"The God Our Lives Reveal"

Psalm 105:1-6        Colossians 3:22-4:6

 

Psalm 105 (NRSV)

1 O give thanks to the Lord, call on his name, make known his deeds among the peoples.  2 Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wonderful works. 3 Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. 4 Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually.

5 Remember the wonderful works he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he uttered,  6 O offspring of his servant Abraham, children of Jacob, his chosen ones.

 

Colossians 3:22-4:6 (NRSV)

22 Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything, not only while being watched and in order to please them, but wholeheartedly, fearing the Lord. 23Whatever your task, put yourselves into it, as done for the Lord and not for your masters, 24since you know that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward; you serve the Lord Christ. 25For the wrongdoer will be paid back for whatever wrong has been done, and there is no partiality.  4 Masters, treat your slaves justly and fairly, for you know that you also have a Master in heaven. 2 Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving. 3At the same time pray for us as well that God will open to us a door for the word, that we may declare the mystery of Christ, for which I am in prison, 4so that I may reveal it clearly, as I should. 5 Conduct yourselves wisely toward outsiders, making the most of the time. 6Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer everyone.

 

During the year of seminary   that I served as a student intern,

            Kathy and I were required to be on the

                  Presbyterian Board of Pensions Medical Insurance plan,

                                    which was not being run   very well in those days.

 

We had occasion to visit

    the one doctor who in practiced in town   soon after we arrived.

                        We paid our co-pay for the office visit, and

                                    he billed our Presbyterian insurance for the rest…

                                                            … and I didn't think anymore about it.

 

During that year, I'd run into the doctor from time to time,

            and as the year progressed,

                        he seemed to become less and less friendly

                                    or be willing to talk about faith and the church.

                                                            It felt like, somehow, I had offended him.

 

            Then his office manager called at the end of my intern year

                        because our Presbyterian Medical insurance plan

                                    had never paid any of that money that he was owed.

 

I suddenly realized why the doctor had been less friendly,

            and had no interest in talking further with a deadbeat

                        about faith or coming to the Presbyterian church.

      The best of our well-intentioned words

                are often drowned out by the behavior others observe.

 

Paul's instructions to the Colossian Christians,

            vs. 5,               Conduct yourselves wisely toward outsiders…

                        reminds me  of that experience   early in my ministry.

 

Granted that God's mercy and gracious love

            freely forgives all our failings and shortcomings,

                        and we are certainly not under the tyranny of the Law;

 

            à nevertheless, the outside world judges and evaluates

                        the truthfulness of the Christian faith and message

                                    by what they observe and believe

                                                about how Christians live out that faith.

 

            In our workplace, in the classroom, on the sports field,

                 driving, shopping, in restaurants, whenever we say or do,

                        they see that as the truth about Christianity & faith,

                              à  it's determined by what they see and hear from us.

 

A fair assessment or not,

                        if they observe hypocrisy,

                                    then everybody in churches are all hypocrites;

                        if they observe anger, legalism and judgmentalism,

                             then the world assumes all Christians judge harshly;

                        if they observe

                                    greed, manipulation or a lack of integrity,

                                                that will confirm the suspicions of many,

                                                            that Christianity really is just a scam.

 

On the other hand, they will also notice,

            who is   feeding the hungry, housing the homeless,

                        caring for the sick, providing for the needy and lost,

                                    showing compassion toward the powerless stranger,

                                         and who are the ones working for peace & justice.

 

Throughout this letter to the Colossian Christians,

            Paul discusses what God accomplished through Jesus Christ,

                        and how God's grace in Jesus Christ changes everything.

 

Paul concludes with a practical application section,

            in which he describes the specifics of how grace and faith

                        should guide & affect their relationships in the home,

                                    among husbands, wives, children and even slaves.

 

The verses we read today,

            explain how the grace and lordship of Jesus Christ,

                        redefines the appropriate behavior and relationship

                                    between the Christian slave  and the master.

vs. 22-24

            Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything, not only while being watched and in order to please them, but wholeheartedly, fearing the Lord.  Whatever your task, put yourselves into it, as done for the Lord and not for your masters, since you know that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward; you serve the Lord Christ.

 

Although of course the slave/master relationship of 1^st century

            doesn't apply directly into our world or our context,

                        yet there is some connection

                                    to the employee/employer relationship that we know

 à which is   an appropriate consideration for Labor Day weekend.          

 

Notice that Paul addresses slaves as more than just property;

            as competent human beings who make choices,

                        as morally responsible individuals of worth,

                                    and who are capable of Christian virtue; à

 

            à in sharp contrast to the perspective of Roman world

                        in which slaves were seen as less than fully human,

                                    as expendable tools    or machines that could talk,

                                                and that were owned   to be freely exploited.

 

Paul's guidance to slaves also applies to all Christian workers;

            who, as a matter of faith,

                        are called to do our best work wholeheartedly,

                             even when no one is watching us or checking up on us,

                                    as a reflection of our faith-walk with the Lord …

 

            … for whatever we are doing,

                        every aspect of a Christian's life, words and attitude

                                    are primarily to serve and to glorify the Lord God …

                        … for truly Jesus is our Master,

                                    whom we are called to serve  faithfully and well…

… for from Paul's perspective,

            Christians should be the very best workers and employees.

 

In our work, it's not, "what's the least I can get away with",

            but, "how can I best honor and glorify the Lord my God?"

 

As Paul understands it, everything about the Christian life

            serves to honor God, and give witness to redeeming grace.

 

He defines all Christians are missionaries and ambassadors,

            sent out by God to represent and proclaim the Good Newsà

                        wherever we find ourselves,

                                    in whatever situation God has placed us.

 

            Everywhere and every situation becomes our mission-field,

                           where we are to be    God's light,     shining into à

                                    that place, that circumstance and opportunity.

 

Paul also addresses Christians who own slaves, for grace

            and faith also redefine that   authority and relationship.

vs. 4:1

            Masters, treat your slaves justly and fairly, for you know that you also have a Master in heaven.

           

Paul does not address the social justice issues of slavery,

            probably because he expected Jesus to return at any moment,

                        so his single focus was on spreading the gospel

                                    as quickly and broadly as possible…

            … whatever it takes for the world to know that Jesus is Lord.

 

Slave or master, employee or employer, student or teacher ----

            Paul teaches that our walk of faith with the Lord

                        defines and redefines everything else about our life;

                                    about how we live and relate to all other people…

 

            … by our actions, by our words and how we express them,

                        are we really reflecting that Jesus is our Lord,

                                    and that all people are loved and precious to God? …

 

            … and especially those who are outside our Christian faith,

                        because by what they observe they will decide and judge

                                    if our faith is real and if it makes any difference,

                                       and if they should respond to God's call of grace.

That is a huge responsibility  that God has entrusted to us.

 

Here's the call and challenge.

            We encounter people out in the world all the time

                  who would probably never consider attending our church,

                                                -- yet who are dearly loved by God.

 

            So how will God's grace and love and promise ever reach them,

                        if not by the witness and testimony of our lives,

                                    by the light

                                         of God's love reflecting and shining through us?

 

The question is not are we obeying all the rules and rituals,

            but would someone observing us, encountering us in life,

                        dealing with our attitude, our behavior or speech,

                             be attracted to the Christianity our lives proclaim?

 

One time

            the famous preacher, Charles Spurgeon got on a trolley car,

                        and when he paid his fare, he was given too much change.

 

So, was that extra money a gift or blessing from God?

            Or was it too insignificant, and not worth bothering about?

 

Spurgeon considered what to do, and when he got off the trolley

            he handed the excess back to the man collecting fares.

                                    He said, "I think you made a mistake,

                                                and accidently gave me back too much change."

 

The man look at Spurgeon and said,

            "No, it wasn't a mistake or an accident.

                   I heard you preach last night about honesty & integrity,

                                    and I had to know if you really meant it;

                                                if you really live it, and apparently you do."

 

So, as we come to the Lord's Table of grace today,

            let us reflect on our own words, behaviors and attitudes;

                        the message that we are proclaiming by our lives.

 

It's not to wallow in guilt, shame or regret,  but specifically,

                        how can we grow, improve and do better at living out

                                    more and more of our lives   so to proclaim to others

                                                the truth of the gracious faithfulness of God?

 

As the psalmist reminds us, a theme throughout Scripture, vs. 1-2

     O give thanks to the Lord, call on his name, make known his deeds among the peoples.  Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wonderful works.