Clothe Yourselves with Christ

Every year at this time, Christmas songs like “Jingle Bells” are not being played anymore. We will all have to wait another ten or eleven months until the Christmas songs return. It is sad when the Christmas music ends as the Christmas spirit of peace, hope, joy and love seems to go with it.

There is something all of us would not be sad to see less of in the New Year, spam. Some of these unsolicited letters, emails, phone calls, texts, etc. are harmless, but others want to steal your identity. Spam gets more advanced every year and if you are not careful, someone may trick you into giving away your information, money, pictures, identity, etc. Worse than having all these stolen, is losing your soul. In our Old Testament reading from 1 Kings 8, King Solomon dedicated the Lord’s Temple in Jerusalem and said, 13 “I have indeed built a magnificent temple for you, a place for you to dwell forever.” The Temple was the place the Lord made his unmistakable presence known so that his people would not be lost to the idols and lies of earthly, pagan worldly religion. This was the place where the establishment of peace between God and his people was illustrated through substitutional sacrifice and the prophecies of God were proclaimed.

Today, the local church has the same purpose to teach and preach the fulfillment of the sacrifices and prophecies with the message of Christ. Our New Testament reading for today comes from Colossians 3, which was written to the local church in the city of Colosse. It was a small town in river valley about 100 miles east of Ephesus in modern Turkey. Paul’s letter to the Colossians could be summarized as a spam filter to help them hold on to the message of Christ and reject false teachings. As with Christians of all ages and all stages, they were in danger of syncretism which is combining many ideas and beliefs to be inclusive creating the illusion of peaceful unity, but it is a lie that combines the fullness of Christ with earthly futility. Paul spent the first half of his letter establishing the filter for all ideas, beliefs, teachings, practices, etc. as Christ writing in Colossians 2,

8 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ. 9 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10 and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority.

False human teachings are empty, but in Christ you are fulfilled for he is God, the highest power and authority.

In the second half of his letter, Paul encourages believers to put to death our old earthly nature. In the section before our New Testament reading from Colossians 3, Paul wrote, 5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. This list is a sample of what belongs to our sinful nature. The inherent evil in this list is the reason for God’s disappointment and anger against us. This list is devoid of love for others and like spam, these entice us with the promise of pleasure and riches but takes advantage of others and make us slaves to unsustainable, material garbage.

When we build our personal agendas on these, they cause conflict between people and between God. One of the ways we keep alive our earthly sinful nature’s influence on how we think, speak and act is the music we listen to. Regardless of the decade, instruments, genre, artist, etc. the words of a song have a direct impact on you. The excuse that you do not listen to a song for the words or that they do not affect you is as valid as the excuse given during the holidays that you do not pay attention to the calories or sugar content of dishes, so they do not affect you. When you listen to lyrics about “sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry,” those things become part of you just like the extra calories at Christmas become part of you. Earthly messages do not mix with the message about Christ. When you do not put to death what belongs to your earthly sinful nature, you bring the wrath of God on yourself.

Your sins along with the sins of all people are woven into a thick dark covering over this world. Your sins separated you from God leaving you without peace and nervous for the sound of his accusations against you. These sins, the darkness and accusations clothed Christ when he when to the cross to save you as we read in Colossians 1, 21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. 22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation. Jesus shed his blood and died wearing your sins. They were left behind in the tomb, God accepted Jesus’ sacrifice for your sins and through his resurrection you have the sure hope of eternal life in heaven. You are God’s chosen people through Christ living at peace with him.

As God’s people, you have been outfitted with a new life. In our New Testament reading from Colossians 3, Paul encourages us with these words, 12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Christ loved you unconditionally with his compassion living as one of us when we were helpless to change our destructive, condemning sinful nature, his kindness in sacrificing his life in the place of ours, his humility as the Creator serving his creatures, his gentleness with all, especially children so they would hear his message of forgiveness, and his patience even with those who betrayed him to follow the plan to save us all and to let those who are evil live another day to possibly hear the message repent and believe. God chose you to be his people; he has made you holy and without sin, and he has shown his unconditional love to you. He is the designer, manufacturer and purchaser of the new life you are to clothe yourself with.

In addition to these, God forgave you. Do not hold onto earthly sinful ideas of grudges or payback but live in the freedom of Christ’s sacrifice for all sin and forgive others as we hear in Colossians 3, 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. These words remind us of the Lord’s prayer from Matthew 6, 12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. Christ’s patience and forgiveness for us frees us from selfish agendas to lovingly tolerate habits and personalities we dislike and to forgive others for their sins. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Unconditional love knits all Christians together. Our unity comes from Christ who is the head of his body the church as we read in Colossians 3, 15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. God establishes peace between Christians because he has put to death our sins and the power of our sinful nature. The peace of Christ settles conflicts and gives us thankful hearts.

Then there is singing. In our Gospel reading from Luke 2, the Holy Spirit promised an elderly man named Simeon that he would see the Messiah before he died. After holding the child Jesus in his arms, Simeon praised God saying, 29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. 30 For my eyes have seen your salvation, 31 which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.” Seeing Jesus filled Simeon’s heart with peace. Today it is our custom to sing these words after communion as we have peace with God through his body and blood given to us for the forgiveness of our sins. The message of our songs is their foundation. The style, instruments, singers and musicians in church are blessings, but the words are the focus. The words of a song hit the head, heart, body and soul. The words of a song are the most impactful when centered on the message of Christ as we read in Colossians 3, 16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. Singing is an instrument for teaching and admonishing. The message of Christ must fill and characterize the songs we use in worship. These messages of Christ set to music and sung are for use when we gather. The message of Christ is not only for your individual knowledge or walk with God. Although viewing a live or recorded worship service, song or sermon does strengthen your faith, it is not a replacement for gathering together. The body of Christ is meant to gather together to sing the message of Christ to teach and admonish or call out sin among one another. An earthly selfish view of singing the message of Christ is one that does not gather to share with others and gather to be encouraged and held accountable. When we gather together, there are words and actions, and although it is not the only way, it is a beautiful way that we keep the encouragement from the last verse of our reading from Colossians 3, 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Like the Christians gathered in Colosse, these words refocus us to put to death the old earthy nature and live as the new creation serving God and our neighbor out of love.

Christmas songs like “Jingle Bells” are seasonal. Christ centered songs are not. They keep the Christmas spirit year-round because the peace, hope, joy and love they offer are not earthly, but heavenly. Jesus came from heaven and was born to save us. Our sinful world viewed Christ as unsolicited, and he hung rejected on the cross to die for our sins earning the right to forgive us. In love, he established peace between God and all people. Christ is your spam filter for truth. Christ is your agenda for 2024 as you plan your words and deeds. Christ is the star of your play list. You are his chosen people, holy and dearly loved, therefore clothe yourselves with Christ. Amen.