Back to basics

Campbell Dye May 12, 2022 0 0

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Colossians 1: 15-20 (NRSVA)

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; 16 for 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. 17 He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 He 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. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and 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.

Sometimes it’s good to go back to basics – playing piano scales repeatedly isn’t very interesting but it makes me a better player. Likewise, a couple of hours of basic weeding results in satisfying beds and borders.

Paul does a bit of weeding himself in his letter to the Colossians. Today’s excerpt goes back to the basics about Jesus – and the basic fact that Christianity is all about Jesus. Most people who think about it will accept that Jesus existed as a historical figure. Nearly everyone will agree that he was a decent bloke. But Paul’s writing sets out how much more there is to Jesus than we often acknowledge. Paul talks about Jesus being eternal, about him being central and integral to the business of creation and about how Jesus is the crucial enabler of the reconciliation between God and humankind.

Those 30 years or so of Jesus’ life in ancient Palestine define the history of the world but they are, in one way, no more than a glimpse into the eternal. God came to earth and walked with humans. He suffered, died and was buried. He rose again from the dead. He continues to live and to hold everything together.

I believe we can have complete trust in the Gospel story. I also believe the Gospel story doesn’t start with verse 1 of chapter 1 and I don’t believe it ends with the final words of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. God is still writing his story in our lives and the lives of those around us. Are you ready to start a fresh page?

PRAYER:

God, we ask you to fill us with the knowledge of your will through all the wisdom and understanding the Spirit gives so that we may live lives worthy of the Lord and please him in every way; bearing fruit in every good work, growing in knowledge of you. AMEN