Colossians 1:11-20 (NRSV)
Read Colossians 1:11-20 on biblegateway.com
Verse 11May 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
Verse 12giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. Verse 13He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, Verse 14in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. 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.
Devotion
The words "blood of the cross" bring images of a bloody Jesus, sacrificed for us as payment for debt, satisfaction for sin. "Reconciliation and peace," on the other hand, bring images of embrace and connection, images not typically associated with the cross. Understanding God's work in Christ as a ministry of reconciliation gives a different way of thinking about what Christ was doing for us on the cross. The creator of all things, desiring so much to be in relationship with all things, God risked God’s son to our violence.
Our nation has just come through a hard election cycle that resulted in angry words, accusations and even violence. As disciples of the one in whom God worked reconciliation for us we are called to be people of reconciliation. To speak truth about divisions and yet risk, as God risked for us, for the sake of reconciliation.
Prayer
Loving God, you risked yourself so that we might have life and be reconciled to you. Help us, your holy church, to be agents of reconciliation and truth, proclaiming your desire for all people to live in peace. In Christ your son, our Lord. Amen.