Colossians 2:1-7 (NRSV) For I want you to know how much I am struggling for you, and for those in Laodicea, and for all who have not seen me face to face. 2 I want their hearts to be encouraged and united in love, so that they may have all the riches of assured understanding and have the knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ himself, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4 I am saying this so that no one may deceive you with plausible arguments. 5 For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, and I rejoice to see your morale and the firmness of your faith in Christ. 6 As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to live your lives in him, 7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
In the Fall of 1983, President Will Hyatt, of Concordia University-Saint Paul, asked me to preach at the opening service and this was the text. I worked exceptionally hard at reading every commentary that I could get my hands on. It was an honor to learn and to preach and the text has helped me to stay rooted and built up in Christ, not being drawn by what people might be wanting me to say and do to please them. Everyone has notions about the groups to which they belong. It may be odd, but what is most important at Emmaus is what our Pastor, the Lord Jesus Christ, has already set in motion. Our ministry is shaped by His death and resurrection and eternal issues that spread into our new vision for daily life.
We have a big maple tree in the back yard. I am surprised by how quickly the “helicopters” take root between our house and next door. If the top is even three or four inches high, the roots are tough. I never have gotten to the roots of an elm tree in the rose bed. I try to dig down about 18-24 inches in our postage stamp size garden to chop out the roots that would otherwise kill our tomatoes, etc. But even a huge tree can be toppled with enough rain to soften the soil and then high winds.
When we worship and commune and read the Scriptures we are thanking the Lord for His blessings and asking Him to nourish our faith so that our roots in Him grow deep and help us to hold on in the storms and temptations of life. Otherwise, we may not recognize that many issues are really spiritual in nature. Paul lets the Colossians know that he struggles, as do I, on their and your behalf, concerned that the roots are in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, not some humanistic religion of self-improvement and self-satisfaction. We recognize both our sinful rebellion against the Lord and the peace and rootedness only He can give. May our Holy Week and Easter celebration lead us to hungering to be fed and rooted deep in salvation. May we rejoice and yearn to come back each week for more of that good story.
Pastor Tom, Mission Pastor
Walking the Emmaus Road with the Risen Lord
(Originally published in Emmaus Footprints, Vol. XVI, Number 9, April 2015)