"For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities, all things were created by him and for him."

 

         As I was studying the passage in Colossians this week, a picture came to my mind. I was walking along a road on a bright, sunny day, and I looked up in the blue sky and saw an airplane flying above me at 30,000 feet. I could barely make it out, and I wanted to see it more clearly. So I got a stepladder and climbed to the top step in order to get a better view of the plane.

         The more I study these few verses, the more vast and beyond me they become. I cannot begin to understand or describe what Paul is saying here. I knew I was not the only one struggling when the commentary I was reading took 34 pages to deal with these few verses. Finally, I had to give up. This is way beyond me. All I can do is stand before this text in awe and silence. This is holy ground. I got off my ladder and onto my knees.

         "For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible. . ."

         David Garland writes, "How could claims of this magnitude be made about a man who died little more than 30 years ago, and who was remembered as a personal friend by men and women still living when this letter was written?" How could the people receiving this letter understand what it meant to say that Christ created all things and is Lord of creation?

Jesus did not go around telling people that he created the heavens and the earth during his life and ministry. Yet after his resurrection and ascension to heaven as Lord, this was revealed to his followers. Every part of the created cosmos, both visible and invisible, was created in, by and for him. The Lordship of Christ encompasses the whole creation.

What helped them begin to grasp that Christ was indeed Lord of the creation was the Jewish understanding of Wisdom. For some time the Jewish teachers had been interested in the figure of Wisdom, found in Proverbs. For example, in Proverbs 8, Wisdom is given a voice, and it speaks (verse 22):

"The LORD brought me forth as the first of his works, before his deeds of old; I was appointed from eternity, from the beginning, before the world began. When there were no springs abounding with water; before the mountains were settled in place, before the hills, I was given birth, before he made the earth or its fields or any of the dust of the world. I was there when he set the heavens in place, when he marked out the horizon on the face of the deep. . ."

So for many years the teachers of Israel wondered just who this voice of Wisdom was. What they knew was that the Creation had an order to it, it was created. The creation was purposeful, and it was sustained by God. All things hold together in Him and move towards a goal.

Now, those who came to believe in Jesus Christ as God's Son, as the Messiah, the Savior, also were able to understand the Wisdom of God. Jesus Christ is the wisdom of God; he is the one who was with God at the beginning. Through him and for him and by him all things were made. He is Lord of creation. And it is this one who created with purpose who entered history as a human being, as Jesus of Nazareth. He gave his life for the forgiveness of our sin, and he rose from the dead. In him we experience the love of God. Creation and Redemption are tied together in one Lord, Jesus Christ. The very Creator of life, the one who holds the purpose and end of life, took on your shape and died for your sins and was raised to new life, the first fruits of a new creation. This Creator, Redeemer and Lord, loves you.

I recently spoke to two pastors. Each had been on a retreat, not the same one, in which they spent time in quietness and prayer. Each was seeking guidance, a word from the Lord. Both came back saying they did not get any specific answers, but rather had experienced the love of Christ for them in a new and fresh way. And that is better than answers to our questions. The Lord of Creation and redemption loves us; loves you, and wants you to experience that love, to feel it.

This Lord of Creation, this Jesus Christ, invites you into a relationship with him. But "invite" is not quite the right word, because it sounds optional. Jesus Christ, the Lord of Creation, calls you into a relationship.

When I was a boy, we lived about a block from a playfield. During the spring and fall especially, I would go to the field every day after school, and there would be others, and we would play football or baseball. There was a community church on the hill above the field. Every evening at 6 p.m., chimes would ring out from that church, playing hymns over the community. And the chimes were the invitation to go home for dinner. But it was not optional. The chimes called us home. But it was not harsh; it was a welcome sound. When the chimes began to ring, it did not matter what inning it was, or if my team was driving down the field for a touchdown. The chimes said, "Hop on your bike and go home."

         Jesus Christ calls you into a relationship with him because he loves you. So our first response to the Lordship of Christ is to move toward him, without delay.

But what shall I bring to this meeting with the Lord of Creation?

This is where Psalm 50 helps us.

Israel brought offerings and sacrifices to the Lord. When they met with him, they brought an offering. In bringing a gift from their fields, they were acknowledging that God was Lord of all creation. They were giving back to Him.

But over time they began to believe that God needed their bulls. Sometimes we think we have really helped God when we bring a gift, when we give him a big bull from our wealth. Sometimes our gifts even come with instructions.

The Psalm re-orients their thinking. God does not need their prize bulls. He already owns them. He is the Lord of creation. The first principle of giving is that you really have nothing to give God. You will not be able to give until you understand that you really have nothing to give to God.

The second principle of giving is that we begin to give by asking "What does God want from me?"

The Psalm tells us that God wants three things from us.

• He wants us to bring thank offerings.
• He wants us to fulfill our vows.
• He wants us to call on him in the day of trouble.

In all those, He is saying he wants us to trust him.

In the Old Testament, thank offerings were gifts brought before God to express gratitude for times of deliverance from sickness, help in trouble and rescue from death. It could also be gratitude for a blessing received. God delights in our salvation. He loves to hear us express thanks for his goodness. And we are blessed when we do.

On Monday nights, a Narcotics Anonymous group meets in our church. These are people who have been delivered from death, rescued from trouble. They come to share their lives, to help each other, to dispel the power of darkness. When they leave, we often have a committee meeting going on in the Narthex. They often greet us, and always express thanks. And they seem genuinely happy to be alive. There is something very healthy about expressing thanks for God's deliverance and help in our lives.

The second thing God wants from us is for us to fulfill our vows. What I have noticed about people over the years is that those who make and keep commitments are the ones who find happiness, not those who chase a carefree, uncommitted life.

I have found that serving God and others brings renewal of strength.

I have noticed that people with a focus on seeking first the Kingdom of God find the fullness of life, not those who try to keep every option open lest they miss out on something.

The last thing God wants from us is to call upon him in the day of trouble. That means you have to trust God, and trust God's way, in walking through times of trouble. If Jesus Christ is Lord, we trust him, even with our lives, our money and possessions, and our trouble.

Jesus, the Lord of Creation, calls us into a relationship with him.

Amen.