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Stirring
Have you ever misplaced or lost something, and it stirs little worry? You just know that Read More
Sharon Seyfarth Garner | Read Colossians 1:15-28
It is said that Michelangelo could look at a plain block of marble and see what was invisible to everyone else: the image that dwelled beneath the surface, waiting to be made visible by the hands of an expert artist. He reportedly said, “I saw the angel in the marble and I carved until I set him free.”
This image can help us better understand Paul’s message to the Colossians when he says, “[Christ] is the image of the invisible God” and “Christ [is] in you, the hope of glory.” The image of God that had been invisible to the world is made visible in Christ. That alone is a powerful statement, but Paul takes it one glorious step further. Not only is God’s image made visible in Christ, but Christ continues to be made visible through us. In other words, we are each like a block of marble with Christ inside of us, and through our living, we carve until we set it free.
In my ministry of spiritual direction, I companion others on their journey of faith as they seek to walk more closely with God in their daily living. Many of my directees struggle mightily with the idea that Christ is in us. They feel like they have messed up too many times for God’s image to exist within them. Yet Paul states without question the mystery of faith that “Christ is in you, the hope of glory.” Whether we feel worthy or not, Christ is in each and every one of us. Christ is in you. Christ is in me. Look closely!
God, open my eyes to see the hope of glory that is Christ in me and in each person that I meet. Amen.
This reading from Amos provides more indication of the reasons for God’s coming judgment. Too many in Israel have been oppressing the poor. They cannot wait for religious festivals to end so that they can make more money through corrupt trade, including what we now call human trafficking. If we understand the psalmist to be David, the warning he issues in this passage concern Saul. Because Saul has turned to evil, God will not allow him to remain in power. While God is love, God also sometimes brings judgment. The author of Colossians extols the elevated status of Christ, who has reconciled us to himself through his death. In Luke, Mary prioritizes spending time with Jesus, while Martha focuses on working for Jesus. It is Mary who receives Jesus’ praise.
Read Amos 8:1-12. Who in your community has been left behind in the famine from hearing the words of the Lord? How can you care for them?
Read Psalm 52. How do you remain rooted in God’s steadfast love when you cry out against injustice?
Read Colossians 1:15-28. What do you need to let fall away to reveal the mystery of Christ in you?
Read Luke 10:38-42. How do you focus on Christ even as you attend to the necessary tasks of daily life?
Respond by posting a prayer.
I join many of those who will pray for you as you seek to discern what you are called to be at this moment. May God grant you the courage to fulfill that calling. May we all open our eyes and see the misery, open our ears and hear the cries of God’s people, and, like God through the Lord Jesus Christ, be incarnate amongst them.”
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