As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord* has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ* dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God.* And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. - Colossians 3:12-17
On Saturday, the 22nd of September, Deacon Kirsten and I celebrated with the whole Minneapolis Area Synod at the Consecration of our new Bishop Jen Nagel. It is hard to relate the energy and excitement of a full church at Central Lutheran. Apparently, Central had prepared for 120 pastors and deacons to attend, but then 220 showed up! Usually a small handful of Bishops from neighboring synods come to support and celebrate, but then more than a dozen showed up, including the bishops from our companion synods in Nigeria and Cologne, Germany! Bishop Elizabeth Eaton, the presiding bishop of the ELCA preached and she preached a beautiful reminder that the strength of our communities and our own lives in faith is built on the foundation of a church that spans the globe, that continues to grow rapidly in so many nations, that brings together diverse cultures, perspectives and peoples into the unity of the Body of Christ.
I usually choose a much shorter Bible quote for newsletters, but I was delighted to find out that Bishop Jen had chosen Colossians 3 for one of the readings at the consecration. My wife and I chose this text at our wedding. Since then I’ve preached it at several other weddings. But, it was so helpful to hear it in the context of a big celebration of the church’s next big step into the future. It reminded me that this isn’t just a reading for couples, it is a vision of forgiveness, love and harmony rooted in the Body of Christ and the many expressions of ministry and life together in our Christian community.
Three little words anchor this special passage. Sure, there are two great lists of qualities - one naming our call to nurture and develop community values like ‘compassion, kindness, humility, meekness and patience;’ another list reflects the music of our worship and names it wisdom - ‘sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.’
I would be remiss, if I didn’t point out that here in October, opportunities to grow and develop those qualities that Paul lists in our lives and in our community. In October, discipleship opportunities abound. Our weekday Bible Studies - Study Buddy on Tuesdays at 10am and THUMBS on Thursdays at 9:30 - return the first full week of October. Our book study on the Afterparty on Wednesday evenings at 6:30 either in person or on Zoom is just getting started. And, if psalms, hymns and spiritual songs sound like your cup of tea, I know Ben Jeitz, our church musician would be delighted to welcome you to join our pick up choir, the Second Sunday Singers, next on October 13th. We practice just before the service at 8:30.
Finally, what makes the passage special is that Paul anchors all of these highly aspirational qualities in three little words: “And, be thankful.” As friends and siblings in the Body of Christ, we’re invited to be a community of gratitude.
It is a counter-cultural call to live as a community rooted in gratitude, especially immersed as we are in the noise of grievance politics, finger-pointing, and polarization. But, those three little words, “And, be thankful,” do such a wonderful job of reorienting us back into gratitude for our lives, gratitude for God’s loving embrace gratitude for one another, and gratitude for our community rooted in forgiveness and reconciliation. Thanks be to God. AMEN.
Thanks and peace,
Pr Colin
