The Rev. Paul J Cain, Jr.
Colossians 3:12-17
Repentance, Faith, & Hope
The First Sunday after Christmas, 27 December 2009
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Sheridan, Wyoming
Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
During the Holidays, families spend a lot of time together. Sometimes, that has the potential to leads to conflict of one kind or another, usually minor, especially if everyone—spouses and children and extended family—are staying in the same house.
In Christian congregations, we spend a lot of time together, especially during the Holidays. Being in the Word at home, during Bible Class, and Sunday morning Divine Service are to ensure that we share the mind of Christ and remain united in the same Biblical confession of faith. At times, there are differences of opinion about other matters, anything from carpet color or what coffee to serve. Some of those topics are silly, others serious. What may be important to one may or may not be to another—and vice versa. When there are disagreements—notice I didn’t say “If there are disagreements…” what are we to do about it? It is best to know what to do before there is conflict—how to handle it as Christians
The reactions to conflict at church are as varied as they are in families. After over a century together as a congregation, Immanuel behaves like a family in good and also in less helpful ways. By being raised together and living together, you treat one another like brothers and sisters. There’s nothing quite like the positive, deep relationship siblings can develop. And, as you’ve seen in your own lives, family disagreements have the potential to be among the most devastating and bitter there are.
Congregations are like human families in other important ways. There are people from all ages. That’s an important component to remember. We need young and old, longtime members and new members, male and female, pastor and congregation—all together.
How can we be prepared when there are disagreements what are we to do about it?
12Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14And above all these put on 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. 16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly…
In this morning’s reading from Colossians 3, St. Paul shares a Word of the Lord tailor-made for us. We are God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved. And we also know that we are sinners. We are at the same time saint and sinner—holy and sinful. And that’s a tension we have to live with in ourselves and others.
We hear verses twelve through sixteen and may think: “Well, I’d better not forget that God loves me and I had better not neglect compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bearing with one another is hard. Forgiving can be easy. It’s the forgetting that’s hard. And some people are so hard to love.”
What Paul shares with us is law. Depending on where we are spiritually at a given moment, the Holy Spirit may use this law as a curb in order to keep sin in bounds. God the Holy Spirit could remind you that sometimes we do the right thing just because it is the right thing to do—even when we don’t want to do it. We know that if we do the bad and/or don’t do the good, we’ll get in trouble with the Lord Upstairs, or somebody down here.
At other times, hearing Colossians chapter 3 is like getting hammered. The Law of God is a powerful hammer, sledgehammer, or jackhammer, depending on how hardened you may be when the Lord wants your attention focused upon Him and so that you would be brought to repentance and renewed faith in Christ.
When the Holy Spirit convicts you using what we call the Second Use of the Law, all your sins and failures are held up to you as your face is seen in a mirror. Often, we are all in need of a full-length mirror. We are tempted to hold on to some of our sins and not confess them—not give them up. That is not only spiritually dangerous, but spiritually deadly.
After hearing a passage like this, a person with repentant faith may confess their sins. For example, a person might say a prayer like this: “Lord, I thank you for choosing me in Christ. I know it has nothing to do with anything in me or anything I’ve done. I am beloved and holy only because your only-begotten Son declared me holy. I have failed to be compassionate to others. Sometimes I just didn’t care—I really didn’t. I had opportunities to be kind and I ignored them. Humility isn’t encouraged in a culture where resumes and those long, pre-printed Christmas letters encourage bragging to your hearts content. You alone, O Christ, should receive all glory, especially at Christmas. You have told us that the meek shall inherit the earth, but I haven’t been meek because it doesn’t look like that will get me ahead at work. That’s a sin, too. I haven’t been patient. I should have sat there listening to my family and friends, but I just had other things on my mind. Selfishness is the sin of our age and mine, too. I have not been patient at times, and bearing with one another was the furthest thing from my mind. I wanted to run away—I wanted them to run away—just so we didn’t have to deal with whatever it was. I was tempted to hold a grudge and I did. And it was like taking poison while waiting for the other person to drop over dead. It didn’t work. Forgive me my trespasses and help me to forgive from the heart those who have trespassed against me. Help me love others in thought, word, and deed so that I may not fail by inaction or selfishly insist on my own way. I saw my neighbor in need and I could have helped, but didn’t. For Jesus’ sake, forgive me. Grant me the peace only you can give. Amen.”
That’s just one example of how Scripture itself can teach you what sins you need to confess. There is no reason why the general confession on 184 or 151 has to be a boring, mindless recitation of words. The Lord can aid you in using these common, repeated forms so that you can focus upon self-examination, repentance, and worship.
12Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14And above all these put on 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. 16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly…
Conflict is not a pleasant thing. There can be many responses to it. I pray that in your relationships at home, at school, at work, or at church, you would take the time to see how you contributed to the failure, disagreement, or situation before pointing the finger at others. Look for how you have sinned against the Ten Commandments, the vocations the Lord has given you, and how you have ignored the clear Word of Scripture.
Other reactions are possible, as Christians working with congregations in a peacemaking ministry describe. There are escape responses: suicide, flight, and denial. They only fake peace. There are attack responses: litigation, assault, and murder. Those three break the peace. And there are peace-making responses of conciliation: overlook [another’s fault and go on], discuss [the situation openly and honestly], negotiation, mediation [by a third-party], arbitration, and finally, church discipline. It can be a slippery slope from a helpful response to one that hurts.
Ken Sande, The Peacemaker
What can this mean for a Christian congregation? As the result of a conflict, some may be so hurt that they leave one way or another. They may come, but discontinue financial support, some may simply stay home on Sunday mornings, and others may start actively looking for another church home. Some may lose faith altogether. People are sometimes hurt by the church. That isn’t good for the future life of the congregation.
When we have offended someone and realize it in confession and repentance, we are given to reconcile with those we know we have offended. At other times, even when we are hurt, Matthew 18 urges us to talk to those who have offended us. It’s not easy, but the Lord wants reconciliation no matter who has to swallow their pride and make the first step. Forgiving one another is not optional. Paul uses the word, “Must.” If you want the Lord to forgive you, you must let go of your grudges and forgive everyone who has offended you.
We could bemoan the fact that some of the families in our forthcoming church directory aren’t here. Or, we could take steps toward visiting them as congregation members who care about one another. We could worry about the future, or we could take the Lord seriously when He says that He will bless those who hear His Word and respond to it in faith. Sitting on our hands won’t work. There are plenty of ways to be a stumbling block and prevent the Lord’s work in this place. There are plenty of ways to shoot ourselves in the foot, but it doesn’t have to be that way.
Psychology, Sociology, and good old-fashioned common sense may help us understand and diagnose the problems and the sins and the possible reactions, but only Christ can give us a solution. The Gospel gives us something no worldly wisdom can.
You are forgiven in Christ. You are holy and beloved in the eyes of the Lord. The Prince of Peace has given you peace with God. As Christians, we are to be at peace with others as far as it is up to us. We are to be about peacemaking, reconciliation, and forgiveness. Christians care about one another and show it, even when it is difficult. We forgive because God in Christ has forgiven us. If the Lord has forgiven your sins—and you remember how bad they are—certainly you can forgive those God has already forgiven.
And we have hope for the future—not in our own actions—but in Christ. Our Lord has seen fit to bless parents with children who have them baptized. New members join our congregation and confess the common, Biblical, Christian faith with us in this place. Our building debt is steadily being paid off, thanks be to God! Look at our encouraging catechism classes this year—both youth and adult. Our Lord has blessed us with musicians, especially those new to us. God’s Word is still preached here in its truth, purity, and completeness. We have hope for the future because the Lord has blessed us, He blesses us now, and He promises to bless us in the future.
We are blessed with unity in the Word of Christ. 16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
If there is something you can’t do in the name of the Lord Jesus, don’t do it—simple as that! You are holy and beloved in Christ. The baptized are given to believe, teach, confess, and live differently than the world. If you find that you cannot serve in thankfulness, you don’t have to resign. Stop, let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly, and be reminded of why you are to be thankful. Hymns teach. You don’t have to sing perfectly to make a joyful noise to the Lord. You don’t have to join the choir, but we’d love to have you.
Repentance. Faith. Hope. Christians are declared righteous—we are not perfect. Christians live lives of repentance. We are at the same time sinful, yet justified. We are saints because we are forgiven sinners. We have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and that prompts us to act in love for our fellow Christians and human beings, praying that all would come to faith in Christ. And we have hope for the future. We know that the Lord will bless those with faith in Him. He will bless faithful servants of the Word. He will be with even two or three gathered in His name. He will bless the baptizing and teaching of young and old. He will bless you as you repent and reconcile with one another. He will bless the preaching, teaching, and singing of His Word. He will bless you in Christ.
12Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14And above all these put on 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. 16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Amen.
The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
