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“From the Domain of Darkness to the Kingdom of His Son” (Colossians 1:13-20) Our reading today from Colossians says that God has “delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son.” And this gives us our outline for today’s message: first, the domain we’ve been delivered from; second, the kingdom we’ve been transferred to; and third, the Son whose kingdom it is. First, the domain we’ve been delivered from. St. Paul describes it as “the domain of darkness.” This is what God has delivered us from. And thank God he has. For...

The identity of Jesus explained. An excerpt from a sermon about Paul's Epistle to the Colossians, focusing on chapter 3, verse 11.

“Whose Kingdom Will Have No End” (Colossians 1:13-20) All good things must come to an end. And this week we come to the end of the church year. Today is the Last Sunday of the Church Year, and at this time of the year, we focus on the last things, the end times. Last week, for instance, we said that “The Day Is Surely Drawing Near,” that day when Christ “will come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead.” But if we just stop there, at the Last Day, we have not gone far enough. There’s...

“In What Does Your Life Consist?” (Luke 12:13-21; Colossians 3:1-11) In the Holy Gospel for today, Jesus says these words: “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” Well, if your life does not consist in the abundance of your possessions, then what does your life consist in? That’s what we’re going to explore this morning: “In What Does Your Life Consist?” “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” What prompted...

“Raised with Our Risen Lord” (Colossians 3:1-4) Alleluia! Christ is risen! (He is risen indeed! Alleluia!) Yes, indeed Christ is risen! And because he is, guess what? You are risen too! That’s our message this morning on this beautiful Easter Day: “Raised with Our Risen Lord.” Our text is the Epistle, from Colossians, where it says that we have been “raised with Christ.” But of course that is predicated on Christ himself having been raised. If Christ has not been raised, then everything else falls apart. But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead, and so everything holds...

“Changing Kingdoms” (Colossians 1:13-20) Perhaps you recall, earlier this year there were a number of celebrities who said they would move out of the country if a certain candidate got elected. They were all going to move to Canada if he got in. They were willing to change their citizenship from one nation to another, because things would be so bad. Well, come November, that candidate did win, and so you would think there would be planeloads of celebrities evacuating the country and heading to Toronto. But somehow that didn’t happen. They’re still here. I guess their promise to leave...

“Eat, Drink, and Be Merry” (Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14; 2:18-26; Luke 12:13-21; Colossians 3:1-11) We all want to live the good life, don’t we? I mean, we want to have the best life now that we can have. Financial security, good health, no worries about our future, a nice place to live, happy family life, good friends and neighbors--who doesn’t want all that? Your best life now. Ah, wouldn’t that be sweet! A steak on the grill, a margarita in your hand, relaxing on the patio in the shade. Take life easy, eat, drink, and be merry! And is there anything...

“Raised, Rooted, and Walking” (Colossians 2:6-15) “Raised, Rooted, and Walking”: This is the rhythm of the Christian life. “Raised, Rooted, and Walking”: This is God’s will for you, in your life. “Raised, Rooted, and Walking”: This is how Paul describes it in our Epistle lesson for today, from Colossians 2. Let’s take a look. Paul writes, in Colossians 2:6-7: “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.” Here we have all three aspects, the “Raised,” the “Rooted,”...

In yesterdayÂ’s blog post, (which was actually a written version of my Sunday sermon), I mentioned that it might make sense for us to look more deeply at some of the virtues In the Letter to the Colossians which ought to be cultivated by a Christian, especially in the family setting.The third chapter of The Letter to the Colossians, while speaking in a general way about vices to be avoided and virtues to be cultivated, has a particular family focus since it builds to its conclusion about wives being submitted, husbands loving their wives, and children obeying their parents. Because...

“Transferred to the Kingdom of His Son” (Colossians 1:13-20)Have you ever been transferred? People get transferred or relocated due to their work from time to time. The transfer can be a good thing or a bad thing; sometimes it’s a bit of a mixed bag. Just this past Friday, the third baseman for the Cardinals got transferred from St. Louis to “Los Angeles of Anaheim.” There will be plusses and minuses in this for Mr. Freese. On the downside, he won’t be a hometown hero out there, and the team he’ll be playing on is not as good as the...

“Where Is Your Head At?” (Colossians 3:1-11)“Where Is Your Head At?” That, basically, is the question that comes out of today’s Epistle reading from Colossians 3. There St. Paul puts it like this: “Seek the things that are above,” and “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” On things above, or on things on earth? Where is your head at? Today God’s Word would direct us to set our minds on things above. Our text today will tell us where not to set our minds, where we ought to set them, and...

“The Closed System of the Rich Fool” (Luke 12:13-21; Colossians 3:1-11)Do you have a closed system? Or are you open to the things that are above? Here’s what I mean: In our Gospel reading for today, we see a rich man who is operating with a “closed system,” as I’ll explain in a minute. By way of contrast, our Epistle reading instructs us to “seek the things that are above.” So which is it? How will we live our lives? “The Closed System of the Rich Fool”? Or the true life that comes to us from above? First, the rich...

“Back to School” (Colossians 2:6-15)“Back to School.” You can see the ads already, even now in late July. Stores and students are gearing up for the return to classes, come mid-August. Yes, I know, many of us can remember when “Back to School” meant early September, but that was so 20th century. Get with the program. But for the Christian, “Back to School” never goes out of season. You and I as disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ are always learning, always growing. And we see that reflected in our lessons today from the New Testament. In the Holy Gospel,...

On Christ as Head "The Whole Cosmos Is Submitted to Him" VATICAN CITY, JAN. 14, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI delivered during today's general audience in Paul VI Hall. * * * Dear brothers and sisters: Among the letters of the Pauline collection, there are two, those directed to the Colossians and the Ephesians, that to a point could be considered twins. In fact, both have ways of speaking that are only found in those two, and it is calculated that more than a third of the Letter to the Colossians is found also...

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, In this first General Audience of the New Year, we reflect on the famous Christological hymn from the Letter to the Colossians. It sets a tone of thanksgiving for these first days of the year two thousand and six. Christ is at the centre of this hymn. He is presented to us as the first-born of all creation, the image of the invisible God. The expression “image”, like an Eastern icon, indicates more than a likeness, it brings out the profound intimacy that exists with the subject that is represented.Christ is also portrayed as...

What Did Paul Really Say in Colossians 2:16? http://www.gnmagazine.org/bsc/12/paulreallysay.htm The apostle Paul wrote to the Colossian Christians, a gentile congregation: "Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: which are a shadow of things to come ..." (Colossians 2:16-17, King James Version).This passage, probably more than any other in the Bible, is interpreted by those who reject God's festivals as confirmation that the biblical feast days are unnecessary observances. Regrettably, such reasoning is based on poor scholarship and misleading translations from...