Colossians 1:15-29
Dearly beloved, We gather this night in the midst of a busy week in order to pray and muse on the Word of God that makes up Colossians 1. The lection for this evening is thought to be an ancient Christian hymn of the church in St. Paul’s day. It has the sound and message of a creed. It sounds similar to the Apostles and Nicene Creed. St. Paul’s words to the church in Colossae are a reminder to that church that Jesus is everything. In St. Paul’s words are images of all the sides of Jesus. This is what we are to ponder this evening, this first week in Advent. Let there be no mistake about it. Jesus is as the creed describes, “begotten of the Father before all worlds….” Jesus is fully God. We see in Paul’s words that Jesus is the everlasting God. Paul says that Jesus is “the image of the invisible God.” This is one side of Jesus. He is “God of God, light of light.” In other words, as much as the Father is God, the Son is equal in Godhead. So, the first vantage point that we see in the description of Jesus is that He is the eternal God. The other vantage point that St. Paul gives to the church at Colossae is that of Christ’s earthly sojourn. Just as the Apostles and Nicene Creed do, St. Paul’s words focus on the flesh side of Jesus and also the life of the Church. Verse 19 reminds us of the Christmas text, “For it pleased the Father that in Him [Jesus] all the fullness should dwell…” It makes us think of the baby in the manger, while all the heavenly host gather around in reverence and awe of God having come in the flesh, in a baby, in a stable. St. Paul’s words do speak of high and deep Christological doctrine. In these words we find a running commentary on the two natures of Jesus Christ—God and Man. When the church thinks on these words of Paul, a few things should be considered. First, we confess the creed each week. We talk about the eternal God. We confess the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. We confess the two natures of Christ. But what does this mean to the world? If we were to sit down with an unbeliever and read Colossians 1 to them, what would they think? Maybe sometimes in your weakness, you wonder why this is important for you. It is a fair question to ask. Young Christians no doubt wonder why we confess the creed every Lord’s day. What is contained in Colossians 1:15-29 are the core statements about what the church believes. It is a creed, or, in Greek it is called a “symbol.” A symbol is a definitive statement about something. The important thing that comes up for us today is the fact that the three creeds of the church, the Apostles, Nicene, and Athanasian all derived from an earlier creed, much like we have in Colossians 1. Such a creed is important for the church because it keeps the church on track. It is a “plumb line” or a “straight line” that does not veer off. We need the creed ringing in our ears, because it keeps us on the narrow path to salvation that Jesus speaks of. Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount to “enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.” One can think of the narrow gate as the creedal formula such as St. Paul has put down for the church of all ages. What is the correct faith to confess? How does one get to heaven? The creedal statements in Colossians 1 set forth for us the path of life. So, we confess the creeds in order to know the way to everlasting life. We confess the creeds so we do not forget. And in Colossians 1 is everything you need to know about Jesus in a nutshell. Jesus is God. He is the firstborn over all creation. Jesus is the head of the church, which is His body. Jesus is the firstborn from the dead, which is to say that He defeated death by His death and resurrection. Paul is also quick to point out that Jesus made peace through the blood of His cross. The interesting aspect of this text for us this Advent is how the latter part of Colossians 1 actually deals with the suffering and death of Jesus on the cross. Jesus had to come in the flesh through the womb of a virgin. Paul speaks of us all when he says, “And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight.” If there is no incarnation and birth, then there can be no reconciling the world to the heavenly Father. This is what the Christian faith is all about. The Christian faith and the life we live in the church has to be centered on Jesus and His incarnation, birth, death, and resurrection. If our eyes do not behold the eternal God Who has come in the flesh, then we heading away from the creed, from the Eucharist, and away from the narrow gate of salvation. Each of you, therefore, has the responsibility as baptized children of God to live the life of faith in humble repentance. But you fail. You do not live as you ought. You do not confess and pray as you ought. The sinful flesh would rather turn the church into something else. Your heart is lead away from Jesus and onto other things. Which is precisely why you need to hear over and over the love of God as it is revealed in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. In a few weeks we will behold the mystery of the birth of Christ as told by St. Luke. Not only shall the creed continue to ring in your ears, but the preaching of the gospel shall continue to ring in your midst as well, filling the air that you breathe. It is this preaching that St. Paul comes back to at the end of Colossians 1. Paul tells the Colossians, “To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we my present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.” What beautiful words are written for us. Paul speaks of the Advent of Christ. Jesus comes in our midst and it is a great mystery. Jesus comes in your midst in a mysterious way giving you His forgiveness for all of your sins. It is this creed which is preached among you for the lighting up of your very lives, giving you the hope and the promise of everlasting salvation. You are, as Paul says, “partakers of the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints.” It is precisely in the Eucharist that Christ’s Advent is real, as the saints partake of this heavenly mystery. It is the birth, life, death and resurrection of the enfleshed God that all need to hear and confess over and over. It is this truth which sets you free and deems you holy! Unbelievers need to hear it, and God’s saints need to remember it. Jesus, the God of heaven, has made peace through the blood of His cross. This peace comes to you. It is yours. You are forgiven and holy. So, we prepare our hearts this Advent to behold God in the flesh in a manger Who, for the purpose of reconciling you to the Heavenly Father, thereby has made you His holy and beloved saints. Amen. -- Rev. Chad Kendall www.frchadius.blogspot.com Trinity Lutheran Church Lowell, Indiana www.trinitylowell.org