Living in the Spirit

July 14, 2022

Scripture Reading:

Colossians 1:15-28

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him. 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. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.

And you who were once estranged and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his fleshly body through death, so as to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable before him— provided that you continue securely established and steadfast in the faith, without shifting from the hope promised by the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven. I, Paul, became a servant of this gospel. –Colossians 1:15-23

I listened to one of the witnesses who gave testimony in the January 6 hearings as he explained his participation in that insurrection. He said he had been seeing the world like he had on blinders. He has now taken off those blinders.  The origin of the word blinders comes from the days when horses pulled plows or other farming implements. To keep a horse from being distracted, blinders were placed outside each eye so the animals would do what the farmer driving them wanted them to do. The word now indicates an obstruction to sight or discernment: an impediment to clear thinking*.  I think this man was sharing his experience to reconcile himself to doing the right thing. This story describes the reality of Jesus’s gift to us of his life to free us from the blinders of the world we allow to rule our lives. Following Christ is the freedom to live in the fullness of life within the protection of his love. Our challenge is remaining in reconciliation with Christ as we let go of the false comforts we might feel from the blinders of the world.

Prayer:
Thank you, Lord, for saving our souls,
thank you, Lord, for making us whole
thank you, Lord, for giving us
thy great salvation so rich and free**. Amen.

*https://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/unabridged/blinders

**Derived from the Chorus of the song Thank You, Lord,  see at https://namethathymn.com/hymn-lyrics/viewtopic.php?t=8043

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.