And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Col. 3:17)

Imagine that you are a pastor, a Sunday School teacher, or any person who has a coterie or friends – and you have an opportunity to speak or write a letter to some friends who have fallen prey to misguided teachings that have sent them off the rails in their understanding of what it means to be a Christian. 

What words of encouragement would you offer? What topics would be of first importance?

Today’s text contains words of advice from Paul to the believers in Colossae. [DD] Paul had probably never been to Colossae, a small city in the Lycus Valley of western Asia Minor (now Turkey). His letter suggests that the church there – along with those at nearby Hierapolis and Laodicea – had been started by his colleague Epaphras (Col. 1:7-8, 4:12-13), who may have been a native of the area as well. 

Paul spoke of himself as a prisoner when he wrote the letter, likely in Rome. He wrote to the Colossians in response to a visit from Epaphras, who reported that the church was threatened by false teachings. While particular heretical teachings are not spelled out in the letter, the advice Paul gives suggests the church had come under the influence of a mystical brand of Judaism that wanted to add legalistic requirements to the gospel of faith.

No doubt, Paul would have liked to visit, but the best thing he could do was to write them a letter. In the missive, he confronted the problem teachings and added further advice. His letter reads as a guide to Christian faithfulness in a faithless world.  [DD] 

Our text comes just before Paul gets into offering advice for families: the most important wisdom he could pass on had to do with the believers’ relationship with Christ, and to this we now turn. [DD]

Out with the old (vv. 1-11)

The lectionary text begins at v. 12, but it is helpful to recall what has come before. In 3:1-4, Paul went straight to the heart of it: those who have died to the old life and have been “raised with Christ” ought to live like Christ, seeking “the things that are above, where Christ is … ,” setting their minds on Jesus’ way rather than the world’s way and basing their behavior as well as their hopes on Christ. 

Sadly, too many people who claim the name of Christ show little concern with following the teachings and modelled behavior of Jesus. Many prominent religious leaders who harp on preaching a “biblical worldview” rarely mention Jesus, focusing more on strict moral codes (sometimes with little biblical basis) than on living like Jesus, and giving more attention to threats of divine vengeance than to the love Jesus showed. 

How we act, how we feel, how we respond to others, depends in large measure on how we think, and Paul wanted us to think like followers of Jesus. As people who have “died” with Christ, he said, we should also “put to death” negative elements of our former nature. Immoral behavior, unbridled lust, wrongful desires, and greed are all aspects of idolatry, Paul said. Why? Not just because they are harmful, but because they gain power over us, claiming a higher place in our hearts than Jesus, and leading us in the wrong direction (vv. 5-6).

Likewise, negative behaviors like unchecked anger and rage, malice toward others, and hurtful language belong to the old life, not the new (vv. 7-8). Paul makes a special note that we should tell the truth and not lie to others (vv. 9). 

This is a badly needed word in a day when truthfulness is lambasted as “fake news,” and powerful people – some claiming to be Christian – spin transparent lies with no apparent concern for accuracy. Whatever our political leanings, Christian people are called to honor the truth.

If we are to grow in Christ, we must put false living behind us and “put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of its creator” (v. 10).

Only then can we overcome the engrained prejudice and exploitive injustice of this world to experience a new life in which “there is no longer Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; but Christ is all and in all” (v. 11).

In with the new (vv. 12-15)

Our new life as believers does not derive from putting away negative behaviors alone: Paul goes on to describe positive attributes we should put on in their place. To make his instruction more memorable, he reminds readers of their special relationship with God and uses the metaphor of getting dressed for the day: 

“As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience” (v. 12). Can you think of any more needed behaviors in this me-first world of bully behavior, name calling, and grudge bearing? 

Do others perceive you as compassionate and kind? In what specific ways have you demonstrated those qualities this past week? To whom have you shown kindness, and how? Are you known for having a humble and gentle spirit, or as being aloof and self-centered? Can you name any recent instances in which you showed patience when the check-out line was long or someone’s service fell short of expectations?

“Bear with one another,” Paul said, and “forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive” (v. 13). Harboring ill feelings toward others is not only hurtful to them; it is harmful to our own health. Learning to forgive and let things go is not just a Christian ideal, but crucial for our own emotional wellbeing. 

As he does in 1 Corinthians 13, Paul sums up his position with a command to “clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony” (v. 14). Compassion, kindness, patience, forgiveness – all of these splendid traits grow from love: love that is not dependent on feelings alone, but which grows from a conscious choice to treat other people as Jesus would. 

Living in this way enables us to experience the deep peace of Christ, aware that we are all parts of one body of believers, called to live with love toward others and with gratitude to God (v. 15). 

When you think of your life, what thoughts come first to mind? Some might think first of how busy and overwhelmed and aggravated with others they feel, while others might consider their lives to be empty and lonesome. Paul believed that putting our first thoughts on Christ would lead us to know peace and joy no matter what our circumstances.

On with the show (vv. 16-17)

How does one find the daily motivation and encouragement to live in such a way? “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly,” Paul said (v. 16a). Paul does not have in mind Christ as the incarnate Word, as the author of the Fourth Gospel would put it years later. Rather, Paul probably has in mind both the words of Jesus and words about Jesus: in other words, the gospel message about Jesus. What did Jesus teach? How did Jesus live? Remembering these things provides the guidance we need for daily life.

We do not live and believe alone, but in community. Paul understood this, so he indicated two ways in which letting the word of Christ dwell in us is manifested – and both of these take place in community. We are to “teach and admonish one another in all wisdom,” and to gratefully “sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God” (v. 16b). 

Both of these take place in the context of worship, as well as through Bible study, prayer groups, accountability partnerships, community service, and other aspects of church life. Following Jesus is not easy, for we are constantly swimming against the current of outward culture and inner cravings. 

To daily “focus our minds on Christ,” we need the encouragement of others. We need the formality of worship. We need music that honors God, both old and new. We need to gather with others and stand together and sing together and pray together and give together. A solitary stalk of corn may wither in the sun, but clustered with others that support and shade each other, it can grow tall and strong. 

And where does this all lead? Paul sums up this section by returning to the theme of putting Jesus first: “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (v. 17). 

In this passage, then, Paul calls us to abandon negative behaviors that destroy relationships and alienate people, and to adopt the kind of practices and attitudes that build community. To any rational person, that advice seems ideal, but it’s hard to think clearly in the midst of a wrong-headed world. [DD]

Every Christian faces the task of finding his or her place as a believer. We are tempted to think of baptism as an end rather than a beginning, assuming we are now “safe” because we’re “saved,” and then lapse back into familiar but negative ways of living. 

To prosper in our faith, we need help, and today’s text reminds us that we are not alone on our journey. We grow stronger faith within the community of faith.

A new year is coming, and others are depending on us. Will our resolution clothing include kindness, patience, and the love of Christ?