Colossians 2:7 is the concluding verse in my Epistle reading for the day. It seemed an appropriate verse, continuing a thought shared during last night’s Eucharist. The theme of the sermon was to look upon God’s Commandments as a source of liberation; to understand that we take on changes in our behavior in order to demonstrate to the world (and to God) our appreciation for the relationship into which we have been welcomed.
Colossians 2:7 reads: “As therefore you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so live in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.”
The last word is the place to start – Thanksgiving. How often it is that we allow our prayers to be prayers of intercession; we ask God to come to the aid of those languishing in disease or despair. But when we consider what it means to us to be a member of God’s family we quickly realize that thanksgiving is the dominant emotion to be shared.
The earlier phrases address another shortsighted reaction – we receive our Lord, but fail to root our lives in him and/or build up our lives in such a way as to make his presence in our lives known. Being a Christian is much more than accepting a few thoughts or teachings. Being a follower of Christ means living (as closely as we can) to the way that Christ lived. We receive our Lord, and then we live in him.
In writing to the church in Colossae, Paul seeks to aid them in putting on the full armor of Christ. The initial receiving of Christ into one’s life is a start, but it continues as we look for those ways in which we can illustrate to God (and to the world) that our lives are dedicated to the one who has set us free.
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