Light, Please

Colossians 1:11-20

In a commentary on Colossians, Karl Jacobson says that the overall message of the letter contributed to Paul is "the answer and antidote to a creation estranged and hostile." As such, he continues, it makes the point that Jesus is "the first-born of creation, made the first-born of the dead, [which] makes of [Christians] the first-born of faith." Colossians is written in the hopes to unify a body of Christ, the church, to do Christ's bidding: to be reconciled with God.

Colossians does so by imaging Christ as the reason why and for all things have been created. We are introduced to this epistle with words and phrases like, "image of the invisible God", "firstborn of all creation", and "in him all things hold together", all meant to create the mindset that after God, there is Christ, and through Christ God places all things in heaven and on earth.

I don't know about you, but that seems like a lot of responsibility to put on one person, even if it is Jesus Christ. Which is why I think Jesus was never meant to do it alone.

As Christians our call is to carry the light which is Christ to help people come out of the darkness, as well as to shine it brightly on the things which cause us to stumble on our journeys towards God. We are the body of Christ, we are the bearers of his story, we are the ones in whom Christ lives and continues to live. Let's not allow ourselves to forget those stories, and lets always strive to better understand those stories.

Genesis tells us humankind is created in the image of God, just as Colossians says Jesus was created in the image of God; that makes us all brothers and sisters through Christ. Colossians says Christ is the first born of the dead, recognizing that in time we all die and will be reborn, rejoining one another in an another life. Colossians says that through the giving of his life, Christ allows all things to be reunited with God, which further allows us to live in a world where hope, peace, love and joy will reign.

Colossians reminds us that we "share in the inheritance of the saints in the light." When we do our part to share and shine the light of Christ we make the world around us a little brighter.