This morning I was taking part in the installation service for Mark Radke at the nearby Garfield Park United Church of Christ. Jerry took the pulpit at Horizon Central and here is what he had to say.
The Demanding Privilege of Making Known the Mystery of the Gospel
Many Christians are making a big mistake. They see Christ as a means to an end when He is actually the be all and end all of their existence. They see faith in Christ as the way to a happy life, the path to earthly success or comfort, or the solution to their present problems. In Paul’s case, the high calling that he received turned out to be a very demanding privilege.
Playing Balderdash with Jesus
Our family likes to play the game Balderdash. The idea is that you are given a word or a movie title or a name and you have to make up a definition for the word, or say what the movie is about, or tell who the person is. The world plays Balderdash with Jesus. People make things up about Him, but these fictional versions of Jesus are unworthy of our worship. If Jesus is really God incarnate, then our failure to acknowledge that might have eternal consequences. Today’s passage intends to clear this up.
Paul didn’t know the Colossian church personally. Still, Paul takes the time to write to them and, as we’ll see, he takes the time to pray for them. In so doing he sets an example for us to follow. We don’t want to get stuck in the rut of thinking that the only things worth praying about are the things that matter directly to us.
Central Reflections 