Rev. Thomas E. Myers

November 25, 2007

26th Sunday after Pentecost

Colossians 1:11-20

¹¹ May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully ¹² giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. ¹³ He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

¹⁵ He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; ¹⁶ for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers--all things have been created through him and for him. ¹⁷ He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. ¹⁸ He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. ¹⁹ For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, ²⁰ and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.

Luke 23:33-43

³³ When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left.  ³⁴ Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” And they cast lots to divide his clothing. ³⁵ And the people stood by, watching; but the leaders scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God, his chosen one!” ³⁶ The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine, ³⁷ and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” ³⁸ There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.”

³⁹ One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying, “Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” ⁴⁰ But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? ⁴¹ And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.” ⁴² Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” ⁴³ He replied, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

We live in a world under the grip of powerful forces.  The powers of death, the powers of the government, the economy, the forces of greed and selfishness, the military industrial complex, the housing market, the dysfunction of the family, global warming, the global market, desire, and sin…"the powers." These powers manipulate our life, jerk us around, pull our strings, and just make life difficult at best.  The powers attempt to enslave us.  But thanks be to God, Jesus Christ is Lord!  God has defeated the powers when all is said and done. God reigns!  We have more power over these forces than we realize, all because we  know that the rule of the earthly powers are defeated.  The only power that has power over you are those things that you are willing to give power to.

A superstition is a belief or notion, not based on reason or knowledge, that we are willing to give ultimate power to.

Paul proclaims the reign of Christ.  It is this power that rules over all thrones, dominions, and powers.  These powers, even the ones that have reason, make life difficult, but… “we have the assurance that when we endure to the end with patience, while joyfully ¹² giving thanks to the Father, we will share in the inheritance of the saints in the light.  ¹³ God has rescued us from the powers of (injustice and superstition) and transferred us into God’s Realm…”

The once great port of Colossae was destroyed by an earthquake in about 64 CE; it silted up, and it's never been rebuilt. For the little town of Colossae, and the tiny group of Christians within it, Paul wrote a stunning short letter in which he gave them the assurance that through Jesus there is victory over "the powers.”

The readers of this letter in Colossae recognized that they allowed their world to be run by invisible forces beyond their control. The sea determined the success or failure of sea voyages. The principalities and powers of Rome and the sea had an impact upon their daily lives, sometimes reasonable and sometimes not. They let powers control their destiny.  They allowed the stories of the fickle Greek god’s of the sea, and the chaos they were said to create, to control their lives.

Wright says that being "transferred" means that they were being relocated to a new understanding, a new philosophy, and a new reality.  They were being moved out of the arena of meaningless death by the powerful forces into a life reconciled in the Spirit.  Jesus was reconciling all people unto himself, gay and straight, the poor and the wealthy, the criminal and the saint; all reconciled and set free from the forces of superstition and death.  The historical Jesus is the beginning of a whole new creation, a creation that is founded upon the principles of grace, forgiveness, reconciliation, and empowerment, rather than the random powers of chaos.

But sometimes we feel powerless over all that is going on around us.  Especially in this season.  Not everyone is wired to tolerate the festivities of Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Sometimes there is not a lot to be jolly about.   After a weekend with relatives and friends you may feel relieved that the chaos is over; giving the term thanksgiving a double meaning.  We are thankful that we were together but also thankful that the time for parting has come.  Thanksgiving is over, thanks be to God.  Now we can get our life back to normal.  You’ve endured, alleluia!  Advent, for many, is the great season of resuscitation. It’s the break between Thanksgiving and Christmas when we don’t have to deal with the powers and principalities of relatives, or disjointed joy, or the depression we experience when others are joyous all about.  Rejoice that you are part of a community that recognizes that joy and sadness co-mingle.  Thanksgiving is over, thanks be to God!

Now, before we dismiss this talk about the powers that inflict our world, ask yourself this question,   "Who runs your world?"  Are there forces of darkness and the powers beyond your ability to endure or control? We think of the powers as being the force that is in control of our destiny. When we complain about the fix we're in, we're told "the powers" are to blame, and we give up. What is that?  Is it really “the powers” that determine your well being?  Do the powers pull your strings?  Do the powers determine your happiness and misery? That's the language we use. As if these "powers" call the shots. By our very language we have decided to live in powerlessness.

The sea farers of Colossae called them "gods" and named them Neptune, Mars, Jupiter, and Venus. We call the powers "politics," the "economy," "death," “dysfunction,” “depression,” “global warming,” “desire,” and “sin.” We say that they have control over our lives by manipulating and managing us. I'm not sure that we know much more about how to deal with these "powers" than did the first century Christians.  We think that we are powerless and defenseless.  What we need to do is to embrace the power that God has given us with a song of thanksgiving.

One of the criminals hanging beside Jesus was as about as powerless as one could get.  But he recognized that the power that overcomes all forces resided in the innocent man that hung beside him. We know that Jesus has divine power.  It is a power that liberates us to live and die as those who know the one who sits on the throne. That is the power that influences life, death, and life beyond death. 

“Jesus, remember us when you come into your kingdom.”

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