Book: Colossians

There is only one Kingdom that will last forever! And that Kingdom is the only place we can take refuge. Until Christ comes again, earthly kingdoms will rise and fall. Christians will face persecution, but our hope is in the one who reigns forever.

Our earthly lives are fleeting, and most people have great difficulty with that – a lament which is echoed by the author of Ecclesiastes. To cope with our mortality, so many of us resort to vanity – pride in our own achievements or appearance, and devoting our lives to worthless things. We pile up possessions on earth which we cannot take with us when we die. But our most prized possession should in fact be God. As the famous hymn says, “we are rich in things, but poor in soul.” But as Luke’s Gospel challenges us, we must instead be rich towards God.

A person who is held captive by ideology will use his end to justify any means. This is why we see our own social and political discourse breaking down today – ideology, not reason and the love of Christ, is what controls both sides of the debate. We as a people have been taken captive by philosophy and empty deceit. Listen as the Rector discusses Paul’s warning to the Colossians, and to us today.

What are you anxious about? By virtue of living on this side of the veil of tears, the list is long. Sometimes our anxieties are big: the safety and security of our country; the rising tension in national politics; the kind of future our children and grandchildren will be born into; the state of the economy (“did you hear we hit another 40-year high for inflation?”); nuclear war; natural disaster; widespread disease. We are anxious about many things. This is why the story of Martha hosting Jesus at her home is memorable to us, because it is relatable. Being anxious is normal, but it is not helpful. Listen as the Rector explains how we can focus on that which is necessary by the power of prayer.

If we don’t do what we ought, and if we don’t give due diligence to doing the things we should, then we are going to fall down, susceptible to the powers of sin. There is a fatigue currently affecting believers to do this due diligence in the midst of a culture of increasing opposition to the Gospel. We can only overcome spiritual fatigue by trusting God at His Word and resting in his Son Jesus Christ. Listen as the Rev. Galloway instructs us to overcome spiritual fatigue by following in the example of the Good Samaritan.