The Invisible God Made Visible—Lectionary Reflection for Pentecost 6C/Proper 11 (Colossians 1)

Colossians 1:15-29 New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

¹⁵ He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation, ¹⁶ for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him. ¹⁷ He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. ¹⁸ He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. ¹⁹ For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, ²⁰ and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.

²¹ And you who were once estranged and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, ²² he has now reconciled in his fleshly body through death, so as to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable before him, ²³ provided that you continue securely established and steadfast in the faith, without shifting from the hope promised by the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven. I, Paul, became a minister of this gospel.

²⁴ I am now rejoicing in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am completing what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church. ²⁵ I became its minister according to God’s commission that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, ²⁶ the mystery that has been hidden throughout the ages and generations but has now been revealed to his saints. ²⁷ To them God chose to make known how great among the gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. ²⁸ It is he whom we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone in all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ. ²⁹ For this I toil and strive with all the energy that he powerfully inspires within me.

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                The Colossian letter, whether written by Paul or not, offers us a cosmic vision of Jesus. What we have in these verses from the second half of chapter one, are densely packed with theological materials that require unpacking (though we can’t unpack everything here). What I can say is that this cosmic Christology offered to us in the Colossian letter reminds us that in the eyes of the biblical author, Jesus is more than a mere human. He is the one in whom the fullness of God dwells. To borrow from the Gospel of John, he is the Word of God in the flesh (John 1:1-14).

According to the letter, Christ is the “image of the invisible God.” As the first born of creation, everything that exists, whether visible or invisible, was created for him and in him. In other words, this Jesus is not your average human being. He may be a prophet, but according to the letter (from now on we’ll just refer to the author as Paul), he’s more than a prophet. While we humans have been created in the image of God (Gen. 1:26), he is the image in whom we are created. Again, according to this passage, he’s more than we are. He is the “first born of creation,” and as such holds supremacy over all things, which are created in him and for him. As the fullness of deity dwells in him (vs. 18), this is what we call a “high Christology.” So, who is this Jesus we encounter here in the Colossian letter?

                While the passage begins with a cosmic vision of God and the one who is the image of God, through whom and in whom and for whom all things are created, there is a practical implication that comes as the passage moves towards its conclusion. First, Paul acknowledges our position living in the context of “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Col. 1:27). With that in mind, Paul speaks of his engagement, along with his companions, in the act of preaching and teaching, so they might present everyone in the church as mature in Christ.

                The hymn that forms the basis of the opening verses of the chapter are cosmic in nature, but then for Paul, at least in this context, the work he’s involved in has cosmic implications. He is dealing with “thrones or dominions or rulers or powers,” all of which have been created through Jesus and for Jesus. These entities can be benevolent, serving the needs of creation, or malevolent. They have their purpose, but as we know, they can be used in ways that don’t reflect the glory of God. Paul offers a dualistic vision of reality, such that something spiritual stands behind the material/physical reality. As Paul (or his successor) puts it in the Ephesian letter, “our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” Therefore, Paul urges the Ephesians to put on the “whole armor of God” (Eph. 6:10-17).    

So, the message here is first: Jesus is the “image of the invisible God” and “in him all things hold together.” He is the glue, in other words, that keeps the world together.  He is also the “head of the body, the church.” Both the world and the church find their origin in Christ, the image of the invisible God. As such, Paul works diligently to bring God’s people to maturity, for the good of God’s creation. That message, first revealed to the saints, has now been revealed to the Gentiles. The passage begins with a hymn and concludes with a charge. In other words, theology and practice go together.   

An important component of this message concerns the spiritual dimensions of Christian life in the world. Paul declares first of all that Jesus has “first place in everything.” That is because “the fulness of God was pleased to dwell.” Therefore, God was “pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven.” God does this through the blood of Jesus shed on the cross. In other words, Christ is involved in all facets of human existence, from creation to redemption. In fact, Paul hints here of the restoration of all things, not just what is human but the brokenness that exists within creation itself. While Paul couldn’t envision the universe as we know it in the first century, can’t we extend the vision? I don’t know the extent to which there is brokenness across the universe. That’s nothing something I can fully comprehend, but I’m guessing that whatever is true in this part of the universe is possible elsewhere. For those of us brought up on one form or another of Star Trek, even in Gene Rodenberry’s somewhat utopian vision of the universe, peace is not present everywhere, not even within the Federation. Thus, the Enterprise is a heavily armed vessel. But for Paul, there is an ultimate vision of reality in which all things are restored/reconciled. That is God’s kingdom, over which Jesus presides. We’re just not there yet, at least not in its fulness.     

As we ponder the opening verses (15-20), let us remember that this section takes the form of a hymn. Perhaps this is one of the congregation’s favorite hymns, and so Paul, wanting to get his point across, borrows from it. I can’t prove that to be true, but as a preacher, I know the value of quoting from favorite hymns as I bring the message. We know from other letters, that Paul and his successors were known to do this. Consider 1 Corinthians 13.

The connector between the opening hymn and the word of wisdom Paul offers the Colossian church concerns the message given to the Gentiles in the community. He speaks here of those who were once “estranged and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds.” Christ has, through his death, reconciled them to God, and now presents them to God as being holy and blameless. That’s what Christ has done for them and us, but its effectiveness requires that they remain “steadfast in the faith, without shifting from the hope promised by the gospel,” which had been proclaimed to them. There is no “once saved always saved” here. To embrace the message of Jesus doesn’t provide us with a get-out-of-jail-free card. You have to stick with the program, moving toward maturity.

                So, let us lift up the one who is the image of the invisible God, the one who reveals to us God’s nature and vision for creation (after all Christ is the one in whom and through whom God creates all things), for in him the fullness of God is present, so that we might know the one who transcends our reality, bringing restoration/reconciliation to this broken world of ours, through the cross. So, as John Buchanan puts it: “The promise here is that the world and everything in it are infinitely precious to God, and that God will never abandon the world. Neither should we. The moral imperative of a cosmic Christ is that our vocation includes loving care for creation” [Connections, p. 173]. Yes, if Jesus is Lord over creation, should we not also be concerned over that which God in Christ has created?

                While the vision here is cosmic and includes all of creation, over which Christ is Lord, we have to get back to our community, the church, of which Jesus is the head. Thus, because the church is the body of Christ, the one who directs the body is its head, Jesus the Christ. As members of that body, Paul understands his mission as one that leads to maturity or perfection in the faith. Thus, Marianne Meye Thompson writes:

“Perfect in Christ” means more than perfected in Christian faith, although it does not mean less than that; the exhortation to a steadfast and firm faith fits here with Paul’s vision of Christians being brought to the end or goal of their faithful commitment, their life in God in Christ. “Perfect in Christ” implies transformation into the likeness of Christ, who is the image of God (1:15). God’s perfected saints are those who have been changed by God into the glorious image of his Son (2 Cor 3:18). [Colossians & Philemon, p. 46]   

May we look to Christ, who is the “image of the invisible God” and the one in whom the fulness of God dwells, as the one who will bring us to maturity/perfection so we might experience reconciliation and be transformed into the likeness of Christ. Yes, to be in Christ is to be transformed into Christ’s glorious image.   

          So, we sing with Iola and Dave Brubeck:

God’s love made visible! Incomprehensible!

Christ is invincible! His love shall reign!

From love so bountiful, blessings uncountable 

make death insurmountable! His love shall Reign!  

[“God’s Love Made Visible!” (1975) Chalice Hymnal, 171]