Colossians 1:1-14 (NRSV)
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Chapter 1Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, Verse 2To the saints and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ in Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father.
Verse 3In our prayers for you we always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Verse 4for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, Verse 5because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. You have heard of this hope before in the word of the truth, the gospel Verse 6that has come to you. Just as it is bearing fruit and growing in the whole world, so it has been bearing fruit among yourselves from the day you heard it and truly comprehended the grace of God. Verse 7This you learned from Epaphras, our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, Verse 8and he has made known to us your love in the Spirit.
Verse 9For this reason, since the day we heard it, we have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God's will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, Verse 10so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God. Verse 11May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully
Verse 12giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. Verse 13He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, Verse 14in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Devotion
Bearing fruit. Not once, not twice, but three times, Paul writes to the saints and faithful sisters and brothers in Christ in Colossae about the Gospel bearing fruit through them.
I grew up on the eastern slope of Colorado’s Rockies where it was a good place to grow cherries, peaches and apples. Every summer we watched as the first blossoms erupted, dropped and then eventually ripened as a tiny fruit. There was fragrance, beauty and finally the harvest. Weather, disease and neglect often threatened growth and production, but by harvest time the only question was, “What do we do with all of the fruit?”
Ah yes, abundance is the challenge of grace! God’s grace continues to bear fruit through us to the world. How is God bearing fruit in you? What does it taste like? What does it look like?
Prayer
God of the orchard, God of creation, tend to your grace, tend to your people. Ripen your church that through us all may feast upon your good news. Continue to prune and care for us this day and always. Amen.