What Are You Carrying?

First of all, I am excited to be with y'all this morning (just so you know I say y'all all the time) and more excited to meet so many new friends over the weekend. If you didn't know you were my friend, you're welcome and just know I am a delight. All of my friends say I have a problem and since y'all are my new friends, I guess I should share it with y'all. I have a real gift or problem of buying shoes. I probably have about 100 pairs of shoes by now. Which means that I don’t often wear the same pair twice in a row and wear certain shoes in certain seasons. This also translates poorly into my packing habits. Since I have many shoes, I have many outfits that go with the shoes. Why am I telling you this? Because you are my friends, and you should know that when we travel together I’ll always overpack and bring way too many pairs of shoes. And I tend to have way more than I need. But I’ll come back to this later.

History/backstory

In our text this morning, we get a chance to take a look at a letter written by Paul to the church in Colossae. The first half of the passage is focused on the people of Colossae and the second half is focused on Christ. A friend of Paul’s named Epaphras started the church in Colossae and went to visit Paul in prison to share what was happening within his community. Paul was writing to a group that has remained faithful despite the cultural pressures of society at the time, which Epaphras was worried about. Does that sound familiar? The church in Colossae is made up of mainly Gentiles, who have been newly introduced to Jesus and yet remained faithful to this new way of life. I share this letter with you today because I feel we can use the reminder, encouragement and the call to action that Paul hopes will continue to push us forward.

I want to share a little background with you as we look into this passage. Let’s begin with the portion of the text that comes before what we read today. In verse 9 Paul says, “For this reason, since the day we heard it, we have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding...” Epaphras has told Paul all about the people of Colossae who are committed to Christ and remaining faithful. Paul was impressed by their faith and wanted them to know that he never stops praying for them. Only after looking back at their immediate past can Paul begin to think about their future. Paul knows that this commitment to Christ doesn’t come without temptation and stresses, then uses the next few verses to push them forward to the future.  In verses 11-12, Paul says “May 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 giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light.”

Here Paul has inserted a glimpse of hope for the future. I get a little excited when I read a passage like this, because not only do I relate to the people of Colossae, but I feel that I am with them hearing this letter for the first time. One word that rings throughout the beginning of the passage is may, a word that points to infinite possibilities. Paul says “May you be strong… may you be prepared… while joyfully giving thanks… so that you may share in the inheritance.” How hope-filled are these words? Paul acknowledges strength and preparation in ways that I think are honest. He doesn’t say you will be strong or you will be prepared, rather he understands that there is a chance that you will be or not. But he doesn’t want them to be discouraged by this and points to what they may inherit by remaining diligent.

While preparing for our time together, I spent time in worship with y’all virtually and for the last few weeks Fred has really been talking about the instructions we have been given and key pieces to take with us. So, I was left with the question what are we carrying? Because we choose to carry a variety of things even after we are given clear instructions. After we have been told piece by piece, what each one will Hold, what one will be used for, what we still need, even what is required of us and then decide whether or not we will carry anything else. I think Paul recognizes the need for the community to hear that they should be prepared just like their leaders. Also implying that the preparation and strength are important in the process of inheritance.

I could list out all of what Fred has talked about, but I’d rather invite you to experience his words for yourself. But I will pull out keywords and phrases that I added to my spiritual bag. Words like humility… courage… walking without anxiety… love… freedom to love beyond what we can imagine… to name a few. We are embarking on a new journey together, a journey that will take us far beyond what we can imagine. And as much as we both prepared for this moment, they’re still things we probably brought that we didn’t need. There are still things that we have left behind that we wish we had, and yet even still, there are things to be found along the journey. What is crucial to know in the journey is the same way you take the time to get there, you also take the time to return home to reflect on where you’ve been and what you’ve done together.

So as I hear the words of Paul in this letter, I stop to ask how have you prepared? What is in your bag? In an election year, we carry the weight to the world, as if our choice will make or break society. We want to know what will happen next, when we should just trust in God. In the days of continued war and agony and suffering, we carry the weight of the world’s financial troubles instead of the hurt and pain and fear of every individual caught in the middle. In everyday life, we watch as the people around us struggle for food, clothing, water, and even a place to stay and instead, we carry huge purses and a personal identity that says that I am the most important.

The more I allow space for insecurities, fear, greed, and an individualistic mindset the less space I have for what God has given me, required of me, and even called me to do. When I think about all that is going on around us, I think it’s time that we all reimagined and reevaluate what we are wearing and what we are carrying. Take the time to decide if the things we are carrying weigh us down or help us along the journey.

After inviting us in with his words, Paul then turns his attention to Christ. However, the way in which we are guided through the life of Christ is what I find most fascinating. Paul is not assuming they do not know who Christ is, instead, he is reminding them and giving them a glimpse of what is to come, yet again. Paul begins with verse 15, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.” Afterwards Paul goes on to describe Jesus Christ in multiple ways that we have heard before.

Paul shifts from talking about how Christ is intricately woven into all we know from the beginning to what Christ means for the future. “He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He 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.” Jesus Christ is the connecting piece, the mediator and so much more. So, as we think about Christ, we can remember that he is who holds us together.

Here's where we connect the dots of the sermon this morning, so if you drifted off come back. Like the church in Colossae, we are living in times where we are tasked with doing the Lord’s work within the limitations of humanity’s understanding. I choose to share this letter in this way with you in hopes that you would begin to see how the ways we prepare our spiritual bag lead to a greater inheritance. That you would see a letter from a trusted friend as a reminder, encouragement, and a call to action to reexamine what you hold on to the most. So that when you embark on the journey of life it is not weighing you down, rather you take each step with joy knowing no matter what arises I have what I need to take it on. We are more like the Gentiles than we realize because we have blindly trusted in the goodness of God and have remained faithful.

Earlier I shared my gift with you of my numerous pairs of shoes. The curse that comes along with is my poor packing. I spend to much time deciding on the overall aesthetic as opposed to really putting the things in my bag that I will actually need. I am hoping that the way may be clear, and I will soon join you here. I am embracing my new adventurous journey with you and as I pack up my life, I am paying more attention to what I am carrying these days. Deciding what parts of the south I let go of to meet you all here, finding ways to pack with joy and excitement especially when it’s hard to leave home. And even clearing space in my spiritual bag for those important things Christ has already gifted me with like faith, courage, and grace to name a few. Starting a new journey, You have to pack, you decide the path you take because we won’t take the same routes to get to the same place. And remember the Journey does not end, it actually just starts over again.

So what are you carrying that no longer is helpful, what have you left on the kitchen table because you made more room for your own ego, or what have you given up to live a life of service to God?