SERMON SERIES ON “A COMMUNITY OF GRACE”

CHRIST AT THE CENTER

Scripture: Colossians 1:15-21

INTRODUCTION

During the season of Lent, which begins on this Ash Wednesday and will lead us toward the celebration of Christ’s resurrection on Easter Day, I invite and encourage you to join us in the journey as we focus our attention on the theme for this church year.

That theme is taken from the Statement of Purpose which appears on the front of our Sunday bulletin each week, calling us “to be and to become a community of grace.” I have chosen the Old Testament Psalms and the New Testament Letter to the Colossians as the biblical texts to help mark our steps and guide us along the way. And our first sermon in this series, “Christ at the Center,” summarizes the essence of what I hope to say throughout the entire season.

In fact, the words at the center of our Statement of Purpose are not accidental or incidental but rather intentional and deeply personal as we claim to be “Disciples who proclaim and serve the Lord Jesus Christ in all we say and do.”

That proclamation is the heart and soul and center of our faith, and it has the power to unite us and draw us together as members of the Christian Church and as God’s human family on earth, even in a time when so many other cross currents and controversial issues threaten to divide us and tear us apart.

The apostle Paul knew that was so when he wrote to the Colossians in Asia Minor a long time ago, declaring that:

He – Jesus Christ – is the image of the invisible God…in Him, all things were created in heaven and on earth…and in Him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church…in Him, all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through Him…God reconciled all things to himself…making peace by the blood of the cross. (Selected verses from Colossians 1:15-20)

Now Paul went on to confess that this theological proclamation about “Christ at the Center” of creation, the church and everything else in heaven and on earth was a great “mystery” (verse 26), and the truth is that all of the church councils and creeds and doctrines down through history have not and will never completely comprehend it. But Paul told those first century Christians in Colossae and he is trying to tell us today that God has revealed enough of the mystery for us to believe it and to stake our lives upon it.

And the revelation, in essence, is this: God became a human being, in the person of Jesus, to show us how to live and to love one another, how to forgive and to be forgiven; how to share what we have received and to reach out to those who are in need; how to pray and to worship God, how to work for peace and justice on earth, and how to let go of the life we have been given and be welcomed back home by our Father in heaven.

That is the revelation, the good news of the gospel, which God has given to the whole world through Jesus Christ. And we, in the church, His body on earth, we have been called to declare and to share the message that “in Him, all things hold together.”

II.

When the apostle Paul wrote those words to the church in Colossae, he was well aware of the dilemma they faced. They were Jews and Gentiles who had put their faith in the Lord, but they were not of one accord. In the midst of their diversity, they were struggling to find a sense of unity. Some of them were liberals and others were conservatives and more than just a few of them were dabbling in the heresies of astrology, Gnostic philosophy, the worship of angels and an unhealthy preoccupation with demons. (See William Barclay’s “The Letter to the Colossians,” The Daily Study Bible Series, pages 114-120)

Sad to say, there are spiritual crossfires and ecclesiastical conflicts existing in the Presbyterian Church today. Some of us have resorted to a “we versus they” mentality, wherein we do not trust and even try to defeat and discredit other Christians who do not agree with our point of view.

So we have developed a kind of “denominational family feud,” talking about those who are “out” and those who are “in” and pointing our fingers with righteous indignation at people who just don’t live up to our expectations.

I have told you before about a family sitting on the front porch one summer evening, discussing “one of their own” who was something of an embarrassment. In the course of conversation, one of the younger women said this about her cousin: “He’s just no good. He’s completely unreliable and he’s one of the laziest people I know.”

The wise old grandmother, sitting in her rocking chair, replied, “Yes, he’s gone off into the far country, I know, but even so, Jesus loves him.”

“Well, I’m not so sure about that,” answered the younger woman.

“Oh yes,” the grandmother said back to her, “Jesus loves him.” Then she rocked a minute longer, thought for a moment, and added, “Of course, Jesus doesn’t know him like we do.”

Listen: Jesus Christ knows each and every one of us better than we know ourselves! And before we try to decide who is “in the fold” and who “is out,” before we think we know who is “right” and who is “wrong,” and God help us, before we discern and decide who is headed for heaven and who is going to hell, let us remember that Jesus came to seek and to save each of us and that He has called all of us to be one (John 17:22) – one body, one church, brothers and sisters in His family on earth and He doesn’t want anybody to be cast out, pushed aside or left behind. What He wants, more than anything else, is to lead us and to welcome us into The Community of Grace where we can be embraced by His forgiveness, bound together in His love and assured of abundant life, here and now and forevermore.

CONCLUSION

There is a legend which says that when a man died and arrived at the gates of heaven, St. Peter met him there and said, “We work on the point system here. You need 100 points to get in. So tell me what you have done and how you have lived, and then we’ll make a decision.”

The replied, “Well, I was married to the same woman for fifty years and remained faithful to her.”

“That’s good,” said St. Peter. “That’s worth one point. What else?”

The man thought for a moment and answered, “I was and elder in the church and supported its ministry and mission with my tithes and service.”

“That’s good,” said St. Peter. “That’s worth another point. What else?”

The man became worried and said, “I also started a soup kitchen and worked with homeless men and women in our church shelter.”

St. Peter looked at him and said, “Good for you. That’s worth one point more. Anything else?”

By then, the man was deeply troubled and said, “Three points is all I get? At this rate, the only way I will ever make it into heaven is by the grace of God.”

St. Peter smiled and replied, “My friend, that’s worth 97 points. Come on in!”

And here’s the final point. If we truly believe that Jesus Christ stands at the center of this world and is the center and head of this church, then instead of looking around at everyone else and trying to discern who is in and who is out, maybe it’s time for us to look in the mirror and ask the question, “Is He really at the center of our own lives?”

That is the question I put before each of us and all of us as we begin our Lenten journey together. And my hope and prayer, as we make our way toward the upper room, the cross of Calvary and the empty tomb, is that we will meet Him, face to face and heart to heart and hear Him say, “Come on in to this community of grace, where you are welcome and where you will find faith for today, hope for tomorrow and love in this life and for all of eternity.”

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.