Read: Colossians 1:17-18
In him all things hold together. (v. 17)
“Everything seems to be falling apart!” All through history, and certainly in more recent times, people have found cause to make such a dire observation. It does not matter if it’s in the realm of domestic politics, international relations, or even within our families, sometimes things feel like they are rattling apart. There is no glue left to hold us together. The world seems to be going down the tubes.
Sometimes we feel that way inside our congregations or denominations. Splits and rumors of schism are not uncommon. Summertime is often the season when denominations hold their synods and general assemblies, and not infrequently, those are the gatherings where tremors of disunity begin.
Paul had a grander vision. As we noted yesterday in Colossians 1:15-16, Paul was delighted to proclaim with zestful enthusiasm that Jesus is the Creator of the entire cosmos. In today’s verses, he delighted to note that this same Jesus is the head of the church. And somehow—despite all the fractures of history and our own families—in Christ all things manage to hold together. He’s got this thing.
At the end of the day when history’s curtain rings down, we will discover that the one who created it all has redeemed it all too. The center holds. It holds in Christ. Paul wanted the Colossians to draw comfort from that. God wants the same for us. —Scott Hoezee
As you pray, ask God to widen your vision to see the Christ in whom the pieces of our lives still hold together.
About the Author
Scott Hoezee is an ordained pastor in the Christian Reformed Church of North America. He served two Michigan congregations from 1990-2005 and since 2005 has been a faculty member at Calvin Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he serves chiefly as the Director of The Center for Excellence in Preaching. He is the author of several books, including most recently Why We Listen to Sermons (Calvin Press 2019) and is the co-host of the “Groundwork” radio program.
