Thoughts for the Day

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, to the saints and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ in Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father.

In our prayers for you we always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. You have heard of this hope before in the word of the truth, the gospel that has come to you. Just as it is bearing fruit and growing in the whole world, so it has been bearing fruit among yourselves from the day you heard it and truly comprehended the grace of God. This you learned from Epaphras, our beloved fellow-servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, and he has made known to us your love in the Spirit.

For this reason, since the day we heard it, we have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,.... while joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

Today we move on to look at the Epistle to the Colossians, written later than Thessalonians, while Paul was in prison in Rome. Colossae was situated in the valley of Lycus some 100 miles away from Ephesus, now in western Turkey. Paul did not establish this church, likely that was Epaphras who is mentioned in the letter. There has been some question over whether Paul wrote this Epistle because of different vocabulary and its arguments, perhaps it was written by Timothy at Paul's instruction. Either way the Epistle is the most wonderful study of 'Christology'.

Christology is the study of the person and work of Jesus Christ. It helps us to gain a deeper understanding of who Jesus is and what He has accomplished for our salvation. Christology looks as questions about His true identity and His divine nature. These include:

• Is Jesus God?
• How can Jesus be both fully God and fully human?
• What does it mean that Jesus is the Son of God?

Today's reading sums up what Jesus teaches us - it offers hope; it offers truth; it bears fruit in people's lives; it is a gift from God ie grace, which can be passed on to other people. As we learn more about Jesus, we shall draw closer to Him.

Lord Jesus Christ,
You have called us to Yourself,
as Your people
who are set apart
for a special purpose.
May we continue to learn
more about You
and about our role as Christians.
Then may we apply what we
have learned.
Amen.