“He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation; for in Him all things were created, in heaven & on earth, visible & invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or authorities —all things were created through Him and for Him. He 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 first-born from the dead, that in everything He might be preeminent. For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of His cross.” – Col. 1:15-20
Gospel Text: Mark 8:27-38
What you hear in the opening 3 verses of our sermon text from Colossians is an accurate description of who Jesus truly is. Indeed, this is exactly, I’m sure, what Peter had in mind too when he correctly answered the question: “Who do you say I am?”
Can you also imagine the plans Peter had in mind after Jesus confirmed this?
Think about that for a second my friends. You have the almighty, all-powerful, Creator God of the universe standing right next to you. You’ve seen this man turn water to wine, drive out demons, cure lepers, feed thousands with a few moldy crusts of bread & a couple over-ripe fish, and even raise the dead. Now you know, by His own admission, He is in fact God. Peter’s mind must have been racing when he considered all the great things that could be accomplished.
Perhaps there would be a religious awakening among the people. Jesus could do some more miracles & the crowds would come flocking to worship. Maybe all those old hypocrites who ran the temple would be ran out too. Then perhaps next, if one wants to dream big, Jesus could unleash His divine power on the vice ridden, degenerate pagan rulers who occupied the Holy Land, the Romans.
Yes, it’s fair to say, Peter probably was looking forward to David’s kingdom being restored. A return to Israel’s “glory days”. But Jesus had something else in mind.
Something that must have struck Peter as insane: Dying.
On a cross no less!
First, how could an immortal God die? Impossible!
Second, why would the all-powerful God let His enemies win? Unthinkable!
But immortality projects & winning powerful kingdoms were all old news. And, worse yet, all of them were failures because all of them lead only to damnation.
Which is why God in Christ had something new in mind: Reconciliation.
But what does that mean? And how can dying on a cross accomplish that?
To get at those critical questions, I suggest we start by looking soberly at the condition the world is in today. Our world is a hopeless, fragmented mess. The world caught in the grip of competing, destructive powers that stubbornly resist all efforts at reconciliation. For that matter, are our lives that much different?
Is there anyone of us here today who is not burdened by regret & brokenness?
The Good News for us today is that God knew these realities too which is why He decided to say something radically new about the world & your life too.
So what is it that God decided to say to the world & to you? It is precisely this:
All things were created for & through Jesus Christ – for you.
Jesus Christ comes first among all things in all creation – for you.
All things find their cohesion in Jesus Christ – for you.
By His death on the cross Jesus Christ has reconciled all things to God – for you, for the world, and for the entire cosmos which makes all things new again.
Now, just like Peter, our sin & Satan posed old selves have a hard time with this truth because it seems to good to be real; it seems like a Utopian fantasy. Why?
It’s because we tend to think of reconciliation as a people word. But the Greek expression used by Paul in our Sermon text from Colossians & in our 2nd lesson from Romans is a neutral form. When Paul says “all things” he means just that: trees, earth, wind, far-flung galaxies & people. The expression is all-inclusive & unapologetically so which is good news & a great comfort for you & here’s why.
First, because it means that there’s nothing in creation, & that includes your life, that goes unnoticed by God. In fact, God’s closer to you than you are to yourself & that nearness is epitomized by God’s desire to be with & for you in His Word.
Second, because it also means that you’ve been personally reconciled with your Creator which eliminates any need for you to become something you’re not or some improved version of you before God will love you. Yes, He may choose to do great things with & through you. But you’re always His now because He poured out His blood for you on the Cross, not because you’ve done anything.
In short, it means there’s no spiritual ladders to climb or religious litmus tests for you to pass anymore; just a Cross to behold & a Savior to thank.
Ultimately, and most importantly, it means belonging forever to Jesus Christ & being a member of His body which means that you are in the right place today. You were always meant, predestined if you will, to be right here today, with all His other children, where, as Paul so joyously wrote, “All things are yours” – forever & ever.
Amen.
Bethany Lutheran Church, Covington MI 