Genesis 18: 1–10a / Psalm 15 / Colossians 1: 15–28 / Luke 10: 38–42
This is the written version of the homily given at Flohr’s Evangelical Lutheran Church (ELCA) in McKnightstown, Pennsylvania on Sunday, July 20, 2025 by Fr. Gene Tucker, Interim Pastor.
“LIFE IS SHORT…”
(Homily
text: Colossians 1: 15–28)
“Life is short, it pays to go
first-class.” This saying might be a common one, though I heard it when I was
in the Army.
In that vein, then, let’s consider some
of the ways we put the wisdom of this saying into practice:
We are, for example, using an
adjustable wrench to tighten a bolt. We discover, however, that the main thing
the wrench we’re using is capable of doing is to loosen and then to round off
the corners of the bolt. Turns out that adjustable wrench isn’t anywhere close
to being a first-class tool. It’s quite something else.
Or, we are in the store, looking to buy
a garment. We look closely at the quality of the fabric, and also at the seams.
We want to be sure that what we’re planning to buy and wear will give good
service. We don’t want something whose fabric will develop holes or tears, and
we don’t want something whose seams will fall apart. We want to go first-class
with our purchase.
Or, we find ourselves in a car
dealership. We’ve done our homework to see what the frequency-of-repairs are
for the vehicle we’re considering buying. We might pop the hood and look at the
machinery inside. We might look at the ground or the floor to see if there are
puddles of some sort gathering there. Given the expensive nature of vehicles
today, we want to be sure we’ve purchased a well-designed, well-maintained
product. In short, what we’re doing is to try to go first-class.
Whether or not we’re aware of it, we do
this with just about everything we do or consider in daily life. We don’t want
to be cheated. We don’t want to put up with shoddy work or with poorly-designed
“stuff”. We don’t want to buy something that will constantly break down or
require continual attention and repairs to keep it going.
“Life is short, it pays to go first
class!”
In essence, that’s what St. Paul is
telling the early Christians in the church at Colossae. He is reminding them of
the true nature of the Lord that they have come to know through the ministry of
Epaphras. (Some biblical scholars think that the church in Colossae was founded
by Epaphras during the time that Paul spent in nearby Ephesus. This theory
suggests that Epaphras heard the Good News (Gospel) from Paul during that time,
and then went to Colossae and assisted in the founding the church there.)
Paul’s message to the Colossians is
essentially this: You have come to know the Lord Jesus Christ through the
witness and the work of those who, themselves, have come to faith in Christ.
The Colossian Christians had never seen the Lord themselves. Furthermore, they
probably didn’t know much about the Old Testament foundations of the faith that
had resulted in the sending of Jesus Christ to take up our humanity. What they
did know they had come to understand through the work of faithful witnesses to
Christ.
What a daunting task! To introduce
these future believers to the Lord, even though they had been living a pagan
life (with all its empty values and wayward ways) in the Greco-Roman world of
the first-century.
Paul reminds these early believers
about Christ Jesus’ true nature. “He is the image of the invisible God”, Paul
says. “...by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and
invisible…”…in him all things hold together.”[1]
Paul’s point is that this Christ Jesus
is no mere human being, no superhuman, charismatic figure whose luster and
memory will fade as the years go by.
On the other hand, Paul says, you have
come into an intimate relationship with Christ Jesus, who is one with God
Himself. Yours, you Colossian Christians, is a first-class relationship and the
first-class gift of God to all who come to faith.
Paul contrasts this new, first-class
way of being and living with the former, pagan life of these early believers.
Theirs was a second-class existence prior to coming to know the Lord.
Paul’s language captures the truth of
Christ’s nature, one that the Church will, in time, affirm in the decree of the
Council of Chalcedon (451 AD)…there, the Church affirms that Jesus Christ has
two natures, a divine one and a human one. The Council’s decree affirms that
neither nature can be separated from the other, but that the two are present in
Christ Jesus. The two natures come together to form one person.[2]
These early Christians are blessed,
Paul says, to be living in a time following the revelation of God’s nature in
the person and work of Christ Jesus. God’s gift makes possible first-class
living.
The gift given to the Colossians is the
same gift given to us: We are blessed to live in the wake of Christ Jesus’
coming. We are blessed to be the beneficiaries of centuries of the Church’s
reflection on God’s work, made known in Christ.
God be praised!
AMEN.
[1] Theologians use the term “High Christology” to describe the focus on
Christ’s divine nature. Such a focus is seen in Paul’s description of Christ,
read this morning. By contrast, the focus on Jesus’ human nature is known as
“Low Christology”.
[2] This is a simplified summary of the Council’s decree.