Colossians 1:15-23 (NRSV)
Read Colossians 1:15-23 on biblegateway.com
Verse 15He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; Verse 16for 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. Verse 17He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. Verse 18He 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. Verse 19For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, Verse 20and 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. Verse 21And you who were once estranged and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, Verse 22he has now reconciled in his fleshly body through death, so as to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable before him- Verse 23provided that you continue securely established and steadfast in the faith, without shifting from the hope promised by the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven. I, Paul, became a servant of this gospel.
Devotion
This passage from Colossians employs a hymn, like Phil. 2:6-11, in order to express the supremacy and primacy of Jesus. So, we take our cue from the author of this letter: when we are able to confess that Jesus, in whom all things were created, is the fullness of God, we are compelled to give voice to our praises of God in song. We join with our sisters and brothers in Christ in a communal expression of joy and thanksgiving to God’s redeeming action in the first born of all creation.
Prayer
In this season of Lent, dear God, we pray that we are able to sing hymns of joy. For it is your incarnated presence in Jesus that enables true celebration of our lives in you. Amen.