Knox Presbyterian Church

Today we’re starting a sermon series on Colossians 3: 1-17. We’re going to spend an extended amount of time looking at this passage from Colossians. We’ll actually spend a good 5 or 6 weeks – or as long as it takes – here.

So, why am I doing this?

Well, you know the old saying, “The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” Right?

One reason for planning a 5 to 6 week sermon series is because I figure if I plan something like this, then maybe Lori and I will finally get that phone call we’ve been waiting for to head over to Ethiopia to bring our little boy home.

Really though, my primary purpose for such a series comes from the sorts of challenges we’ve faced as a congregation over the past few weeks, as well as thinking ahead to the sorts of challenges we might face in the coming months, as we discern God’s will for our continued life together.

In preaching this series, my guiding thought is that while these days may be difficult, God has given us the perfect opportunity to stop, to take some time, and to really think and pray about what it means for us to be the church together.

We’ve been given a chance to be reminded about what it means as people of faith to be gathered together as a congregation, here at Knox Church. I see this as an opportunity to reflect on how we will choose to be the church together as we move forward into God’s future for us.

Whatever that future may hold.

I don’t have every week planned out quite yet, but I know that this passage of scripture gives us a chance to talk about a variety of things:

• We’ll talk about the destructive power of speech, and how we shouldn’t speak to each other out of anger, wrath, malice, and slander. That could probably be 3 sermons right there…

• We’ll talk about who the church really belongs too, as I’ve been recently reflecting on the difference between a church where everyone belongs vs. a church that belongs to everyone. There’s a big difference between the two, and I’ll share with you some of my thoughts about that.

• We’ll talk about the sorts of attitudes and behaviours that make Christian community work. Some of those things are spelled out in this passage like kindness, humility, meekness, patience, and most of all forgiveness. Imagine how much better our life would be together if we all would just work on that.

• Finally, we’ll talk about what makes the Church unique and why its different than a civic organization. We’ll talk about the things we do together in the name of Jesus Christ, such as worship, prayer, learning, holding ourselves accountable, and serving others, and how that’s a whole lot different than being a part of Kiwanis or 4H.

Why 5 or 6 weeks in one passage of scripture? Well, Paul says in verse 16, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.” We will take Paul at his word and trust it will be good for us to repeatedly hear this scripture passage and let it dwell richly within us.

We start our series today, by getting to the very basics and looking at the foundation for the church and our life together. Today’s focus is on the first four verses of this passage. {Let’s read vs. 1-4 together….}

So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory.

The other day I opened up my most recent copy of the Presbyterian Outlook. I turned to the editor’s page and read these words:

Of all the Christians who will gather for Easter worship services the world over, we Presbyterians have just a slightly greater need to hear about the resurrection.

I read the rest of the article, and, to be honest, I can’t really tell you what it was about. Still, I came away with an indelible impression from his opening words, that we as Presbyterians have a slightly greater need to hear about the resurrection.

They impressed and grabbed me because they ring true to what I think we need to hear this year as a congregation. As folks here at Knox Church, we have a slightly greater need to hear about the good news of the resurrection.

The resurrection is the most fundamental theological truth we celebrate as people of the Christian faith. The resurrection defines who we are as God’s people in Jesus Christ. It is our foundation. It is the solid rock upon which we stand as God’s people.

If you read the church newsletter this week, you know that I stated we may face some tough times in the weeks and months ahead as we deal with the ramifications of what’s been lost because of those who have chosen to leave the church.

You can’t lose the sorts of resources – either financial or spiritual – we’ve lost without it having some sort of impact on our life and ministry together. Those loses will require us to make some tough, prayerful decisions in the months ahead.

We will need to discern the sorts of ways that God is calling us to continue to be God’s people through this church. And yes, it may mean that we will need to change some things in order to fulfil God’s call to mission and ministry here at Knox.

But, as I have said over the past two weeks, I am convinced, that such loss is not the end of the story.

We are resurrection people and our hope and trust is in Jesus Christ, the resurrected one. That means God can take our circumstances, our situation – no matter what it happens to be and God can reshape, reform, and remold it and us along with it.

The resurrection is the fundamental ground of our faith and being together. Paul says it so right here in the first verse of this text. Paul writes, we have been raised with Christ. He goes even further to say, we have died and our life is hidden with Christ in God.

And I love how he puts it in the fourth verse: Christ is our life.

I have a little confession to make to you this morning.

As a Pastor, I love to read the obituary section of the newspaper. It is fascinating to read the sorts of things people have to say about those they love who have passed on. I also love reading about the sorts of things people gave their lives too:

• Some people are defined by their hobbies. They loved crochet, or golf, or fishing.

• Others are defined by their relationships. They were devoted to their children and grandchildren.

• Still others are defined by the organizations they invested their time in. They were president of the local VFW or they volunteered for the Sierra Club.

Sometimes in an obituary, you read things like, “Music was his life.” “Her Children meant everything to her.” Or “He lived for his work.” When you read that sort of thing, it means they found their life, their meaning, their greatest enjoyment in their work, music, kids, or whatever the case may be.

Truth be told, though, when I read those obituaries I almost never read the words, “Christ was his life” or “Christ was her life.” In fact, I can’t recall ever reading those words in an obituary. Can you?

And yet that is one of the most fundamental truths of our faith. Through the resurrection of Christ, we have been raised with him. We have died and our life is hidden with Christ. Or, put most simply: Christ is our life.

What might it mean for us today, for our church, if we truly believed that Christ was our life? What if we truly lived out the reality that we’ve been raised with Christ and that our life is hidden with Christ in God?

Paul puts it this way. He says since these things are true, we are to seek the things that are above. We are to set our minds on the things that are above.

Now, there are lots of ways to think about that phrase, but I take it to mean that we are to do all things through Christ’s resurrection power in order to fulfil God’s purpose for us.

It might be easy for us to look at our circumstances and to become overwhelmed by them. It might be easy to get caught up thinking about how we are a small church. Or how our budget will take a big hit. Or to fixate on who will do this or that thing that needs to get done.

But, Paul reminds us, “If you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above.”

The truth of the matter is that we are a resurrection people and God is not finished with us yet. God has plans for us. And, since Christ is our life, let us therefore set our mind on things that are above.

Let us trust that God will give us everything we need to continue to fulfil God’s call for mission and ministry through this congregation.

Let us trust that God will lead, guide, and empower us to reach out to the world with the love of God found in Jesus Christ.

Let us put aside wrath, malice, slander, and abusive language in our life together and instead put on kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.

Let us allow the peace of Christ to rule in our hearts, express our thanks to God, and with gratitude sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God.

And finally, let us in whatever we do, whether in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Now and forever, Amen.