Colossians 3:18 - 4:1 (New Living Translation)
I think many Christians would agree that one of the most difficult place to live our our faith is at home, with those closest to us. Our recent sermons and blog posts have touched on ideas of living out our faith and how for many of those who claim Christ in America, there is no behavioral difference that can be seen between Christians and those of other or no faith.18You wives must submit to your husbands, as is fitting for those who belong to the Lord. 19And you husbands must love your wives and never treat them harshly.20You children must always obey your parents, for this is what pleases the Lord. 21Fathers, don't aggravate your children. If you do, they will become discouraged and quit trying.
22You slaves must obey your earthly masters in everything you do. Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. Obey them willingly because of your reverent fear of the Lord. 23Work hard and cheerfully at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. 24Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and the Master you are serving is Christ. 25But if you do what is wrong, you will be paid back for the wrong you have done. For God has no favorites who can get away with evil.
1 You slave owners must be just and fair to your slaves. Remember that you also have a Master--in heaven.
Colossians is a letter written to a church of people at a sepcific time in a certain culture. As God's Word it still speaks to us as a gathering of people of faith. However, what about those who are not husbands or wives? What does this talk of slavery have to say to us in our culture? For women, is this another example of men using their religious authority as another power trip and "keep women in their place?"
What questions does this text raise for you?
What observations do you have?
What difficulties do you have with what is said?
I'll be putting the sermon together on Wednesday and Thursday this week and welcome your posts as a way to direct me in how I approach and preach the text this week. Your input quite often helps in writing questions for us to talk about around our tables as well.
Thanks for your participation, which is a part of your worship of our Heavenly Father.
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Ah, we were bound to come to the really tough stuff sooner or later. That's what happens when we study the Bible (sigh).
It is so much easier to think about abstract spirituality than the concrete stuff. This is concrete. We can discuss the cultural context and whether or not that changes this passage -- obviously, for example, we don't own slaves today. Still, the application is sound and the teaching behind it very basic.
We aren't supposed to try to be the boss of the people and the world around us. We are supposed to be servants. Jesus demonstrated this in his life in many ways, including the dramatic foot washing on the night he was arrested. In Matthew 20, after the mother of James and John was positioning them for power, 25Jesus called them together. He said, "You know about the rulers of the nations. They hold power over their people. Their high officials order them around. 26Don't be like that. Instead, anyone who wants to be important among you must be your servant. 27And anyone who wants to be first must be your slave. 28"Be like the Son of Man. He did not come to be served. Instead, he came to serve others. He came to give his life as the price for setting many people free."
This culture doesn't sound too different from ours, huh? For all that we talk about equal rights (and because I've been a part of the justice/equal rights movement for people with disabilities I am especially conscious of this) we are unjust and attempt to advance our own importance at the cost of others way too often.
Paul said in Philippians: 3Don't do anything only to get ahead. Don't do it because you are proud. Instead, be free of pride. Think of others as better than yourselves.
4None of you should look out just for your own good. You should also look out for the good of others.
5You should think in the same way Christ Jesus does.
6In his very nature he was God.
But he did not think that being equal with God was something he should hold on to.
7Instead, he made himself nothing.
He took on the very nature of a servant.
He was made in human form.
8He appeared as a man.
He came down to the lowest level.
He obeyed God completely, even though it led to his death.
In fact, he died on a cross.
In our day to day lives, the places we most want to rebel against being servants are in our marriages, in our homes, and in our workplace. And Paul and Christ expect our servanthood even in those places -- maybe especially and first in those places where it is most difficult for us. For me anyway. Paula
As stated before, the places we want to rebel against being a servent are in our marrage, in our homes and in our jobs. Although marriage and home are difficult, I seem to have my worst time at work. Spending more waking hours at work during the week than at home takes it's toll. Perhaps it comes down to the kind of and the amount of people that we have to deal with on our jobs. But I look at it as being a servent of God, doing my daily work for my so called earthly masters (the boss). I work in a place where God has been removed. This is sad but unfortunely true. Therefor work has changed over the past years and our Father no longer has a place there. Just a note, resently I was called upon to take a relitive to St Agnes emergency. Upon arival we walk up to the security window for directions. The guard had a bible open on the desk which he was reading. My point is it depends on the job I guess. Well I hope that I have made some sense here. I try hard to remember that not only at work, but in all that I do, that I do it as a sevent of God.
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