"The Way is on Its Way"

Scripture: Colossians 3:1-17

In the first century, followers of Jesus Christ were not known as Christians – they were called “followers of the Way”, reflecting on Christ’s words “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life” (John 14:6-7). We need to remember that until the revolt in 77AD, these folks were still members of Judaism. After the revolt, they were forced out of the Jewish camp and took on their own identity.
Beginning with the Book of Acts, we read of growth in the Church, and some of the early problems in faith. The Council in Jerusalem attempted to deal with discrepancies as they arose, but due to the ever increasing distances to the new churches, communication was difficult at best. The letters of the New Testament, written for the most part by Paul, tell of some of the issues that had to be dealt with, but they are primarily an explanation of the details and depth of what we believe. Regardless of our denominational bent, these letters spell out the basics of faith for all who would call themselves Christian.

Today, we consider just a few verses from Paul’s letter to the church in Colosse - a city located in what is today’s Turkey.

Read Colossians 3:1-4

When we receive Christ as our Lord and Savior, we put the ways of earth behind us. They no longer have a place in our lives, and the phrase that Jesus used to describe this event was being “born again”. (John 3:1-8) And since we can only live one life at a time, the old one has to go.
Baptism is a sign of this change, and is especially evident when the sacrament is by immersion. As the person enters the water, they are a child of the earth. As they are lowered beneath the surface of the water, it symbolizes death to the old way, and when they are lifted up from the water, it is a sign of rising up to a new life with Christ. Baptism by sprinkling or pouring signifies the same thing, but it isn’t quite as visually evident as with immersion.

This passage describes the new life that being “born again” in Christ brings about. Paul says that we set our hearts on the things of heaven, and no longer on the things of earth. This means that the things we hold most dear have changed – our lives are the proof that the things of earth no longer hold importance in our lives, that they are evil in the sight of Almighty God. In Matthew 15:18-19, Jesus give us a list of unGoldly acts, and He teaches that even our words and attitudes have to change if our new life is to be true.
This, we are told, is a precursor to our final resurrection in Christ, but is in no way in addition to giving our life to Christ. It comes as a result of our honest surrender to the way of Almighty God. And when we fully give ourselves to him, we will know his glory on that last day.

Read Colossians 3:5-11

Paul gives us a list of earthly ways that must go if we are to truly live our new life in Christ, and it mirrors the list that Jesus offered in Matthew 15. The point of this is that we must be intentional in scrapping our earthly nature, that it doesn’t just fade away on its own. When we accept Christ, our hearts change for the new, but our minds, most of the time, want to stay in the “old” – it’s what we are used to! And because of these things, because of our sin, “the wrath of God is on the way”. If there was no sin, there would be no judgment, but because sin is still rampant in this place, those who continue to treat the ways of earth as if they were acceptable are going to suffer for it.
And then, Paul adds an additional list of attitudes that must also be dealt with. These are the things that destroy relationships – not only with God, but with each other. He says that since we are a new creation in Christ, that since we have thrown off the old self and have put on the new, we also have to show this newness to others. The approach that we take in our relationships must be Christ-like – open, honest, loving, considerate, and even the words that we use must change. You can even say that we must “crucify” the old in us – that it must no longer live in us - if we are to live again in Christ.

And verse 11 tells us that everyone is welcome, and in that, everyone is also subject to judgment! There is nothing about our nationality, nor our cultural distinctions, nor our attitudes toward others, nor our position in life – there is nothing in us, except our own stubbornness and bullheaded attitude, that can possibly keep us from salvation in Jesus Christ.(Romans 8:37-39) The only criteria that will be weighed at the judgment will be whether we have a deep and true relationship with Christ, or not.

Read Colossians 3:12-14

And now we get to the other side of the coin – those attitudes that we must take on to fill the void created when we began to reject the ways of earth. As the “holy and dearly loved” children of God, we must be clothed in the ways of God – those ways that Jesus both exhibited and taught. Paul lists 8 ways that we must be clothed in our new community of faith, so let’s take a quick look at each.
Compassion – we must be sympathetic to the situations and conditions of others.
Kindness – we must help others who are in need.
Humility – we must see others in a better light than we see ourselves. And this does not diminish our self-worth, as some might think, but actually strengthens it.
Gentleness – this is about courtesy and consideration for the needs of others, putting their needs ahead of our own.
Patience – probably the hardest for most of us is the setting aside of our frustrations and anxieties, and making allowance for the shortcomings of others, as well as their less than stellar behavior.
Bearing with others – being accepting of others, regardless of their weaknesses, their faults, and their failures.
Forgiveness – Christ has offered to forgive us for our very great sinfulness, and we are to forgive others for their much smaller offences against us.
Love – Putting on love above all other virtues gives us insight into 1 Corinthians 13:13, where we read that love is the greatest of all virtues – it is the bond that makes all the rest possible, and holds them all together as one.

Read Colossians 3:15-17

This is a fitting passage for the Sunday after Christmas, for this is the Way that God brought to this world through the birth of Jesus Christ. Without Jesus, there is no peace, there is no love, there is no forgiveness, there is no acceptance, there is no patience, there is no gentleness, there is no humility, there is no kindness, there is no compassion, and there is no hope – there is only the ways of earth.

God was with Israel through 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, and the only thing they saw was a being who had caused them hardship. God was with the people through conquest after conquest in the Promised Land, and they only saw their own victories. God was with them during years of exile, and many became more like their conquerors than like the children of God. And, quite honestly, the Church of today is no different.

Are we truly united in the One and Living God? Hardly.
Do we follow the teachings of our Lord Jesus? Some try to, but many others have decided that his way is nothing short of nonsense, and make their own way paramount.
When we accept the baptism of Jesus, do we truly die to the ways of earth, or do we simply pay lip service to the ways of heaven?
Do we rejoice in knowing that we have been created in the image of Almighty God, or do we prefer to live in our own image?

Christmas, as I mentioned on Christmas Eve, can never be seen as a once a year event. The birth of Christ must be our awakening to new life every moment of every day of every year. We must be born anew every morning when we immerge from the darkness of earth’s night.

As we approach the New Year, may each of us strip off more and more of the things of earth, and take on more and more of the finest clothes that come to us from Jesus Christ. His way must be our way, for the Way of Christ will soon be established for all, whether they want it that way or not, and it will be much better for us if we choose his Way, instead of waiting for it to be forced upon us.

It will soon be his Way, and no other - so why wait? Be clothed in him today.