When I was working on Colossians 3, the text for 2021 Week 20, I was taken up by the environment that Paul describes in verses 12-17.
Firstly within the community there is “compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” Here is a place where we find forgiveness and love.
Secondly, the community encourages peace and gratitude. Paul talks about letting the peace of Christ rule, meaning that it has precedence and authority.
Thirdly he says that the “message of Christ” should dwell in the community richly. The message of Christ is the Gospel and the Gospel is a message of sacrifice, forgiveness, resurrection, redemption, Holy Spirit, grace, love. The community is to be richly infused with these truths as the members teach and admonish each other in the Spirit of joy, worship, gratitude, always aware of the Lordship of Christ and the love and generosity of the Father.
Such an environment is the place for souls to be healed, regenerated and nurtured to grow. The church is a hospital, a sanitarium, a nursery and a thriving community all at once.
The past week I have been working in my garden. And this morning while meditating on Revelation 3:1-6 (2021 Week 12) I was confronted with this picture of a church “sleeping” or comatose, and near death. Christ says to “wake up and strengthen what remains.”
I had old plants in old pots, still alive but have not grown in years. And I decided to re-pot them, cleaning the roots and cutting away dead branches and rooting them in fresh soil.
I wonder if there are grounds for a Christian, struggling to remain alive in a church that is focused on programs and activities, or rituals, or even spiritual phenomena, or intellectual and academic rigour, but not the soul, to find another community so they can wake up and strengthen what is about to die.
Perhaps another church is a step too far and we may be hard put to find a church that focuses on the soul. But a small group, focused on bringing Paul’s vision to reality. That may be worth putting the effort to foster.