The Colossians Were Like Us (Copy)
We proclaim, him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. (Colossians 1:28)
Colossae was a city inland from the port city of Ephesus. Colossae was in modern-day Turkey. Colossae was destroyed by an earthquake in about 64 AD. The silt was so deep that the town had never been rebuilt or excavated. The area around Colossae had hot springs, which brought people from around the empire to Colossae. The diversity influenced its political powers and religious variety, which provided compassion for others different from themselves.
The church in Colossae focused on the interior meaning of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. The writer of the Colossians spoke of an ordered, divinely structured world. The writer reminded the faithful that human beings get crushed when powers other than God take control. Since the faithful are in Christ, they no longer need to submit to earthly powers. Earthly powers, whether the Romans, the Chinese in Tiananmen Square, or Rwanda, can create destruction. The destruction leads to despair unless there is hope through a mightier power.
The letter to the Colossians offers an alternative of hope through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Yes, they stripped Jesus naked and publicly humiliated him. Many suffering injustice know similar pain. Just like Jesus stripped the powers and authorities naked, the powerless in this world have similar hope. Through Scripture and other stories of ongoing care, we affirm the blessing of gratitude in God’s ongoing love for us. The cross did not defeat Christ; suffering will not destroy us either. We, too, will follow in the footsteps of Jesus, even in the Ascension.
Today, ponder the ways we are like the ancient church in Colossae. Like the Colossians, we will suffer our share of interpersonal, natural, and cosmic struggles. God made the Colossians new amid their struggles. God will make us new amid our struggles as well. Whether recovering from a tornado in Greenfield or struggling with interpersonal struggles with whom we care, God will reconcile us to others and God. We can trust in God’s reconciliation because God intends to heal and restore the divine creation. God will heal and restore your life as well.