All things held together

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 
We are called to be “in Christ,” which means we share—always imperfectly, and always in community with others—the call to be the embodiment of God’s love in the world. ~ Wes Granberg-Michaelson
There's a lot of deep theology in this text.  It begins in a way reminiscent in some ways of the Christ-hymn in Philippians 2.  And it ends with what will be a theme in the letter to the Colossians: whether they will remain firm in their faith.

I've always been struck by the beauty of this passage.  Both the hymn as well as the rest of the verse.

But nothing perhaps strikes me more than the opening line.

"He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation."

The Christ defined.

As firstborn of all creation, the Christ is an integral part of God's creative work.  He is also, the first born of all re-creation. With the resurrection of Jesus, he becomes part of God's promise to us of new life.

What does it mean to us that Jesus is the image of the invisible God?  That he is the knowable of the unknowable? The face of the great mystery?  

Or simply that when we are with Christ we are with God.

 And that means with love.

One of the things about deep theological passages is that it can be tempting to get lost in the theology. As someone who likes to muse and ponder over things, I have been tempted to look at this passage a puzzle to solve.  How is it that in him the fullness of God was pleased to dwell?

And there is a time and a place for that.

But I have found that when I strip away the pieces of the puzzle, the words of comfort from the mystery of Christ remain the center.  

"In him all things hold together."

When I need to be held together, this passage tells me where I can turn.  In fact, where I don't even need to turn because I am already being held together. I am already reconciled to God through Christ.  

 I am reconciled to God because I am in Christ.

Passages like this that are rich in theology and rich in comfort is one of the treasures of Scripture.  It is one of the reasons to dig in and dive deep into its pages.  Find someone to discuss it with.  You'll be glad you did.

Image of the Invisible God, you have saved us.  You have reconciled us to yourself and hold us together through your church and through your great love for us.  Help us to study and know your word so that we can get ever closer to the richness of life you offer us. Amen

Thoughts for engagement:

Colossians is a short book - four chapters. Read it today and see what it has to say about The Christ and about a life of faith. Read your Bible notes if you have them for anything that confuses you or that you want to learn more about.



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