When I was a kid, one of my most favorite things to do was to get out some graph paper and draw house plans. Now, obviously, I didn’t have any idea what I was actually doing, that’s just what I liked to draw. I’d try to imagine the most unique mansion, and then I’d seek to capture it on paper. As you can guess, any architectural aspirations were pretty non-existent, but that particular activity, I think, was just an expression of who I am and how my mind works. To this day, when I “doodle,” I draw in lines and shapes, very geometric. That’s really irrelevant here, though, because what I want us to focus on today is that bit about the house plans. As I said, I was just doodling, but every building begins with a plan drawn out on paper, a “blueprint” we call it.
A blueprint tells the contractor how the rooms will be laid out. It tells the roofer how much shingle to order. It tells the electrician where to install the outlets. Every single detail of the building is drawn out on the blueprint. It is what makes building any new building possible, and it is also gives us any information we might need in the future when repair or renovations becomes necessary. In short, the blueprint gives all the information needed to move forward.
This morning, as we continue our time in Colossians, we begin with what basically amounts to an ancient hymn or poem. It tells us a lot about Christ, perhaps more than we can easily take in or understand in just the time here. But what it boils down to is that this is a blueprint of who Christ was, and who we should be as a result.
Like so many of the letters that are a part of the New Testament, this letter to the Colossians is trying to guide the new Christians in the way of Christ. This is completely new territory for them, especially Gentile Christians like those in Colossae, and the only way to navigate it is with a detailed blueprint. Paul told us in the letter to the Galatians that we have to be open to the movement of the Spirit, even when it leads us in unexpected ways. Now the author of Colossians offers a slightly different, but no less important, strategy. Follow the example that Christ has already set. And in case these Christians (or any of the rest of us) have already forgotten what that was, this hymn reminds us of all that Christ was and all that he did.
We heard last week the praise of the writer of this letter as he “gushed” over the faithfulness and fruitfulness of the Colossian Christians. Certainly, the young Colossian Christians were better off than the Galatians, but that does not mean they were without trouble. The Colossian church was standing firm and faithful, but they were doing so in the midst of great criticism and even persecution. History tells us that the Colossians were feeling pressure from all sides when it came to their faith. And to the point when this letter was written, these faithful Christians had not given in to the powers around them, but giving in is always a possibility when we stand with one foot in the world and one foot in the kingdom. So, the writer wanted to remind the Colossian church of the choice they must make and to urge them on in their faithfulness to Christ. Either we can give in to the powers of this world and be enslaved once again, or we can claim Christ as sole “head of the body” and be numbered among the “saints of the light.”
The truth of the matter is, this is a choice that must be made by all Christians; and not just once, but every single day. Because we are confronted by so many opposing powers in nearly every moment of our lives. And as we all know, all but one of these powers only enslave us in the darkness of this world. When we give in to the temptation and follow such worldly powers, it bores down within us, and it even can reach out beyond us and capture others nearby as well. Just think about how addiction works. We heard this week the sad news of the death of a young star from the TV show, Glee. We don't know yet the cause of the 31 year old’s death, but there has been much talk about his problems with addiction in the past. Unfortunately, this is really an all-too-familiar story. Addiction quite truly is a "social disease" with deeply personal effects and wide ranging devastation. Even entire societies can become addicted and enslaved by the powers of this world. If it's not addiction, the power that enslaves us might be greed, or jealousy, or pride, or even something as simple as doubt. Whatever it is, though, the result is always the same unless there is redemption: these powers, as we so often sadly see, lead to death.
But I think the writer of this letter is concerned with more than just warnings to the individual Colossians about the many tempting powers of this world. The urgency with which the author shares this poem of affirmation about Christ and the reminder of Paul's sufferings for the sake of the gospel; within these words, there is another warning. You see, one of the greatest threats of the powers of this world, is that they tempt us to "give in" just a little here or there. So we feel like we are still following Christ as the supreme power in our lives, but in actuality, we've watered down the gospel just enough to make it more acceptable to the cultural powers all around us. The writer of Colossians was concerned that the young Christians would give in to the pressure to declare the Roman emperor as their lord, or to somehow make their worship of Christ acceptable to the Roman Empire. We don't have the pressure of the Roman Empire today, but the temptation to make Christianity culturally appealing is still there.
In all reality, this happens far more often than it should or that we are readily willing to admit. Christians are faced with a pluralistic world with all kinds of powers, and causes, and gods; and the solution is that we sort of "compromise." We ratchet down our affirmation of Christ to make Jesus "fit in" so that the pressure is not too overwhelming. We diminish Jesus so that he won't disturb or upset anyone. And then we follow our Jesus, a Jesus that in no way resembles the Christ exalted in these passages.
Just think about how our "worldy" Jesus, who we may even be here worshipping today, has been shaped by the powers of our society. The Jesus of 21st century America doesn't require us to be generous with the poor. This Jesus declares that some sins are worse than others. This Jesus says that God's wonderful creation is secondary to the interests of cheap industrial development and technological advancements. Our Jesus says you don't really have to honor the Sabbath or even be a part of a community of believers, as long as you just pray every now and then. What else? I could go on and on, but you get this point. We have "domesticated" Jesus. We have "tamed" him until he's not too disruptive to our lives and our aspirations. We have diminished Christ's power in our lives to the point that the powers of this world exceed him. When we are perfectly honest with one another and with ourselves, we will see that we do not really worship the Christ who is the supreme power of this world.
But what if Christ really is something other than we've made him? What if Jesus Christ is the image of God? What if, in the midst of all the confusing melee of this world, there really is a blueprint for a better way? Just imagine--all things created through him, all things fulfilled in him, creator of all that is, both seen and unseen. Consider all the powers; if Christ is the "firstborn of all creation," then these powers are ultimately controlled by him and through the cross they have been "dethroned." They can no longer enslave, because a better way has been established; a way of life that exists even in the present, not just as some future hope. But the blueprint says quite clearly that if we're going to get this right, we have to follow the plans exactly. We have to understand Christ for who he was, and follow him without reservation, without compromise. He is the head of the church. While the powers and thrones may have different names, there is only Lord, only on supreme power, and his name is Jesus Christ. This is what the author of Colossians wants us to know above all else.
In his famous autobiography, The Seven Storey Mountain, writer and theologian Thomas Merton draws a similar conclusion. He tells the story of his early life, in the years following his mother's death, when he traveled around the world with his father, an artist. At that time, religion was not a powerful presence in young Merton's life, but all that changed in the small French town of St. Antonin, where the church was front and center. Literally. The striking presence of the old, gray building in the center of the town made an impression on Merton--even more than he realized at the time. He speaks of the ever-present reminders of the church, with every road seemingly leading there, and every view including the great building with its high steeple. He writes: "The whole landscape, unified by the church and its heavenward spire, seemed to say: this is the meaning of all created things: we have been made for no other purpose than that men may use us in raising themselves to God, and in proclaiming the glory of God...Oh, what a thing it is, to live in a place that is so constructed that you are forced, in spite of yourself to be at least a virtual contemplative! Where all day long your eyes must turn, again and again to the house that [announces] the [Sacrificial] Christ."
Then Merton closes his recollection with this reflection: "I did not even know who Christ was, that he was God...I thought churches were simply places where people got together and sang a few hymns. And yet now I tell you, you who are now what I once was…it is that Sacrifice…the Christ living in our midst...it is he alone who holds our world together, and keeps us all from being poured headlong and immediately into the pit of our eternal destruction."
Christ holds this world together. No lord is stronger; no power is greater. We can try and compromise and cut corners, but such decisions will not turn out well. Instead, we have to follow the blueprint that has been drawn out for each of us by Christ himself. Like the writer of this letter and all the Colossians, we must in faithfulness sing the song, but not just within these walls, not just in worship. Sing the song of Christ the Lord in your working and serving and playing in the world. Know that Christ is the image of God, the supreme power of the world, and follow him alone. If we can stick to this plan, then we are assured of the hope of glory, the power of Christ living in us!
Thanks be to God!
