God's Super Glue

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Here are some thoughts that are being shared with the people of St. Timothy Lutheran Church. I would really like your thoughts about this scripture text. What do you think?  
Second Reading: Colossians 1:11-20
11May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully 12giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. 13He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

 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.

God has rescued us. Have you ever felt like you needed someone to rescue you from a situation? Here, God has rescued us from the worst of all situations imaginable—the power of darkness. But we’re not just rescued FROM that and left to our own devices, but we are transferred TO somewhere else—the kingdom, the reign and rule of God’s beloved Son.

And what do we get when we’re in God’s kingdom—redemption and the forgiveness of sins. In other words, we are made right with God and others. And this is God’s work, not our work. This all began with baptism.

In the second section, we have vivid images of the cosmic Christ, who was with the Father from the beginning because he himself is God. I like the imagery of all things holding together in Christ. Sometimes I feel like everything is falling apart, but here we see that Christ holds it all together. Jesus is the cosmic Super Glue of our lives and of our world.

Christ holding all things together and reconciling all things on heaven and earth reminds me of the picture of The Peaceable Kingdom by Edward Hicks. After all God’s wonderful blessings in our lives, may we allow our Lord Jesus to hold us all together—individually and as the people of God at St. Timothy.

Agnus Day
The Peaceable Kingdom

  

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