Wednesday after Ad te levavi, The First Sunday in Advent
Posted on December 4, 2019 by under
Scripture: Colossians 1:15-29 (NKJV)
1:15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. 18 And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.
19 For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, 20 and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.
21 And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled 22 in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight—23 if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.
24 I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church, 25 of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God, 26 the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. 27 To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. 29 To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily.
Devotion
God uses His divine mysteries to show us the reality of His grace and mercy. Jesus Christ crucified is the clear, profound image of God coming to us to heal and save us. Baptism is a visible work that He does to show that we are cleansed from sin and given faith, even faith like a child, by familiar water and His explicit Word. His Holy Supper is the real food and drink that are also the true manifestation of His Body and Blood, and a picture of faithful unity in confession. And the Ministry of His called and ordained servants is how He continues to be heard, how He continues to give His gifts, and how He performs these actions.
God’s mysteries are not some puppet show or theater drama. He’s not trying to hide blessings from us or form some elitist club. He comes to us in these divine mysteries to show us precise images of the Truth on His terms. In them He teaches us to be humble and receive His holy blessings as He gives them, not as our grubby, sinful hands would grab them or twist them.
His blessed mysteries give us the real picture of His love and peace. As we are made faithful members of His mystical Body, the Church, we are to be strengthened by them, and we are to use them to help others see His clear images of life and salvation in Jesus Christ our Lord!
We pray: Stir up, we beseech Thee, Thy power, O Lord, and come, that by Thy protection we may be rescued from the threatening perils of our sins and saved by Thy mighty deliverance; who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
