Colossians 1:11-20
"Reign of Christ" - Year C
The church claims Jesus as a singularity. As a result of this the church also claims everything must be in conformity to Jesus.
This doesn't quite square with some of Jesus' own sayings such as the rest of us are to do greater things than he did.
As we round out another year of struggling to perfect an old model when such a journey toward wholeness is never-ending, we come to the end of another year with miles to go.
For some this will mean an attempt at further retrenchment into Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. For some it will be a release to finally claim their own singularity. For most, it is just time for Thanksgiving turkey.
http://kcmlection.blogspot.com/2013/11/colossians-111-20.html
The introduction to Colossians in the New Interpreter's Study Bible says "Most interpreters believe that the problem [the folks at Colossae had] was acknowledging, if not actually worshiping, heavenly powers associated with the stars."
This leads Paul to insert a hymn (1:15-20) "extolling Christ in cosmological rather than soteriological (salvation-oriented) terms, but which could impress a congregation like that at Colossae without compromising the integrity of his own position."
Using another's language, imagery, memes without compromising one's integrity is tricky business. It is also very important business in today's world (well, actually, any day's world).
For comparison purposes, check out the November 3rd Theses [MISSING URL] regarding the Democratic Party. How to speak to be heard without giving up ones "values" is a huge question for Paul, the church, political parties, and you and me.
If Paul can pull this off (as I think a case can be made that Jesus pulled off this same willingness to risk being compromised) so can we.
In this light, hear again these words, "May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from GOD's glory, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully giving thanks...."
http://www.kairoscomotion.org/lectionary/2004/november2004.html
Here we hear about G*D rescuing and transferring us into "the kingdom of his beloved Son." "Beloved Son," Jesus, speaks about the kingdom of G*D or kingdom of Heaven, not his own. And around we go. Whose kingdom is it and how does it interact with us?
It is good to have both G*D and Jesus humbly identifying this ideal spot with the other. It speaks well of them that they claim it, not for themself, but the other. It gets a little trickier when we hear G*D is in Jesus and Jesus was with G*D in the beginning and is God with us.
Trying to see beyond metaphor without going so deeply into it that it becomes our reality and only stop with its literality is tricky business. To not go that deeply reduces the power of the metaphor. We seem to either be too enmeshed or not taking it seriously enough and so we fear anything other than a strict construction or an over-investment in our imagery.
Do you feel enabled if someone has done something for you? Do you feel called if someone has already ordained your response by rescue or transfer?
Is it be possible for G*D to be pleased without needing a reconciliation at anyone's expense? It would be interesting to do a psychological or emotional or rational or whatever assessment of this 20th verse.
Do you resonate best with the phrase "through him," "God was pleased," "pleased to reconcile," "reconcile...all things," "whether on earth or in heaven," "making peace," "blood," "his cross"?
Rank them in order (1-7) of your connection with the phrase. Take your 7-digit score around to see who else has the same configuration. Who knows, this make take the place of that puny 4-letter Myers/Briggs evaluator.
http://www.kairoscomotion.org/lectionary/2004/november2004.html
I have appreciated Peterson's The Message take on this passage. I like being prayed for in such a manner that I will be given a wise mind and spirit to help me understand the ways in which G*D works. Examples of G*D at work are found in the subsequent prayers.
- that we will live well, as G*D lives well
- that we will persist in living well, as G*D persists
- that we will find living well leading to joy, as does G*D
A key piece of evidence that these prayers are finding fertile ground in us, that we are part of "a resurrection parade", comes with the image of spaciousness. We, too, become, like Jesus, "so spacious, so roomy that everything of G*D finds its proper place in us. Not only that, but all the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe – people and things, animals and atoms – get properly fixed and fit together in vibrant harmonies with ourselves." (modified a bit)
This movement toward an expansive and expanding love is worthy of present and future thanks.
- - -
we have redemption
available
anytime anywhere
forgiveness
http://kcmlection.blogspot.com/2007_11_01_archive.html
There are a lot of words here. It is parallel to the obsequiousness used by any servant fearing they might be overheard. To try to cut through the fog of images, all good, all the time, we'll focus on: "what is a reconciling mechanism that will reconcile all things?"
Here is a quote from David Buttrick in The Mystery and the Passion that points in a helpful direction:
God's mercy is not merely therapy for a few individuals beset by guilt....God does not dole out mercy like cookies only for good, repentant children. God's mercy is not conditioned by our response. God is mercy. So, wide is wider than we guess.... Our calling is to live in mercy.... Recalling God's unmerited mercy ... we absolve one another, enacting the good news. 'In Jesus Christ,' we say, 'we are forgiven.' So we look into each other's eyes without illusions; we are sinners all. Yet we embrace each other in the mercy, the wide, wide mercy of God.
To the extent that Jesus participates in mercy, he is revelatory of G*D. To the extent that a Church participates in mercy, it is revelatory of G*D. To the extent that you or I participate in mercy, we are revelatory of G*D. To the extent G*D participates in mercy, G*D is revelatory of creation's purpose.
Every internal and external difference is bridgeable, but only in a way that transforms both ends of a divide as mercy is a two-way street, a mutual embrace.
Here is a "king" at work, modeling mercy. Here is a "servant" at work, modeling mercy. Here is what we might have learned this past year - to model mercy. Apparently there is more to learn as the mercy quotient in the world continues to get short shrift compared to power, revenge, anger, and competition.
So, King Jesus; so, Queen Church; so, Prince or Princess You; so, Brother Paul; drop all the fancy words and doctrinal constructs and get on with clarifying mercy. Reconciliation isn't through blood itself but a response of mercy wherever and whenever blood is spilt - a merciful, "forgive them, they don't know what they are doing" and a getting up to keep at that wide, wide mercy work of welcoming and working together. Everything else is accruing righteousness for oneself and giving up that same self to be on some perceived winning side.
http://kcmlection.blogspot.com/2010/11/colossians-111-20.html