Colossians 1: 15-28

In 1969, at the late Queen’s request, a television film was made called “Royal Family”.  It offered an unprecedented glimpse into the private and public lives of Queen Elizabeth, the Duke of Edinburgh and their children.  Why did the Queen ask for it?  Because she realised that for the royal family to survive, they needed to be seen, not just locally when they visited an area, but nationally and globally.  What the Queen initiated is now common practice.  We probably see our royals on the news several times a week.   

It is not new for rulers to realise the importance of being constantly in the public eye.  Donald Trump understands this totally.  Most people in the Roman empire would never see the emperor, but they saw his image every day on their coins and in the vast number of statues that were put up in every city.  Besides the image of whoever was the emperor of the day, Roman coins often featured inscriptions related to the emperor's titles and lineage, including the words, "Divi Filius" (son of the divine). The term "Son of God" on Roman coins, specifically referring to the emperor, was a political and propaganda tool, emphasizing the emperor's divine connection and authority.  No one was called Son of God except the Emperor.  No one was called “Lord”, except the Emperor. 

This makes this letter to the Colossians a very dangerous document – dangerous to the one who wrote it and dangerous to those who received it and read it out loud in their places of worship, because someone else is named Son of God and Lord here: Jesus, a carpenter from Nazareth. 

Before we delve deeply into our text, however, let me remind you of two points Graham made in his sermon last week because they are relevant to where we are going today.  Graham pointed out that this letter was written only twenty years after the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.  Think of how close to the sources of Jesus’ life Paul was.  He knew the disciples.  The church to which Paul was writing was not twenty years old.  It was a very young church, with probably no more than ten or fifteen people in it, three or four families.  It had been founded by Epaphras, who was a disciple of Paul’s. That’s the first thing. 

The second point I want us to remember from Graham’s sermon is the three themes he highlighted, which were: faith & love; truth; & fruit. 

In a world in which people feel their needs are not being met over and over again, we look to a human leader to come and rescue us.  In the lead up to elections our politicians promise great things.  Of course they do, or we wouldn’t vote for them.  Instead of them being able to say quite honestly, “We are facing really big problems but we have one or two ideas that might work”, we look for someone who will say, “Vote for me and I will solve all your problems!”  And, thus, we make terrible mistakes.  For the little people ruled over by the Roman Empire, who had no say in the matter, their only hope was for a new leader who would bring justice, hope, peace, prosperity and fruitfulness into their lives. 

When Paul wrote his letter to the Colossians the then known world of the Roman Empire was putting all its hope into a new, charismatic Emperor.  This young man was beloved of the troops he had led into battle, was artistic – could sing, act, play music, write poetry.  He could charm the birds out of the trees.  Everyone had such hopes for him after tired old Emperor Claudius.  The name of this fine young man – was Nero.  We all know how Nero turned out.  Like emperors before him the new Emperor claimed to be more than human.  That was the big story.  He was also a deity.  The only one anyone called “Lord”. 

Into this culture of lies, ambition, misused power and overarching pride, St Paul dropped his letter.  You want an image of God he says?  I will give you one. 

With the very first verse of our reading today (verse 15), Paul writes, “He is the image of the invisible God.”  Jesus is not just the Son of God, he is the image of the God, and Jesus is much more than any emperor has ever thought to be.  The firstborn of all creation, through whom all things were created – and for whom all things were created.  Have you ever thought you were created for Jesus?  I find that a very lovely thought. 

Sometimes God gives you a real gift and this happened when I was thinking about this sermon and wondering how I could begin to put over what is in these wonderful verses, 15 – 20.  I spoke in the notices about the app the Church of England has brought out.  One of the readings one day was this passage and this is what was said about these verses.  So, these are not my words. 

An important part of close relationships is that we take delight in those we love.  Being in their presence brings us joy. In the cathedral in Monreale, Sicily, there is a series of mosaics which show Christ as creator, calling the birds of the air and fish of the sea into existence.  Most of them look attentively at their Lord, but one little owl is sneaking off in the opposite direction.  In another mosaic, Christ, apparently concentrating hard, carefully places the sun and moon in their places in the heavens.  Of course, this wasn’t intended to be a realistic depiction of creation!  But it points to God the Son’s involvement in the making of all things.  He is the source of our life, and delights in the world he came to save. The God we encounter in Jesus is the God who makes all things – and who rejoices in all that is.  This includes us – God delights in us and looks at us in love. 

Here are the Colossians living in a world full of images on coins and in statues – images claiming to be of the son of God.  Paul offers a new image, an image of God but made in human flesh; an image of God who in a man was crucified for the love of creation he bore and the truth he spoke.  This in human form is the image of God, the invisible God.  If you want to know what God is like, look at Jesus, says Paul.  In verse 18, we read, “He is the beginning, the first born from the dead.  And in verse 15, Paul writes “He, (Jesus) is the first-born of Creation. The one through whom all things were created is also the one who brings in the new creation, healed and reconciled by his death.

All that kingdoms of the world can do is produce a parody of the kingdom of God.  But when Jesus came out of the tomb, he had been through death and came out into a whole new way of being alive.  He was a physical body.  He could be touched, eat, breath – but his resurrected body was different.  When the disciples saw Jesus by the Sea of Galilee after the resurrection, the gospel says that, “None (of the disciples) dared ask of him, “Who are you?” because they knew he was the Lord.”  Jesus was the same but different.  Totally recognisable but changed from what he had been before. The risen body of Jesus is the first that has ever been – the beginning of the new creation.   

The Colossians were extraordinarily brave in converting to Christianity.  If Caesar was “the Lord” and the “the Son of God”, then no one else could be, especially a Jewish carpenter from Nazareth whom the Romans had crucified.  They were in a very vulnerable position, and Nero was soon to use Christians as the scapegoats for all sorts of crimes, sending them to their deaths in droves.  The Colossians were also a very new church at a time when Christianity was finding its feet and when all sorts of heretical beliefs were bleeding into the new faith, mainly from Greek sources.  Graham mentioned last week that scholars think there were over forty heresies the Christians could have been in danger of adopting.  When you are a relatively new Christian it is hard to separate truth from fiction and when you are frightened for your lives because of the power of the regime to arrest and execute you, it would be easy to turn away from your new found faith. 

So, Paul reminds them, in verse 23, that they need to continue firm, “established and steadfast in the faith, without shifting from the hope promised by the gospel that (they) heard.”  We, too, are tempted by every wind of change, to turn away from the good news of Jesus Christ.  Perhaps the biggest temptation we face is to so water the gospel down that it appears to becomes irrelevant to the world we are dealing with and unable to help the human race in all that it faces.  But this is not the case. 

The centre of this glorious passage and of our faith, lies in verse 17. “In him all things hold together.”  Put Jesus in the middle and you will see God clearly.  And not only will you see God clearly, you’ll see everything else clearly, too.  Just imagine for a moment how you would see God without Jesus (PAUSE).  Just try looking at this world now without the person of Jesus in it (PAUSE).  It makes a difference, doesn’t it? 

Jesus is the centre in which all things hold together.  He is the door we must go through.  If we go through that door and abide with him, we will bear fruit, we will speak truth and we will grow in faith and love.  If we want to change the world, we have to start with ourselves.  We don’t do it on our own but in the power and love of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.  So, as we follow our Lord, the Son of God, our prayer might be, “Change the world, Lord, and start with me.”