10th Sunday after Pentecost 2010 Colossians 3:1-11
10th Sunday after Pentecost
8/01/10
Colossians 3:1-11
Our Gospel lesson for this morning is a sermon in itself. It only takes a minute to read it, but in that minute a lesson is taught that God has to be first in one’s life, for our relationship with God is real life, while the goodies that we all work so hard to get and keep, so that life is more meaningful, are in the end meaningless.
Our Old Testament reading reinforces that thought. It is believed that Ecclesiastes was written by King Solomon in his old age. King Solomon was a man of God. He is thought to have been the wealthiest and wisest man to have ever lived. But, as he acquired more and more wealth and his fame began to spread all over the known world he became full of himself and got into trouble, both in his earthly life and spiritual life.
In Ecclesiastes which is believed he wrote near the end of his life we see that the great King Solomon had come to realize that all that he had acquired was, as he put it, a chasing after the wind. In other words it was all meaningless. All he had done was for vanities sake. He saw in the end that what really matters in life is the recognition that all comes from God and that a person should live their life enjoying what they are doing, as they give glory to God.
Those of us who struggle with health issues in our later years can understand what King Solomon is saying because we too, in looking back on our lives and seeing that while our hard work and wisdom might have enabled us to live a pretty good life we would swap all of it for our health.
In our Gospel lesson for today Jesus is not speaking about giving up everything to get one’s physical health back. He is telling us in this story this morning that what is important is our spiritual health, that is our faith in him and his saving work. Whether you are rich, just getting by, or poor we all struggle with keeping God first in our lives. We easily lose our focus in the struggle of life.
This dollar coin I am holding out at arm’s length is pretty small. I can see it, but I can see more than the dollar. I can see what I would call “The big Picture.” And because of that, it is hard to stay focused on the dollar coin. But, as I move the coin closer to my eye I start to focus more and more on the coin and less and less on what is around the dollar. If I move it really close to my eye all I can see is the dollar and nothing else, for the dollar has completely filled my vision.
That is exactly what happens as a person starts to focus more on the things of the world instead of the things of God. Eventually all they see are the things of the world that in the end will not amount to anything. Things of God are hidden from view. Jesus in this parable is not saying that amassing wealth and the things of the world are sinful, for they are not in themselves. It is only sinful when our focus is on them and not God and his saving work.
So, the question is, “How do I stay focused on God and not the things of the world?” Our Epistle reading for this morning will help in giving you the answer to that question. Starting in verse one, “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”
Your sin which enslaved you before you were baptized died with Christ on the cross when he died. And because in your baptism you were joined with Christ in his death you are also joined to him in his resurrection. And since you are joined with him in his resurrection you are joined with him in his Ascension. And because you are joined with him in his Ascension you are still joined with him, as he sits at the right hand of the Father.
And because you are still joined to him you are to keep Christ and his saving work in the center of your focus. For in doing so you will live a much better life and be assured of your place with God even when your thoughts are under attack from Satan, the things of the world, and your sinful self which all want to throw off Christ.
The problem is that even though you are no longer a slave to sin when you wake up every day the sinful self wants to take over. It just does not know that it is dead in Christ. It is like a snake that has had its head cut off and yet continues to move. That is why, as Martin Luther said, “We must daily drown the old man, (sinful self) so that the new man (righteous self because of Christ)should daily emerge and arise to live before God in righteousness and purity.”
And this new person is to stop doing those things that focus on self. Paul lists them for us, “sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness which is idolatry.” Covetousness becomes idolatry when you desire something in such a way that it becomes the focus of your life. In becoming the focus of your life it replaces God who is suppose be your focus.
In verse 8 Paul continues tell us that you not only have to stop doing those things that are inward sins, but you also have to put away those sins that hurt others. Sins of anger, wrath, malice, slander, obscene talk, and lying. Those things have to be put away because they all hurt not only you, but others. They all belong to the old sinful self and not the new self united to Christ.
Now we all know that each of us struggles with sin even while we are God’s children. Each of us has what I call a favorite sin; that sin that feels like a fragrant wreath hanging around your neck, but is in reality a stone millstone that weighs you down grieving the body, mind, and soul, as it harms your relationship with God.
All would be lost if it were not for Jesus’ death on the cross, for, as much as we might think we can, we can never perfectly keep the laws of God, as he demands. On our own we are doomed.
But because of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection we are assured that we are accepted by God. In that assurance we can, with the help of the Holy Spirit live a more godly life which as Paul writes “is being renewed in knowledge after the image of God.”
Being renewed in knowledge after the image of God” means that as you grow in the knowledge of God’s Word you learn more about him and his will for you. You will then become more trustful of God’s Word realizing, as much as the world tells you different, that life is not about what you can accumulate or how well you live your life. It is about keeping your focus on the things of God and his abundant love toward you.
And once you understand that the abundant life is found in what God gives you, you will be rescued from a mind-set of not having enough and given a mind-set of plenty. And in that new mind-set all kinds of new possibilities open up, both financially and personally.
I can say that because my dear brothers and sisters when you have seen and felt the overflowing bounty of love and care of God your eyes are opened to how much you can share and dispose of, as you spend your life delightfully dividing with others what you have received from God: love, forgiveness, self-respect and self-esteem, a place at the banquet table of heaven. Amen.
8/01/10
Colossians 3:1-11
Our Gospel lesson for this morning is a sermon in itself. It only takes a minute to read it, but in that minute a lesson is taught that God has to be first in one’s life, for our relationship with God is real life, while the goodies that we all work so hard to get and keep, so that life is more meaningful, are in the end meaningless.
Our Old Testament reading reinforces that thought. It is believed that Ecclesiastes was written by King Solomon in his old age. King Solomon was a man of God. He is thought to have been the wealthiest and wisest man to have ever lived. But, as he acquired more and more wealth and his fame began to spread all over the known world he became full of himself and got into trouble, both in his earthly life and spiritual life.
In Ecclesiastes which is believed he wrote near the end of his life we see that the great King Solomon had come to realize that all that he had acquired was, as he put it, a chasing after the wind. In other words it was all meaningless. All he had done was for vanities sake. He saw in the end that what really matters in life is the recognition that all comes from God and that a person should live their life enjoying what they are doing, as they give glory to God.
Those of us who struggle with health issues in our later years can understand what King Solomon is saying because we too, in looking back on our lives and seeing that while our hard work and wisdom might have enabled us to live a pretty good life we would swap all of it for our health.
In our Gospel lesson for today Jesus is not speaking about giving up everything to get one’s physical health back. He is telling us in this story this morning that what is important is our spiritual health, that is our faith in him and his saving work. Whether you are rich, just getting by, or poor we all struggle with keeping God first in our lives. We easily lose our focus in the struggle of life.
This dollar coin I am holding out at arm’s length is pretty small. I can see it, but I can see more than the dollar. I can see what I would call “The big Picture.” And because of that, it is hard to stay focused on the dollar coin. But, as I move the coin closer to my eye I start to focus more and more on the coin and less and less on what is around the dollar. If I move it really close to my eye all I can see is the dollar and nothing else, for the dollar has completely filled my vision.
That is exactly what happens as a person starts to focus more on the things of the world instead of the things of God. Eventually all they see are the things of the world that in the end will not amount to anything. Things of God are hidden from view. Jesus in this parable is not saying that amassing wealth and the things of the world are sinful, for they are not in themselves. It is only sinful when our focus is on them and not God and his saving work.
So, the question is, “How do I stay focused on God and not the things of the world?” Our Epistle reading for this morning will help in giving you the answer to that question. Starting in verse one, “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”
Your sin which enslaved you before you were baptized died with Christ on the cross when he died. And because in your baptism you were joined with Christ in his death you are also joined to him in his resurrection. And since you are joined with him in his resurrection you are joined with him in his Ascension. And because you are joined with him in his Ascension you are still joined with him, as he sits at the right hand of the Father.
And because you are still joined to him you are to keep Christ and his saving work in the center of your focus. For in doing so you will live a much better life and be assured of your place with God even when your thoughts are under attack from Satan, the things of the world, and your sinful self which all want to throw off Christ.
The problem is that even though you are no longer a slave to sin when you wake up every day the sinful self wants to take over. It just does not know that it is dead in Christ. It is like a snake that has had its head cut off and yet continues to move. That is why, as Martin Luther said, “We must daily drown the old man, (sinful self) so that the new man (righteous self because of Christ)should daily emerge and arise to live before God in righteousness and purity.”
And this new person is to stop doing those things that focus on self. Paul lists them for us, “sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness which is idolatry.” Covetousness becomes idolatry when you desire something in such a way that it becomes the focus of your life. In becoming the focus of your life it replaces God who is suppose be your focus.
In verse 8 Paul continues tell us that you not only have to stop doing those things that are inward sins, but you also have to put away those sins that hurt others. Sins of anger, wrath, malice, slander, obscene talk, and lying. Those things have to be put away because they all hurt not only you, but others. They all belong to the old sinful self and not the new self united to Christ.
Now we all know that each of us struggles with sin even while we are God’s children. Each of us has what I call a favorite sin; that sin that feels like a fragrant wreath hanging around your neck, but is in reality a stone millstone that weighs you down grieving the body, mind, and soul, as it harms your relationship with God.
All would be lost if it were not for Jesus’ death on the cross, for, as much as we might think we can, we can never perfectly keep the laws of God, as he demands. On our own we are doomed.
But because of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection we are assured that we are accepted by God. In that assurance we can, with the help of the Holy Spirit live a more godly life which as Paul writes “is being renewed in knowledge after the image of God.”
Being renewed in knowledge after the image of God” means that as you grow in the knowledge of God’s Word you learn more about him and his will for you. You will then become more trustful of God’s Word realizing, as much as the world tells you different, that life is not about what you can accumulate or how well you live your life. It is about keeping your focus on the things of God and his abundant love toward you.
And once you understand that the abundant life is found in what God gives you, you will be rescued from a mind-set of not having enough and given a mind-set of plenty. And in that new mind-set all kinds of new possibilities open up, both financially and personally.
I can say that because my dear brothers and sisters when you have seen and felt the overflowing bounty of love and care of God your eyes are opened to how much you can share and dispose of, as you spend your life delightfully dividing with others what you have received from God: love, forgiveness, self-respect and self-esteem, a place at the banquet table of heaven. Amen.
posted by Pastor Rhoads | 12:28 PM
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