7.29.2026

Well, it is finally here! Those verses that we have been memorizing since the spring – remember them? They are my text for Sunday:

12Therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. 13Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.  Colossians 3:12-15

Don’t worry, there won’t be a test or anything!

But I do want us to learn them and engrain them into our hearts. You might even consider reciting them regularly as a personal affirmation of faithfulness. In fact, I chose them because they summarize so well the manner of life that we’re called to live as believers. They describe a way of life that sets us apart as God’s people. 

And notice, there’s nothing about anything outward, no rules or regs about how you can’t do this, or you can’t wear this or you can’t go there or whatever . . . It’s not the sort of list that Pharisees from any era would be comfortable with because it deals with the heart and not externals. 

It is a list of virtues relating to how we live in this world among both believers and nonbelievers.

Think about what I’ve been preaching about over the last several weeks: Christ is our life, we have been baptized into Christ, we have clothed ourselves with Christ. If these things are indeed true of us, they should make a difference in the way we live. 

As Paul wrote in 1:28, “It is he whom we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone in all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ.” These verses force us to ask ourselves about our level of maturity.  

For those coming out of a Greek society, things like “compassion, kindness, humility, meekness and patience” were NOT virtues. Meekness, in particular, was seen as a weakness! Fine for women, perhaps, and slaves, but not for free men. 

To the Greeks, this entire passage probably sounded like things that weak-willed wimps would do when they couldn’t stand up for themselves. 

But, honestly, living this way is NOT easy. It’s easier to fly off the handle at someone and hold a grudge. N.T. Wright asked, “have you seriously tried to forgive someone who has wronged you? Have you seriously tried to be compassionate and patient? Have you ever tried to let Christ’s peace, Christ’s word, Christ’s name be the reality around which you order your life? If you have, you’ll know it's not easy.”

Here are two really challenging virtues: Paul highlights forbearance (“bear with one another”) and forgiveness (“just as the Lord has forgiven you so you also must forgive”). What does it mean to “bear with” someone? It means to be patient. It means to tolerate someone’s shortcomings, or flaws, or to work through a stressful situation somebody’s caused. To bear with someone is to allow them to be human and give them the same grace you’d hope to get from them. 

I believe a good measure of our maturity is to ask ourselves just how easily we are offended. 

How do we handle things when our equilibrium is upset? Are you annoyed because a friend slights you in some way or someone cuts you off in traffic or you think a friend offended you or you think a coworker’s being rude? If so, you’re worried about the wrong things. And this is where strength is — not in being rude or cutting or giving someone the silent treatment. Those types of responses are signs of weakness and immaturity, not strength and maturity. True strength and maturity are shown when we “bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other.”

As “God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved,” as believers who are “mature in Christ,” we should be un-offendable. 

Which, I know, is a challenge . . . but what in life isn’t a challenge that's worth anything ? 

Self-indulgence and habitual anger may seem like fun for a while — and flying off the handle and nursing hurt feelings and grudges might give us some sense of personal satisfaction, but it is not lasting. The only lasting result is the destroyed relationship that lies in the wake of our immaturity. 

All of this is summed up in verse 14, “Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.”  When we operate out of love, when we allow Christ’s peace to be the deciding factor on how we respond to someone (vs. 15), then everything else will fall into place. 

There’s so much more to say . . . but it will have to wait until Sunday. See you at Christ Church, all you “chosen ones, holy and beloved”! 

Blessings,
Pastor Terry