Dear Friends
Colossians 3: 14 – 17
14Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. 16Let 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. 17And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
When you’ve read this you may not be surprised to hear I am writing it after I’ve written my sermon for Sunday 25th. I’ve decided to use one of the readings each week that we are not hearing on the Sunday. This one is one for Bible Sunday, the Last Sunday after Trinity, this year Sunday 25th October. In my sermon I was talking about love and what the best way to love each other is. The point I was trying to make was that it is only when we love God that we realise he loves us and therefore we are lovable. And if we are lovable it is easier to love ourselves and thus to ‘love your neighbour as yourself’.
If I’d had more time I’d have spoken a bit more about what that means in practice and this short passage from the end of Colossians gives lots of material. Because living lives of love in the world is not easy. It’s fine when you’re getting on well with someone but much harder when they’re irritating you. Perhaps the last sentence of the passage is helpful here. When you want to love but you’re cross, then measure your actions (not your thoughts!) against this. Would you be able to say with a clear conscience that your actions are ‘in the name of the Lord Jesus’?
At other times, it’s tempting to think that to love in the world, you have to behave like a doormat. And this can be an excuse for inaction as much as a restraint from saying exactly what we’d like! Remember , Jesus was not a doormat! And note the hint in the middle of verse 16, ‘teach and admonish one another in all wisdom’. It’s fine to disagree, as long as you are doing it in order to guide. And as long as the verse in the previous paragraph is still true. Would you be able to say with a clear conscience that your actions are ‘in the name of the Lord Jesus’?
Finally there’s a lot in this little passage about giving thanks to God. It crops up three times in fact. It is a good spiritual discipline to review each day at its end and give thanks for each time when you can point to ‘loving your neighbour as yourself’. Ty it this evening and see if yo manage to get further than the fingers of one hand. If you do, then you are doing rather well!
A prayer
Lord, you have said
that to truly love you
then I must also
love my neighbour,
which can be difficult
when we disagree
or lifestyles clash.
Yet in overcoming
those difficulties
it is possible to see
the miracle that you
love someone like me.
Teach us to love, Lord,
as you have loved us
that this world might be
a better neighbourhood
in which to live and share.
May we look at others
as if through your eyes,
less judging, more loving,
and seeing them, like us,
as not perfect or finished
but as a work in progress
that will be completed
in due time by your hands.
Bless the paths that cross today;
the old friends and strangers
with whom we might share
a pleasant greeting, a smile
or maybe something deeper.
Grant us a word in season
that might resonate within
and bring a blessing to these,
your precious children, Gracious God
Lord, teach us to be good neighbours,
not just to the folk who live nearby
but to everyone that we meet,
to see the best in, and want the best
for all your precious children,
who might one day return
to their Father’s house
and the warmth of your embrace.
Bless the good neighbours, Lord,
who call to check that all is well,
and share a cup of tea and chat
with those who struggle to get out,
and whose gentle act of service
brings a ray of light into a day
that would otherwise be cheerless.
Bless them, and all who likewise
give of their time for others
in following your good example,
that this might become a better
and more caring world in which to live.
Here is a painting by Lowry. In it there are hundreds of individuals going about their daily business, perhaps hurrying because they’re late, or bowed down with the worries they carry, or happy because they’ve just heard from their daughter in America, or a million other things. Each one insignificant in the painting but known to God. Use it to think about the people in your community and what they might be secretly carrying.
Every blessing
Andrew
