Colossians 2:6-15 Sermon

Tenth Sunday after Pentecost

Shepherd of the Hills Ev. Lutheran Church (WELS)

“Finding Your Fulfillment in Christ” Series: Continuing in Christ

Colossians 2:6-15

6 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him,7 rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. 8 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ. 9 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10 and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority. 11 In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. 13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. 15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

Being that we’re near the end of July and past the half-way point of the year, it might be a good time to check: how are those resolutions coming that you made back in December/January?  Have you lost the weight?  Worked out more?  Been more productive?  Spent less money on things and more time with people?  If you bothered to make any resolutions, chances are, you at least got started on them, and statistically, if you bothered to put your resolutions down in writing, you are even more likely to have kept them.  However, many of us might have to acknowledge that while we had the best of intentions, and perhaps even started out strong, we failed to follow through with at least some of our resolutions.  We started strong, but we didn’t continue.

Struggling to continue what we’ve started is something we’re all accustomed to, isn’t it?  It’s why we might reconsider referring to that shelf that holds countless unfinished projects as a “workbench,” since very little “work” actually seems to happen there, and it is more of a holding space for uncompleted projects that represent good intentions.  Websites like Pinterest don’t help, which serves as the virtual holding space for myriad projects that sounded good, but will never be carried out and continued on to completion.  We get excited about the idea of certain changes or crafts or projects.  We may even be ambitious enough to start them…  but we struggle to continue in them.

Might that be where you’re lacking fulfillment in your walk with Jesus?  He got the ball rolling.  He didn’t leave our salvation unfinished and sitting on his workbench, but brought it to completion.  The Holy Spirit then stepped in, tools in hand, and used his Word and Sacrament to do his work of building the faith in our hearts to believe all that Jesus did for us.  All those things happened to bring you into God’s family.  And God wants to continue blessing the work he began in your life when he first made you his.  He desires to maintain that relationship with you for eternity.  That’s why Paul gives us this encouragement: “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness” (v.6,7).  God saw bringing you to faith as just the beginning.  He wants that faith to be deeply rooted in your heart.  He wants your life to be built up on and in him.  Just as cement needs to become hardened, to cure, so also God wants your faith to constantly be strengthened in him. 

And if we’re not feeling much fulfillment in Christ, might that very well be the problem?  Have we overlooked that it isn’t just about the beginning and the end, but it is also about what happens in between?  After all, if we aren’t continuing in him, then what’s really happening is that our faith is slowly dying.  Oh, it may be ever-so-slow, like a tiny pin prick-size hole causing a slow leak in a tire, but our faith is dying if we aren’t continuing in Christ.  Should we be concerned?  You tell me. A quick look around might provide us with an answer.

Look around and you might observe a disturbing trend that others have pointed out as they look around on any given Sunday morning.  You may notice that a significant number of those who fall in the 18-25 year old range, those who not too long ago sat in the desks of our school, regularly attended church with their parents, and professed their faith at confirmation, seem to be well, gone.  Now it’s not some new trend that young people in that age range can tend to drift away from church, and certainly worship attendance isn’t the only fruit of faith that indicates a person is continuing in Christ, but the absence of any brother or sister in Christ certainly ought to alarm us if there is no legitimate reason behind it.  This noticeable exodus amongst young people may also say something about the perception we have of confirmation, that too often we treat confirmation as if it’s reaching the mountain peak, when instead we should view it as merely setting up base camp and preparing for the life-long trek ahead of continuing in Christ.

And I don’t know if it’s fair to place the blame squarely on our young people.  Let’s quit pretending, and admit that our teachers frankly leave a lot to be desired.  Our teachers aren’t getting the job done.  And no, I’m not referring to the teachers in our elementary school, but the ones in our homes.  Parents, like it or not, God has placed you as the primary educators in your child’s life.  If our children aren’t continuing in Christ, we have to at the very least be willing to evaluate our job performance and see if we don’t shoulder some of the blame.  If our mouths are bothering to tell our children that nothing in this life will ever surpass Christ in importance, but our actions and behavior are a far cry from backing that up, guess which message your kid is getting?  Your child is already drawing the conclusion that one’s relationship with Jesus is more about saying the right things than it is about actually continuing in Christ.  If I have sent the message to my child that I’ll miss church before I’ll miss a game, there’s a problem.  If my child is still under my roof and sleeping soundly under the covers in bed while I’m at church, and I’m OK with that, there’s a problem.  If we fail to insist that our young people worship each week simply because we want to avoid being too pushy or ruffling feathers or keep them from turning sour on religion, then it might be time for a wake-up call.  Think about it.  If they’re not in church, there’s already a big problem, and the solution to the problem is not avoiding the confrontation because we’re afraid it’ll only turn them off – they’re already turned off, and the only thing that will bring about the needed change is for them to get their bodies back in the pews and their faces back in the Book!

How much longer can we really afford to put off addressing whatever changes need to be made to continue in Christ?  Several weeks, months, or years?  The longer we put it off, the more vulnerable we become to the danger that was threatening the Colossians.  Paul knew the importance of continuing in Christ because he wanted them and us to “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ” (v.8).  If we’re not getting continuing in Christ right now, then why should we be surprised that inevitably we’ll end up continuing in something else later on?  If we’ve never bothered to deepen the roots of our faith or build up our lives in Christ, then it’s as if we’re leaving a brightly lit “vacancy” sign right here in our hearts.  When that happens, eventually the next hollow and deceptive philosophy will make itself right at home and promptly flip the switch on that sign so that it reads “no vacancy.”  Then we’ll spend who knows how long trying to backtrack with law and gospel to undo what should never have happened in the first place if we had only continued in Christ.

Now Paul’s point is not to terrify the Colossians into continuing in Christ.  Neither is that my point or intent.  Nevertheless, if we don’t truly recognize the warning signs and see how dangerous it is for us not to continue in Christ, then we run the risk of casually overlooking or disregarding our Savior Jesus and what he did for us.  We run the risk of forgetting that in this world if we do not keep moving through the quicksand of complacency and continue in Christ, we may end up getting sucked into worldly ways and teachings.  Yet while the law does threaten and terrify, Paul knew as well as anyone that the only message that gets the job done in convincing God’s people to continue in Christ is that very message of Christ and what he’s done for us.  Reassuring us that Christ is in fact completely and fully God in every sense, “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form” (v.9), Paul recounts exactly what Christ accomplished for us.  “When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.  And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross” (v.13-15).

Do you remember the story Jesus told at the Pharisee’s house after his host frowned on his behavior for allowing the sinful woman to anoint his feet (cf. Luke 7)?  He told Simon, his host, about two men, both of whom owed money to a lender.  The debt of one was substantial, while the debt of the other was much less, but it didn’t really matter, because neither had the resources to pay off the debt.  What did the lender do?  He cancelled both debts.

Did you know that when Jesus told that story, he was talking about you and me?  You and I stand before Jesus, who is holding the ledger that keeps a record of every single sin we’ve ever committed, and all the stipulations we’ve never met.  Long or short, that ledger is a list of the debt of sin we can never pay off.  What did Jesus decide to do?  As Paul explained, “He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross” (v.13b,14).  Your life, my life, is not dictated by a debt that cannot ever be paid.  No, Jesus took that ledger and pounded it permanently to the cross, where it was paid for in full with his life.  Jesus alone has earned the right to forgive the debt of your sin, and the cross serves as his signature to make that forgiveness official.

From eternity God had an idea.  But unlike so many of our ideas, God took action with his idea.  He continued with it and saw it through to the end, assuring us that his idea, debt cancellation for all people through his Son, would be a reality.  Let us now continue in Christ, for “in Christ you have been brought to fullness” (v.10).  We’ve been buried with him in baptism.  We have been raised with him through faith.  We’ve been made alive.  We’ve been forgiven.  In him we have victory, for he has triumphed over every enemy.  In him we have all the fulfillment we could possibly ever need.  Let us continue in Christ. Amen.

                                                              

“For the freer confidence is from one’s own works, and the more exclusively it is directed toward Christ alone, so much better is the Christian it makes.” (Luther)

Colossians 1:21-29 Sermon

Nineth Sunday After Pentecost

Shepherd of the Hills Ev. Lutheran Church (WELS) 

“Finding Your Fulfillment in Christ” Series: Communicating Christ

Colossians 1:21-29

21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. 22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation—23 if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant. 24 Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. 25 I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness— 26 the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. 27 To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. 29 To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me. (NIV)

Unless you happen to have a special interest in either Japanese or World War 2 history, you may not recognize the name Hiroo Onoda.  Onoda fought for Japan in World War 2.  He served on the Philippine Islands in the Pacific Theatre.  Over time Onoda became an expert at hiding in the mountains and carrying out various acts of guerilla warfare against the enemy.  What is truly remarkable about his story is that he continued to do this for over 29 years.  Now that should sound odd to you, seeing as 29 years is almost 5 times as long as the entire duration of World War 2.  So how did Onoda manage to continue fighting for so long?  He never received the official word that the war was over.  His superiors hadn’t informed him that atomic bombs had been dropped and that Japan had officially surrendered.  The war was in fact over for Japan, but that important message had not been communicated clearly to Onoda. 

There is an even greater message that needs to be communicated, and yes, one that has a direct bearing on Finding Your Fulfillment in Christ.  Last Sunday we heard that one of the steps to take to find fulfillment in Christ is to celebrate Christ and the fruit he is bearing through the gospel all over the world. But it’s hard to celebrate Christ if you’ve never heard of him or the profound impact he’s had on the world. That’s why communicating Christ is essential. To celebrate something you have to be aware of it; to benefit from Christ it is necessary to know and believe what he has done. Finding Your Fulfillment in Christ involves communicating Christ.

Each of our days is filled with options from sunup to sundown, starting from the moment we wake up. We have the option of staying in bed and sleeping longer or getting up right away. We have options when choosing what to eat, what to wear, what to read, what to watch, and so on. While some of the decisions made surrounding those choices will certainly have more serious ramifications than others, nevertheless, whether big decisions that need to be made or little ones, we have options.

Our topic for consideration today, however, does not fall under that category.  Communicating Christ is not optional.  Or at least it shouldn’t be.  But it’s easy for us to treat it as optional, isn’t it?

Do we Christians need a wake-up call?  Have we begged off for far too long in an area in which we have absolutely no right to?  I don’t communicate Christ to my children because they already get it in our elementary school.  I don’t communicate Christ to my spouse because she’s already a Christian.  I don’t communicate Christ to my neighbor or my coworker because I’m more concerned about offending them with the cross than I am about rescuing their soul from Satan.  Whether they burn in hell for eternity or not is of less concern to me than putting a target on my own back for being a Christian.  If these things are true for us, I wonder if the through shouldn’t cross our minds that perhaps the Lord God wasted his efforts on us, for instead of bringing in this fold faithful soldiers willing to risk everything to battle for his cause, he has unfortunately brought in greedy misers who are content to hoard the treasures of salvation for himself and call it a day.

Have we taken for granted what the Lord of love has done for us?  Did you not hear Paul’s words to the Colossians?  Have they not yet sunken into your heart deeply enough?  Remember what you were!  Listen to him again. Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation” (v.21,22).  Remember that when Paul wrote this to the Colossians, he was writing to people who had lived some portion of their lives in unbelief, alienated from God before the life-altering news of a repaired relationship through Jesus had reached their ears. No, most of us here would not fall into that category; most of us have been life-long believers.  Yet these words apply to us in the sense that our sinful nature, which has resided in our hearts from the moment of conception, had alienated us from God.  And, one could also take Paul’s words as a warning that you run the risk being alienated from God down the road if you ignore Paul’s exhortation to “continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel” (v.23).  So while we recognize that we weren’t like the Colossians in that our lives was not at one time governed directly by unbelief, the scary truth is that we can become what the Colossians once were if we cast the news of Jesus aside.  That could happen down the road – that will happen down the road – if we do not communicate Christ.

So we ask the good Lutheran question, “What does this mean?”  What does it mean to communicate Christ?  It means speaking the message Paul spoke.  It means telling those who were estranged from God that Jesus Christ has forever changed that relationship, which had been one of irreconcilable differences, and brought us back into the Father’s favor.  It wasn’t our decision to cease evil behavior that reconciled us to God, as if that could ever happen.  It wasn’t some personal sacrifice on our part that reconciled us to God, as if that could ever happen. No, our relationship with God was restored “by Christ’s physical body through death” (v.22).  Reconciliation with God came because God’s flesh-and-blood Son died a flesh-and-blood death.  Communicating Christ to others means telling them of Christ’s death. It does not mean telling them of tolerance for all people and any sin. It does not mean telling them of a scatter-brained God who threw justice and truth out the window and simply declared that everyone goes to heaven. Communicating Christ to others means telling them of Christ’s death, and that by that death and subsequent resurrection, we’re at peace with God.

If that is what it means, then who is qualified to carry out this monumental task?  Surely not one of us here this morning would put ourselves on the same plane as Paul; surely we don’t share his qualifications, right?  Oh, but we do.  That’s just it.  What Paul knew Jesus had done for him, each of us knows Jesus has also done for us.  That means we’re qualified.  Communicating Christ only requires that the one speaking knows of Jesus’ death and passes it on to someone else.  Therefore, each of us is qualified.

And who needs to hear that message? Really two groups: your family – those you love and those with whom you wish to spend eternity.  They make up one group.  The other group?  Everyone else.  That’s great news, as it means we’re never wasting our time on anyone when we communicate Christ, because everyone we could possibly tell needs to hear of Christ’s death.

We should take note that communicating that message wasn’t easy for Paul.  Notice the tone with which he expressed his service to the Lord: “Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you” (v.24), “I have become its servant” (v.23), “to this end I labor, struggling with all his energy” (v.29).  Paul endured many struggles as a result of communicating Christ.  It didn’t come without its challenges.

Nor will it for you and me.  Parents, your child needs to have Christ communicated to him, and your child needs you to do it.  There simply is no substitute for the influence you have on your child.  Just accept right now that it will be a daunting challenge that will require great sacrifice on your part.  And then do it anyway.  Do it because the energy with which you do it comes from Christ himself.  Don’t stop with your children, but go on to extended family and communicate Christ.  Move on to coworkers and neighbors, all the while realizing that while communicating Christ is a challenge – one of the greatest of your life! – it isn’t an option, and it will bear eternal fruit.  Putting others first to communicate Christ is what it’s all about.

One man recognized an opportunity to reflect that.  He and another worker were sinking a shaft.  While it was a dangerous line of work, it was an essential part of blasting rock.  Typically the team of two would use a sharp knife to cut the fuse before preparing to set it off.  Then one of the men would be carried up first, then the bucket would be sent back down the shaft for the other man, who would light the fuse before giving the signal to be pulled up to safety prior to the explosion.  On one occasion they had forgotten the knife, and rather than returning to the surface to retrieve it, they simply used a sharp stone to cut the fuse.  However, it happened to set the fuse off at the same time, putting both men in immediate danger.  They quickly jumped into the bucket to be raised up to safety, but it was clear that only one could be carried up at a time.  One of the men jumped out of the bucket and said to the other, “Up with you; I’ll be in heaven in a minute.”  The other man was quickly drawn up and saved just before the explosion took place.  The other workers later descended back down into the shaft, fully expecting to find the mangled remains of the other miner.  What they found instead was a mass of rock that had been dislodged and lay diagonally across the man, protecting him but from a few burns and bruises.  When he was asked why he allowed his coworker to be rescued, the answer he gave would cause skeptics to laugh.  How did he respond when asked why he insisted on the man’s safety?  He said that he knew his soul was safe, because it belonged to the One who had redeemed it at the cost of his only Son.  His coworker, however, was an awful wicked fellow, and he thought that he still needed another chance.

The only way anyone “gets a chance” is if we make the sacrifices necessary to communicate Christ.  When we do, it’s a win-win situation.  Others hear about their Savior from sin, Jesus Christ, and you increasingly find your fulfillment in Christ.   Amen.

                                                              

“For the freer confidence is from one’s own works, and the more exclusively it is directed toward Christ alone, so much better is the Christian it makes.” (Luther)

Colossians 1:1-14 Sermon

Eighth Sunday After Pentecost

Shepherd of the Hills Ev. Lutheran Church (WELS) 

“Finding Your Fulfillment in Christ” Series: Celebrate Christ

Colossians 1:1-14

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother 2 To God’s holy people in Colossae, the faithful brothers and sisters in Christ: Grace and peace to you from God our Father. 3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God’s people—5 the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel 6 that has come to you. In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace. 7 You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, 8 and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.

9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, 10 so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, 12 and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (NIV)

Caught up in the moment, your eyes are glued to the screen.  The build-up has led you to this point.  The conflict and the unanswered questions are finally going to be resolved.  And then, as you anxiously anticipate the peace of mind that comes with any good movie as soon as the conflict is resolved, your biggest fear plays out: the credits abruptly appear as the theme music starts to gradually fade in.  “Are you kidding me?” you ask out loud.  “That can’t be the end!”  All of your questions remain unanswered, hanging there, lingering, never to be paired with satisfactory answers.  At that point an OK, a mediocre, or even a potentially promising movie instantly makes it to the top of your “Do not recommend” list.  You’re frustrated, mad at the director and the actors for taking the easy way out instead of tying up all the loose ends, and you desperately long for the last two hours of your life back.  You are unsatisfied and unfulfilled.

Perhaps you’ve had similar feelings about your life as a Christian.  Maybe you’re even feeling that way right now.  You’ve seen so many attention-grabbing trailers and teasers from the lives of other Christians that sucked you in like an intriguing movie preview, convincing you that you have to achieve such an experience yourself.  But then, as it plays out in your life, your high hopes and your eager expectations go unmet.  It looks so good when you see it in others, when they speak with such passion about what a difference their faith makes for them, and what a thrilling and fulfilling ride it is to be a Christian.  But not for you.  Instead your Christian life often feels more like you’re just bogged down in traffic on the way to work during rush hour.  Less than thrilling.  Not fulfilling.

So what is missing?  Why does your Christian life feel like a car broken down on the side of the road while everyone else adventurously zips by; like the minute your life even remotely appears like maybe, just maybe it could still turn into a gripping novel or an exciting read, you flip the next page only to find a bunch of pages missing?  Why isn’t walking with Jesus more fulfilling?

This morning and for the next three Sundays that follow, as we study the book of Colossians, God will direct our attention to what he has done and what he continues to do for us so that we can find fulfillment in Christ.  God’s Word is a record of his activity on our behalf, to show us that throughout history he has loved us with an everlasting love.  That means he values us.  We’re special to him.  And knowing that in turn gives us purpose for this life; it means we can find fulfillment with Christ.

Were the Colossians lacking a sense of fulfillment in their Christian lives?  Is that why they were in danger of being led astray by what has been called “the Colossian heresy?”  Regardless of what it was that may have made that false teaching so appealing, we know that it was a serious enough issue for the pastor at Colossae to travel over a thousand miles to visit Paul in Rome and alert him to the danger.  When Paul got word that a message which undermined the gospel was being passed along to the believers there, he strove to set things straight by reminding the Colossians of the sufficiency of Jesus Christ alone for salvation.  There was no place to attach any additional requirements or higher knowledge to the saving work of Jesus; Jesus and Jesus alone was all that was necessary for salvation.

Paul clearly celebrates that in his letter to the Colossians by pointing out how much was being accomplished through that message of Jesus all over the world.  “The gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace” (v.6).  Paul was leading the Colossians to ask themselves if the gospel would be bearing such amazing fruit throughout the world if in fact the good news about Jesus was somehow insufficient or inadequate.  Not likely.  And, if that was the case, then Jesus Christ was really worth celebrating.  Not only did the gospel take root and bear fruit among the Colossians, but it was doing the very same thing all over the world.  Souls were being spared the scorching flames of hell and instead being escorted into heaven. As Paul put it, “he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (v. 13,14). Now that was cause for celebration.

Might celebrating that cause – the cause of Christ – more often serve us well?  Might that at least in part contribute to a greater sense of fulfillment in our lives if we took more time to celebrate Christ and his work the world over? 

Compare that celebration with the things we celebrate on a routine basis.  The build up to a birthday eventually gives way to the reality that we’re another year older.  The celebration of a graduation quickly fades into the background once the next level of education begins or a career ensues.  Then, on the other end of a career we celebrate retirement, only to find out that we actually miss the structure and the income of a regular job, quickly replaced by the worry of how long we can stretch our retirement money.  Even the minor things – a favorite author’s newest release, a summer blockbuster, a song, or a show – all of those things which we build up in our own minds and celebrate with great fanfare will all-too-soon be forgotten as something else quickly grabs our attention.  Our celebrations may involve joy and fulfillment, but only in the same way a great piece of pie does – wonderful, yes, but too quickly it disappears, leaving behind only an empty plate and a few crumbs of crust.

But how different if we take the time to celebrate Christ and what he’s doing all over – that celebration will never end and never disappoint.  Who doesn’t want that kind of celebration?  Who doesn’t want to be involved in an open-ended celebration that will always leave us fulfilled?  And who could argue that as society’s aversion to Christianity and organized religion stretches to new heights threatening to surpass those that any of us have seen in our lifetimes, that we would not benefit from a renewed emphasis on what Christ continues to do in the world?

Another reason we do well to find the encouragement of celebrating Christ? The gospel is still bearing fruit in spite of the fact that more and more within Christianity itself we see compromise, indifference, a lack of commitment, and contentment with a watered-down “spirituality” that seems to be an all-too-acceptable substitute for a faithful and active faith-life.  Yet with all of those troubling realities, still “The gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world.”

So let’s celebrate Christ.  Look at what he is doing all over the world.  Many of us have heard and continue to follow Chris Pluger and the work he is doing in translating the Bible into the Nsenga language for people in parts of Africa.  Celebrate Christ! Some in China are reportedly becoming concerned about the number of university students who are becoming Christians because of the biblical materials being used by organizations to teach English.  Celebrate Christ!  We continue to send and support missionaries, and have made tremendous strides in training and equipping indigenous pastors to serve their own people.  Celebrate Christ!  And we don’t have to travel to foreign countries to carry out mission work – it continues to happen right in our back yards.  After years of without having been able to do so, our church body is once again planting churches and starting new missions.  Our graduates from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary are being assigned to be a part of that exciting process.  Celebrate Christ!

And don’t forget that what Paul wrote to the Colossians also applies to us: while the gospel is bearing fruit “out there,” it isn’t bearing fruit only out there, but “just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace” (v.6).  How many reasons can you think of to celebrate Christ within our congregation?  How many little lambs have come to know of Jesus’ love through Sunday school and our elementary school?  Celebrate Christ!  How many before us have confessed saving faith in Jesus in their last moments of this life?  Celebrate Christ!  It’s easy to scan through a sign up sheet and zero in on the blanks, but don’t overlook the names that are on those lists because Jesus’ love moves them to serve and the gospel is bearing fruit in their lives.  Celebrate Christ!  He is very much at work in this place everywhere you turn.     

And certainly we have more than enough reasons so celebrate Christ as individuals, don’t we?  “For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (v. 13,14).  This understanding is at the core of finding your fulfillment in Christ.  The reason we so often lack purpose or meaning or significance, and then by extension, fulfillment, is that we spend an unhealthy amount of time focusing on our own track record.  Should I really be surprised that I struggle to feel fulfilled if the only place I look is right here (self) and what I’ve accomplished?  Talk about setting yourself up for disappointment!  But the perfection we lack is supplied in Christ.  The fulfillment-driven selfishness that often governs our own decisions and actions in life is overshadowed by the selflessness of Christ.  Our failures as Christians that are constantly glaring back at us can only be forgiven and forgotten in Christ. 

Think about it: if you ever felt a perfect sense of fulfillment when focusing on yourself, then where would Christ fit into the picture?  He wouldn’t!  Isn’t that a clear indicator that we should not expect to feel completely fulfilled on our own?– it’s impossible; that’s why Christ came into the world.  He rescued us from the depressing and damning darkness of lives that have fallen far short of the glory of God.  True and lasting fulfillment will elude you your entire life if you continue to make the mistake of celebrating yourself.  Celebrate Christ and the gospel that bears fruit all over the world as well as in your heart, and you’ll be taking a hugely important step toward finding your fulfillment in Christ.  Amen.

                                                              

“For the freer confidence is from one’s own works, and the more exclusively it is directed toward Christ alone, so much better is the Christian it makes.” (Luther)