"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory." - Colossians 3:1-4
Many of us live as if this world is our home. The things that we do suggest that we are in control and that we will never die. We try to perpetuate our existence by building monuments to ourselves.
Our achievements in this life become our singular goal. The transient material possessions of this world become our gods. Consequently we shut out everything and everyone who do not fit into our plan.
We place our hope in things, which will pass away. They can only serve us in this world. When we die they come to naught and all of our hopes and dreams are buried with us in the grave.
However, there is a lasting hope that never crumbles nor dissipates. Such hope lies in the resurrected Christ.
Paul makes this point in the above epistle, which he addressed to the church at Colossae, a city of Phrygia, in Asia Minor. He reminded the ancient church, and to us who make up the church today, that Jesus is all we need.
Therefore, we should focus our attention on heavenly things. We who are in the world today are no different from the Colossians. Like the Colossians, we too are bombarded by numerous false doctrines, which are being propagated around us.
These spurious Christians groups try to convince us that we will spend eternity here on earth. They give a persuasive argument in favor of us heaping up treasures here on earth. But let no one fool you, Heaven is our destination, not earth.
We are only passing through the earth on our journey to heaven. Therefore, let us immerse ourselves in the new life in Christ. We should look to the risen Christ and set our hearts on things that are above.
Easter reminds us of Christ's redemptive work on the cross of Calvary, over 2,000 years ago. Aware of this truth, we give praise and thanks to a loving God for His gift of salvation to us in Jesus Christ. Yes, Jesus' death and resurrection from the grave gives us hope and a new life. That new life comes to us in our baptism and faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. In our baptism we have been raised with Christ. He recreates us and gives us a new life.
This new life that we have in Christ is a mystery. It is a mystery because we do not understand how God transforms us and then transfuses us with cleansing re-creating power.
But even though we cannot understand it, we can experience it. We don't have to wait until we die to live this new life that Christ has won for us. It begins when we are baptized into His death and resurrection.
Having been liberated from the anxiety of dying, we are emancipated to live bodily as Christ's emissaries now. As His emissaries here on earth, we are called to spread the good news of salvation by words and deeds of love.
As emissaries of Christ, let us display the life of Christ through our living. Like the apostle, we are witnesses of everything our Lord and Savior did. Therefore, we should promulgate the good news of the gospel until our Lord returns to gather His church. Amen.
o Rev. Samuel M. Boodle, pastor at The Lutheran Church of Nassau, can be reached at P.O. Box N 4794, Nassau, Bahamas or telephone 323-4107; E-mail: lutheranchurch@coralwave.com.
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