The language of salvation we most often use includes words like forgiveness, reconciliation, and new life. Praise God for these realities of the gospel. A much less used phrase, but equally true and necessary, is “union”. By grace through faith, we are united to Christ. As...
The power of a phrase is undeniable. Marketers know this. Think of how many products you purchase and places you go that have a memorable slogan attached to them. Colossians 2 comes with a phrase that clarifies what we are to believe and how we are...
This morning’s reading was the 100th Psalm. I read through the psalm quickly with the thought of moving on to some other reading I had planned. But as I slowed down, the force of it landed appropriately on my soul and I stopped to pray. What...
We have a life-long concern for our bodies. Have we come to see them as consecrated to God and the place where we serve Christ and his church? Toddlers learn to touch their eyes, ears, nose, and toes as they sing songs with their parents. Children...
Here’s a deep-thought exercise for your final weekend of the summer. First, using as many commas as you need, summarize your life in a sentence. Some of you will find this exercise to be an energizing challenge. Others will have no interest in this kind of...
This week will be our third consideration of Paul’s opening prayer in Colossians 1:3-14. One thing I have noticed is how he begins and ends his prayer with thanksgiving to God. If we follow Paul’s pattern, our prayers and our lives will be changed. In the prayer,...
All who set themselves to obey the command of Christ to persist in prayer experience times when they simply don’t know what to ask. Not knowing how to pray can happen when the situation is complex, when we are overwhelmed with emotion, or when we’ve prayed...
The language used in reference to the gospel makes it clear that it is alive with power. That makes us want to pay attention and give ourselves to its influence in our lives. In the introduction of Colossians, Paul gives thanks for these Christians’ faith and...
Modern greetings have become casual, carrying little meaning and adding almost no value to our conversations or correspondence. But when the Apostle Paul opened his letter to the Colossians, he made a bold claim that his readers were called to believe as they began to...
This Sunday at Grace Community Church we will begin a series of sermons from the letter to the Colossians. This weekend, I encourage you to begin well and press on in the months to come in this New Testament book that will lead us to...
