I'm drawn to this evening's lectionary reading (Saturday 4th). It seems relevant…
Colossians 3:12-17
New International Version
12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
This passage was written to churches nearly two thousand years ago, but the message is very relevant right now.
It begins with a bold theological statement - “You are God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved!”
This is a shocking thing to say at any time, but all the more challenging at a time when our confidence and self-esteem is at a low. Whatever we think of ourselves - whatever others say about us - we are special in God's eyes. Not only that, God regards us as holy and set aside for something special. We have been “chosen”. Those of us who are living through these times are not doing so at random. In fact, God has been preparing us for this very moment.
Which is indeed a bold thing to say - particularly at a time when the failings of the Church (and our leaders) are a major part of the problem…
… but such is the nature of the Church. It is simultaneously blighted by human failings and redeemed by divine grace. God is at work amongst us, even while we are messing things up.
Our response to this amazing truth must not be arrogance or pride but “compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” - as Colossians tells us. Our special calling should not be a cause for triumphalism but for a Christ-like attitude towards those around us - combined with honesty about our own shortcomings.
How different this would be from the factional squabbles and bitter rivalries that beset the Church of England today!
This passage from Colossians has a lot to say to us as a Church, but I note that “forgiveness” is a particularly prominent theme.
All communities generate grievances so this should not be a surprise. At the moment we have a lot of issues in the Church of England that cause conflict and tension - from safeguarding to sexuality. There is a lot that may need to be forgiven.
But forgiveness does not mean ignoring problems or brushing everything under a carpet. We can only forgive each other if the conflicts are acknowledged. We need to “teach and admonish one another” while seeking peace with an attitude of love. Like the family in the “Bear Hunt”, we can't dodge around the problems - we need to go through them.
This is particularly true of the safeguarding failures where action needs to be taken and specific failures dealt with.
Which presents a huge challenge for us as 2025 begins. We need to be honest about the issues we face and address the problems - before we can talk about forgiveness with any real sense of integrity.
It should also be noted that we are not going to resolve all of our disagreements this year. At the end of 2025 I guarantee there will still be people who hold different positions on same-gender relationships - and do so with theological integrity and biblical faith.
There is no accident that the passage finishes with a call on the Church to sing to God “with gratitude in your hearts…” doing all things “in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him*.
The Church is called to focus on Jesus with gratitude. This is ultimately the source of our unity. Yes, it is important to work through our differences but we must keep coming back to Jesus as we see him revealed in the Gospels. This is what unites us, but also drives us forward into transformational change.
This passage from Colossians is deeply relevant to the Church of England in 2025. It reminds us of our nature as God's chosen people, but also challenges us to rethink our values, and seek unity and peace with integrity. Most of all, it calls us to a life filled with gratitude and thanksgiving as we focus on Christ.
I wonder how 2025 will turn out if we approach it with this message in our hearts?...
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