Dear Family at Christ Community,

     Our time of worship on Sunday will focus on Colossians 3:5-11 in which Paul commands us to put to death what is earthly within us through the power of our resurrected union with Christ. We have the opportunity to respond in part by partaking of the Lord’s Table. What a glorious reminder that before we can act on any command or call to duty we must first confess our frailty and need for Christ alone by faith alone through God’s grace alone! The broken bread reminds us of our forgiveness and reconciliation to God which means that our obedience does not earn God’s love but reveals its impact on our lives. The filled cup signifies our resurrected newness of life which grants us the ability to reflect the glorious image of God in our words and deeds. Both nourish us in Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit before we take the first step to put to death and put off the deadly things of the flesh.

     In commenting on the Colossians obeying Paul’s command to put to death what is earthly within them and to put off the old self and put on the new self, David E. Garland in The NIV Application Commentary: Colossians/Philemon wisely observes:

The new life of obedience does not depend on their own feeble moral resolve but comes from being united to (Christ).

All of our feeble moral efforts and plans are of no value in stopping our earthly indulgences given that the problem is ultimately a worship disorder. Our obedience must rise from the foundation in which we are rooted in union with Christ!

     As you prepare for the table this week, give thanks to our Abba Father for His provision of Christ and the ongoing means of grace to remind us of who we are in Him. Repent of relying on your own feeble moral resolve in trying to be obedient. Seek forgiveness for ignoring the call to obedience in your sanctification. Pursue reconciliation with any you are currently at odds with. Forgive those who have offended you. Pray for those who will join you at the table that they would be reminded of these glorious truths.

In Christ,
Cameron