My All in All

Here are some thoughts on tomorrow's epistle for the 4th Sunday in the Season of Creation. They were sent to the people of St. Timothy Lutheran Church. Let's talk.

Colossians 1:15-20

15He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; 16for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him. 17He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. 19For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.

As I was preparing to write this reflection, I realized that the last words of last week’s text, spoken by the disciples were, “Who then is this, that he commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him?” (Luke 8:25). I can’t help but notice that many years later, the author of Colossians answers this for us. Jesus is:

“the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation,
18He is the head of the body, the church;
 he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead.”

This is stated directly. However, there are indirect statements that by their implication tell us even more:

Jesus is the creator “all things have been created through him and for him.”
Jesus is the super glue of life “in him all things hold together.”
Jesus is the peacemaker, “through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.”

All of this is contained in these six verses.

My question for each of us is of all these possibilities, who is Jesus to us and what difference does that make in our lives? Let us mull over this text of scripture, letting God speak to our hearts. Then let’s talk about this together. Email me at pastorivyg@gmail.com, catch me on Sunday or when this is posted to my blog, http://claimedgatheredandsent.blogspot.com/, you can respond in the comment section.

May our Lord enable us to embrace Jesus in all his fullness that our lives may be visibly transformed so that the world may know that the reign of God is among us.

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