Dearest e-votees-
I hope and trust and pray that your Holy Week has been blessed. May God be with you and us all as we gather around the Last Supper, the basin and the towel, the garden and the trial, the cross and the empty tomb.
There are lots of permutations for the lessons for this Sunday in the lectionary. For this e-vo we’ll hone in on the option from Colossians.
Peace,
Karl
----------
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, NRSV
The first thing to note is the construction "have been raised with Christ." The verb is in a construction called aorist which is an event that has been brought definitively to completion in the past. The verb is also passive meaning that it is something done to us rather than our own accomplishment. In other words it is a done deal and we didn’t do it.
We were connected with Jesus’ death and resurrection most particularly in our baptisms. God is the one at work in our baptisms not us. In other words it is a done deal and we didn’t do it.
The construction "So if you have been raised with Christ" isn’t calling into question our having been raised with Christ. It has the sense of "If you have been raised with Christ-- which you have--..." It is more of the flavor "Since you have been raised with Christ..." (see NIV as an example).
All this is to say that God has definitively connected us to Jesus’ death and resurrection in our baptisms. This should continue to be active and at work in our lives as the rest of the Colossians text suggests. Because God has acted definitively in our lives in baptism we are freed to respond through the leading of the Holy Spirit.
When faced with choosing between things above and things of this earth (not everything falls into such clean binary categories) we are encouraged to choose those things of above. When we are unsure the Holy Spirit can help us discern. When we choose poorly the Holy Spirit can redirect our paths.
Our life is hidden (from others and even from us as times) with Christ in God. There is a mysterious piece to this new life with Christ in God. It hasn’t all been revealed yet.
When Jesus comes (now in part and once and for all at the end of time) our glory will be revealed too. (future, passive--it will happen and we won’t be the prime actors).
God, help us trust that you have raised us with Christ and that you have hidden our lives in you through Jesus. Give us patience and faith to trust your promises especially when they are hard to see. Reveal yourself to us and to the world and bring your glory. Amen.
I hope and trust and pray that your Holy Week has been blessed. May God be with you and us all as we gather around the Last Supper, the basin and the towel, the garden and the trial, the cross and the empty tomb.
There are lots of permutations for the lessons for this Sunday in the lectionary. For this e-vo we’ll hone in on the option from Colossians.
Peace,
Karl
----------
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.
The first thing to note is the construction "have been raised with Christ." The verb is in a construction called aorist which is an event that has been brought definitively to completion in the past. The verb is also passive meaning that it is something done to us rather than our own accomplishment. In other words it is a done deal and we didn’t do it.
We were connected with Jesus’ death and resurrection most particularly in our baptisms. God is the one at work in our baptisms not us. In other words it is a done deal and we didn’t do it.
The construction "So if you have been raised with Christ" isn’t calling into question our having been raised with Christ. It has the sense of "If you have been raised with Christ-- which you have--..." It is more of the flavor "Since you have been raised with Christ..." (see NIV as an example).
All this is to say that God has definitively connected us to Jesus’ death and resurrection in our baptisms. This should continue to be active and at work in our lives as the rest of the Colossians text suggests. Because God has acted definitively in our lives in baptism we are freed to respond through the leading of the Holy Spirit.
When faced with choosing between things above and things of this earth (not everything falls into such clean binary categories) we are encouraged to choose those things of above. When we are unsure the Holy Spirit can help us discern. When we choose poorly the Holy Spirit can redirect our paths.
Our life is hidden (from others and even from us as times) with Christ in God. There is a mysterious piece to this new life with Christ in God. It hasn’t all been revealed yet.
When Jesus comes (now in part and once and for all at the end of time) our glory will be revealed too. (future, passive--it will happen and we won’t be the prime actors).
God, help us trust that you have raised us with Christ and that you have hidden our lives in you through Jesus. Give us patience and faith to trust your promises especially when they are hard to see. Reveal yourself to us and to the world and bring your glory. Amen.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment