Keep the Faith
(Colossians 1: 15-28)
It was over ten years ago when Daniel Foster, our District Superintendent, approached me at my last Certified Lay Minister training session and told me he believed I was ready. Ready for what I asked him. “Your own church.” he replied. I was stunned. I figured I would just get certified and help out at my home church, Trinity United Methodist Church, in Port Townsend assisting the pastor wherever I could. I asked him where and he said he couldn’t tell me yet as there were a few details he had to work out. I went home and told Teresa I might get appointed to a church somewhere in the Pacific Northwest Conference and I could see the panic in her eyes. Where? she asked, followed up by: “I don’t want to move!” I told her I didn’t know and that I’d just wait and see assuring her that because I wasn’t ordained, they couldn’t make me take an appointment I didn’t want. By the look on her face, I could tell my assurances were of little comfort. My losing and then getting new jobs had become a familiar pattern in our life together.
Nevertheless, Daniel called me and told me that he, the Bishop, and God wanted to appoint me to Community United Methodist Church right here in sunny Port Hadlock. I told him there was good news and bad news. The good news was that they knew me, and the bad news was that 64% of them voted me out of office. He laughed and assured me I would be fine as this was God’s will. So that’s why I lost the election! It was God’s will? As Teresa breathed a sigh of relief, I began to process the how and why of this appointment that seemingly came out of left field. I figured I was retired. I was wrong. According to the District Superintendent I had been commissioned by God and just had to keep the faith and see where it led me and my new flock.
And it’s keeping the faith and following the Spirit’s lead that the Apostle Paul is writing about in his letter to the Colossian Church. Never in a million years did Paul, formerly Saul a Pharisee’s Pharisee, think that he would be an apostle to the Gentiles leading them in their conversion to becoming followers of the way of Jesus Christ, the Son of the God of Abraham. Most folks who knew Paul would have bet that he’d have been God’s last choice for such a commissioning, but God saw something in Paul others didn’t. God knew that Paul was a man of deep faith and was just the right person to plant new churches and then monitor them and guide them as they grew in their faith and attracted new followers. It was just a matter of keeping the faith.
Last week we learned about how impressed the apostle was with the deep and abiding faith the Colossians had because of the hope they had in their future which helped them transition into a church worthy of God as they graciously and joyfully showed the love of Christ to all of God’s people. For Paul the Colossian church was “that church” a church that truly understood the gospel and lived into it in all they did in their daily lives, and he enthusiastically commended them for it. But he also saw a problem with some in the church wanting to put their own spin on who Jesus really was, with some saying he was just another prophet, a mere mortal, questioning his deity. To Paul this was blasphemous, and he would not stand for it.
So, after heaping praise upon the Colossians, he segues into an appeal for them to keep the faith and stand firm in their belief in the deity of Jesus Christ. He says: The Son is the image of the invisible God, the one who is first over all creation. Because all things were created by him: both in the heavens and on earth, the things that are visible and the things that are invisible. Whether they are thrones or powers, or rulers or authorities, all things were created through him and for him. Make no mistake, when you see the Son, you see the Father, and don’t let anyone tell you differently. He tells them that the Son existed before all things and that all things are held together in him. Christ is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, and brought peace through the blood of his cross. He is the glue that holds the universe together. He is God’s agent of re-creation. As bad as things may seem, ultimately, in his time, God will reconcile all things through the cross of Christ, reversing the effects of sin on humanity and creation itself.
Paul reminds them that once they were alienated from God and were enemies with him in their minds, which was shown by their evil actions. But now, he says, he has reconciled you by his physical body through death, to present you before God as a people who are holy, faultless, and without blame, which reflects back upon the high praise he had for them at the beginning of his letter. Of that there is no doubt. But he is concerned because evil hates it when good things happen and will do whatever it takes to undermine goodness. Just turn on the six o’clock news if you don’t believe me. He cautions them to remain well established and rooted in faith and not shift away from the hope given in the good news that they’ve received, the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. What Paul is telling them is that God’s work with them is not over. A sobering day still lies ahead, when all humanity will stand before God’s throne, the judgment seat. Until then, Christ works toward presenting the Colossians as radiant in holiness before God. Such holiness involves actually living according to God’s will, living in alignment with God’s character. Paul knows that because they are “that church” that church that lives into its faith and love all of God’s people regardless of who they are. But they must keep the faith. Christ and only Christ is the anchor of their hope in the storms that lie ahead.
It’s the same message that is being preached throughout all creation and Paul proudly proclaims that he has become a servant of this good news. Paul takes pride in the fact that he is suffering for his commissioning as the Apostle to the Gentiles, that he’s been harassed, lied about, slandered, threatened and assaulted, and now imprisoned all for the gospel. He says: I’m doing this for the sake of his body, which is the church. I became a servant of the church by God’s commission, which was given to me for you, in order to complete God’s word. God commissioned him to make the secret plan of God for creation known among the Gentiles, which is Christ living in them, the hope of glory. He closes out this part of his letter by stating: This is what we preach as we warn and teach every person with all wisdom so that we might present each one mature in Christ. That’s the mission of keeping the faith.
God has reconciled the Colossians and us through Christ so that we may become a people who reflect God’s holy character. God’s plan is no longer a secret. He has laid open his purpose of Christ indwelling believers, now available to everyone. It’s through the fruit of God’s peacemaking work on the cross of Christ that is already being tasted in this age, and it one day will be fully enjoyed when all things thrive together in harmony as the creator first intended.
The point Paul is trying to make is that God is not only the creator of the world, but he is also its sustainer. In him, everything is held together, protected, and prevented from disintegrating into chaos. I know, it may seem like we’re already there with a front row seat to all the chaos, but it could be much worse, and in all likelihood may get worse if what is going on in the world is any indication. Humanity has done much to damage not only itself but also the earth that was created for us to inhabit and continues on this destructive path seemingly unabated. That’s why Jesus came to live amongst us. To show us the better way of living in harmony with not only one another but also in harmony with nature. Trust me, if it wasn’t for the work of true believers, those committed to the gospel, things would be so much worse. But we cannot do it alone and shouldn’t even try. Christ is the sustainer of all life and none of us is independent from him. We are all his servants who must daily trust him for protecting us, caring for us, and sustaining us. Without Christ there is no way we could stand up to the corruption of this world. Christ is the hope of the world.
What the Apostle Paul wants us to understand is that Christ’s death provided a way for all people to come to God, not just a chosen few. His death cleared away the sin that keeps us from having a right relationship with the Creator. Now, this doesn’t mean that everyone will be saved, but the way has been cleared for anyone who will trust Christ and be saved. You just have to keep the faith and continue moving forward.
Let us pray.
Loving God, Creator and Sustainer of all that exists, how grateful we are for your saving grace, grace given to us by and through the blood of your Son on the cross. It was his sacrifice for us that has given us freedom from sin that cannot be purchased at any price. We may be undeserving, but we are grateful and because of your mercy and grace we have a new purpose in life, a purpose that moves us to live and love in a way that leads others to you and brings you glory. We know we have our work cut out for us, but we are up to the task because we have faith in your promise. Move us to be a people that stand firmly for all that is good. Move us to live into our faith as we live each day awaiting Christ’s return. In Jesus’ name, we pray, Amen.
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Keep the Faith
Such holiness involves actually living according to God’s will, living in alignment with God’s character.