’s provision. In our culture, these attacks may also look more like social pressure, but in many cultures, Christians face tne threat of physical, emotional, and legal violence. The people of God remain vigilant and humble themselves under the mighty hand of God. At the same, we are watching to see what God is doing in our community and in the region at large. How is God calling us to serve.
Consider Geoff’s exhortation to help provide food for the hungry. We pour out our lives in prayer even as we pour out our resources to the community in need. I exhort each of you to keep watchful and when you sense a great need to share it with our whole community, so that we can pray and serve together.
Next Paul asks for prayer. He writes, “At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak. [4] Paul opens this letter praying for the Colossians and now he asks them to pray for him. The Colossians and the folks at St. Brendan’s are fellow servants with Paul.
He is writing from prison and is asking them to pray for an open door. Is this so that he might escape? In Acts 5, the Apostles are arrested and put in prison. An angel of the Lord lets them out, and they begin preaching again the next day. I don’t think Paul is asking to be let out. He wants an open door for the Gospel.
In Acts 4, the church prays to preach boldly with the good news of Jesus Christ. Like the Apostles in Jerusalem, Paul is asking his fellow believers to pray that the Gospel might have an open door. From prison Paul can address soldiers and write letters. Consider the soldiers who hear. Some of these soldiers will eventually bring the Gospel to the uttermost reaches of the empire.
Every week, we pray “For all those who proclaim the Gospel at home and abroad; and for all who teach and disciple others.” We want to the Gospel to go forth through open doors to the hearts of the people. Not so that the “Christian team” will grow stronger but so that insignificant, beat down, and discouraged people in slave to sin will be reconciled to God.
Now the whole church is encouraged to walk out their calling in the community beyond the church, to walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.”[5]
We go forth as children of light who shine out like stars in the universe. We bring words of hope, hands of healing, gracious hospitality. When I eight or nine, my sister and I joined my parents and their youth group out on the street in New Jersey, handing out tracts. We were “witnessing.” I have no doubt God used our small service. Even in college, I took to the streets with a handful of tracts. As it turns out, I ended up talking to one or two people all afternoon. It seems I’ve always been a teacher even when I tried to be an evangelist.
Though God can and will use this service, I think this outreach can take all sorts of shapes. It might be as simple as talking with the checkout clerk at the grocery store. We all have different gifts, and hospitality can take different shapes in our lives.
In the past, I held movie nights and house concerts for sinners and saints alike. I was trying to find ways to open our lives and love to those around us. I had a friend who set up a dream both at the Flea Market. “Dreams for two cents.” People always walked up and talked with him.
One way that our community might reach beyond ourselves to a world in need is through prayer. Kelly and I went to a conference once when a man in our group shared how he used to buy gas from the same market every week. The clerk was a goth girl. He would talk to her when he paid. Then he asked his house church to start praying for her. Eventually, he told her about the group. She came. Eventually she embraced Jesus and later became a missionary.
That sounds like an open door, like watchfulness, prayer, thanksgiving.
Each week we gather as priests before God and worship, pray, receive the blessing of Christ, and go out with the Good News on our lips and in our feet. May the Lord have mercy upon us and teach each of us how we might be instruments of gracious hospitality and holy reconciliation in a world desperate for the love of God.
[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Col 1:16–20.
[2] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Col 1:22.
[3] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Col 4:2.
[4] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Col 4:3–4.
[5] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Col 4:5–6.
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By Rev. Doug FloydRev. Doug Floyd
Last Supper by Peter Paul Rubens (1630-1631)
Pentecost +12 – Ever Growing Community of Christ
Rev. Doug Floyd
Colossians 4:2-6
Today marks the end of our summer long reflections on Colossians. This week I reread all the sermons on our website, and then I reread the book of Colossians. One theme that surfaced again and again is our rootedness in Christ. This made me think of a little book I read with some friends in college, The Green Letters by Myles Stanford. This book was one of a several books that introduced me to a life shaped by God’s abundant grace as revealed in Christ.
Here some 40 years later I am still learning about this life of grace. I still love reading with God’s people and learning from God’s people. We are bound together in Christ and through Christ we are bound to saints across the ages. This is a treasure.
We have talked about how the community of Colossae was ordinary, even insignificant, and yet they were loved by God. When they heard the gospel, the Spirit opened the door of their hearts, and they received this good news. They were raised up into the great communion of love.
While Paul is addressing the personal and individual faith of each member of the community, we must not forget that he is addressing the whole fellowship. At the end of chapter 4, he encourages them to pass this letter on to the church at Laodicea, and to read the letter that he wrote to the church at Laodicea. While these letters may address specific concerns of each community, they are intended for the body of Christ across space and time. So, we hear these words addressed to us today.
Even as Paul focuses our attention upon the redeeming and glorifying work of Jesus Christ among us, he emphasizes the unspeakable glory of Christ Jesus who is the image of the invisible God. The Good News that was hidden for ages has been revealed. It is Jesus Christ, the firstborn of all creation.
“For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.” [1]
“He has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present [us] holy and blameless and above reproach before him.”[2] As ordinary and even insignificant people, we have been reconciled to God. Our hope is hidden beyond the veil of this life before the very throne of God. We live in and through the reality of this sacred communion of love as revealed in Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Our relation to one another is shaped in Christ. Our relation to the culture is shaped in Christ. We have tasted the sweet love of God, and we will never be the same again.
Even as we set our minds on things above, we turn our hearts out to a culture in need of the good news of Jesus Christ. We do this in prayer, thanksgiving, and wise hospitality toward those outside the faith.
“Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.”[3] Here is an exhortation to pray, watch, and give thanks. This is certainly applicable to each of us in our daily lives, but it also speaks to the community. The letter is being read aloud when the community gathers. In this community, outsiders have been welcomed. Love has been poured out in fellowship, in the peace, and in the supper of the Lamb.
As often as the community gathers, we are invited to lift up our voices in prayer. To be watchful. To give thanks. “Prayers of the people” offers some guidance to our prayers, but we can lift individual voices as well. I appreciate when some people cry out for specific individuals and for situations our world. Consider how Sherry has encouraged us to pray for specific places of persecution like Nigeria. As the covenant community, we offer priestly prayers for a world in need. Even as we pray, we are called to be watchful in thanksgiving.
There is one sense in which we are always watching for the coming of the Lord. There is another sense in which we are watching for those who would seduce us from the truth. In 1 Peter 5:8, we read “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”
We respond to these attacks with humble hearts, trusting God’s provision. In our culture, these attacks may also look more like social pressure, but in many cultures, Christians face tne threat of physical, emotional, and legal violence. The people of God remain vigilant and humble themselves under the mighty hand of God. At the same, we are watching to see what God is doing in our community and in the region at large. How is God calling us to serve.
Consider Geoff’s exhortation to help provide food for the hungry. We pour out our lives in prayer even as we pour out our resources to the community in need. I exhort each of you to keep watchful and when you sense a great need to share it with our whole community, so that we can pray and serve together.
Next Paul asks for prayer. He writes, “At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak. [4] Paul opens this letter praying for the Colossians and now he asks them to pray for him. The Colossians and the folks at St. Brendan’s are fellow servants with Paul.
He is writing from prison and is asking them to pray for an open door. Is this so that he might escape? In Acts 5, the Apostles are arrested and put in prison. An angel of the Lord lets them out, and they begin preaching again the next day. I don’t think Paul is asking to be let out. He wants an open door for the Gospel.
In Acts 4, the church prays to preach boldly with the good news of Jesus Christ. Like the Apostles in Jerusalem, Paul is asking his fellow believers to pray that the Gospel might have an open door. From prison Paul can address soldiers and write letters. Consider the soldiers who hear. Some of these soldiers will eventually bring the Gospel to the uttermost reaches of the empire.
Every week, we pray “For all those who proclaim the Gospel at home and abroad; and for all who teach and disciple others.” We want to the Gospel to go forth through open doors to the hearts of the people. Not so that the “Christian team” will grow stronger but so that insignificant, beat down, and discouraged people in slave to sin will be reconciled to God.
Now the whole church is encouraged to walk out their calling in the community beyond the church, to walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.”[5]
We go forth as children of light who shine out like stars in the universe. We bring words of hope, hands of healing, gracious hospitality. When I eight or nine, my sister and I joined my parents and their youth group out on the street in New Jersey, handing out tracts. We were “witnessing.” I have no doubt God used our small service. Even in college, I took to the streets with a handful of tracts. As it turns out, I ended up talking to one or two people all afternoon. It seems I’ve always been a teacher even when I tried to be an evangelist.
Though God can and will use this service, I think this outreach can take all sorts of shapes. It might be as simple as talking with the checkout clerk at the grocery store. We all have different gifts, and hospitality can take different shapes in our lives.
In the past, I held movie nights and house concerts for sinners and saints alike. I was trying to find ways to open our lives and love to those around us. I had a friend who set up a dream both at the Flea Market. “Dreams for two cents.” People always walked up and talked with him.
One way that our community might reach beyond ourselves to a world in need is through prayer. Kelly and I went to a conference once when a man in our group shared how he used to buy gas from the same market every week. The clerk was a goth girl. He would talk to her when he paid. Then he asked his house church to start praying for her. Eventually, he told her about the group. She came. Eventually she embraced Jesus and later became a missionary.
That sounds like an open door, like watchfulness, prayer, thanksgiving.
Each week we gather as priests before God and worship, pray, receive the blessing of Christ, and go out with the Good News on our lips and in our feet. May the Lord have mercy upon us and teach each of us how we might be instruments of gracious hospitality and holy reconciliation in a world desperate for the love of God.
[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Col 1:16–20.
[2] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Col 1:22.
[3] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Col 4:2.
[4] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Col 4:3–4.
[5] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Col 4:5–6.