December 19th
Twenty-First Day of Advent
So, if 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. When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory.
Colossians 3:1-4
Do you remember how Paul builds the book of Colossians as a builder builds a new home? In chapters one and two of Colossians, Paul clears the land, pours the foundation, and frames his theological lessons. We learned that…
Paul is a person on mission with Jesus.
Paul loves the Colossian people and He sees their good fruit.
Paul grounds his theology in a beautiful Christological hymn.
Jesus is our sovereign creator-all things have been created in and through Him.
Jesus is the indwelling of the fullness of God.
Jesus is the mystery revealed, the Word of God fully known.
Paul struggles and toils on behalf of the Colossians.
Paul invites the Colossians into Christian maturity, completeness in Jesus.
In Christ, we experience a spiritual circumcision.
In Christ, we are buried and raised again through His sacrifice.
In Christ, Jesus invites us, not to a list of “do’s and don’ts,” but into a constantly growing,
maturing relationship with him.
Paul makes sure the structure of the house stands firm before moving forward with the exterior appearance, the images that the world will see. Without inward heart transformation, the exterior will not withstand the elements of the world.
The four verses above exhort the Colossians to seek the things above, to set their minds on Jesus. Paul built the strong interior structure of the house. Now, Paul calls the believers to action. He invites them, and us, to live the faith. As we approach Christmas day, let us not be distracted by worldly versions of this season, but let us live the faith! Eugene Peterson translates the passage this way:
So if you’re serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ - that is where the action is. See things from his perspective. Your old life is dead. Your new life, which is your real life - even though invisible to spectators - is with Christ in God. He is your life.
The Message
Eugene Peterson
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