Colossians 1:18-20
Recently the media looked back at Ronald Reagan. The backward look recognized the beginning of his centennial year and the 30th anniversary of his presidency. They talked about a lot of things—his policies, his ideology. Of course they recalled March 1981 when John Hinkley attempted to assassinate Reagan when the president had barely been in office two months.
Reagan was rushed to the hospital, stabilized, and prepared for surgery to remove a bullet in his chest. As he was rolled into the operating room, he removed the oxygen mask and quipped, “I hope you are all Republicans.” Everyone laughed and the surgeon, Dr Joseph Giordano, replied, “Today, Mr. President, we are all Republicans.”
In the hectic hours after the shooting, Secretary of State Alexander Haig went to the White House and announced, "I am in charge...."
The words were hardly out of his mouth before the criticism began. Haig, despite what may have been the best of intentions, had overstated his authority and ignored the constitutional role of the vice- president In the midst of a crisis, Haig thought he heard the American people asking, "Who's in charge?," and then gave them the wrong answer.
The Colossian Christians had always thought they knew the answer to the question, "Who's in charge?" But, then, it seems, they began to listen to alternative answers.
In response, Paul affirmed Christ's right to lead the church. He says, Christ is the "Head of the Body—the church." If the first stanza of this hymn speaks of Christ's relationship to the creation, this stanza speaks of his relationship with the 'new creation.' This is an important affirmation for those in Christ. As "Head" he has the right to direct the church, to shape its ministry, and inform its message.
Paul lists several reasons why Christ has this right.
Christ has the right to be the Head of the church
è Because he is the source of its life.
This is implicit in the notion of "headship." The head is the source of nourishment and life. Should the Church's relationship with Christ somehow be severed, the church would die.
I don’t know much about flowers—I can recognize roses, daisies, carnations, and, of course, French Tulips. I learned about French Tulips when I saw them in one of the arrangements our daughter-in-law Mikelle made. It’s a beautiful flower with one color on the outside of the bloom and another on the inside. They're some of the most expensive flowers you can buy.
But let me tell you something about those expensive flowers and any flowers you'll get at any florist. They may look fresh when you buy them but very soon that will begin to change. Certainly you can use chemicals to prolong their freshness but eventually they will begin to wither. Why? They've been cut off from their source of life.
A church cut off from the source of its life may appear beautiful for a while but eventually it will begin to show the sure marks of atrophy. What are some of the marks of a church cut off from its Head?
• It will become more and more self-absorbed, with little interest in outreach and growth.
• It will become fearful, pursuing survival but not risk-taking for the Kingdom.
• It will become brittle and inflexible where it once welcomed adventure and change. . It will become confused, focusing its affections on something other than Christ. (Col. 2:29)
Any church unwilling to acknowledge Christ as Head endangers its very life.
à Christ has the right to be the Head of the church because of his work of Reconciliation.
Christ is the Peace-maker. In ways which defy simple explanation Christ's reconciling work is a wide as the universe.
Paul says, "For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven..." That statement begins with a reaffirmation of the incarnation. All that God is dwelt in Christ. In no way was he less than God.
But when Paul says that Christ reconciled all things to himself, that's not so easy to understand. Elsewhere in the New Testament, we're told that the entire universe was somehow impacted by the redemptive work of Christ. But we're not told how it was impacted.
At least this much is clear, wherever the Gospel is preached every man and woman has the potential to be reconciled to God through Christ.
Christ broke down the barriers between God and us.
That act of reconciliation gave birth to the community of believers who come from every race, social strata, and educational background. In Israel there are churches where you may find Christians of Jewish heritage worshipping alongside Christians of Palestinian heritage. How is it that these seemingly natural enemies are able to worship together? They are 'in Christ', joined in one Body through his work of reconciliation.
à Christ has the right to be the Head of the church because of his commitment which took him to the Cross.
Although Paul mentions the resurrection first, he does not neglect the cross. It is never far from his thoughts: Cross is the great symbol of God's love, of God's resolution to deal effectively with the problem of sin.
The crucifixion was not a tragic mistake, the act of a crowd out of control. It was not even the result of collusion between a corrupt religious authority and a despotic state, though it may have seemed so. It was cornerstone of God's strategy to make salvation possible.
Consider what Keith Patman has said:
Before lambs bled in Egypt, One was given. Before the worm tore Eden, pain was faced. Somewhere, before earth’s cornerstone was placed, a hammer crashed in heaven—nails were driven.
That reminds us of John's description of Christ in the Revelation as "the Lamb slain before foundation of the world." Before the Cosmic Christ spoke the word which formed the first atom, he had already committed himself to the cross.
By the cross, Christ made peace. The death of Christ not only brings about restored relationships between individuals and God, but it also liberates them form the hostile intentions of the 'principalities and powers." Paul’s readers would have understood these powers to be demonic agents who bring accusations against humans. God dealt with the basis of those accusations on the cross.
The false teachers may have focused on a "theology of glory", neglecting the role the crucifixion played in securing salvation.
This is an old story but it bears retelling: Imagine a young boy toiling tirelessly to create a beautiful model boat. When he finishes it, the boat is a testimony to his hard work. The masts are perfectly rigged. The miniature sails are finely proportioned.
Now imagine that one day, while the boy was sailing the boat on a nearby stream, a sudden wind gust takes it out of his reach. In a moment, the boat is lost.
If you can imagine the boy's grief at losing his treasured toy, you can also imagine his joy at seeing his boat in a shop window. A sign announces a price fitting its craftsmanship, a price beyond the boy's means.
It would do no good to tell the shopkeeper that he was the boat's maker and that it should be his. So, he approaches the shopkeeper with a proposition—he will work to earn enough money to buy the boat. Day after day the young boy mows grass, sweeps floors, empties trash, washes windows, and shovels snow, slowly earning the price of the boat. At last, he has enough.
He buys the boat and as he carries it away, he is heard to say, "Now, you are doubly mine: I made you and I bought you."
The Cosmic Christ made us, then he redeemed us—paid the price—to set us from death and sin.
à Christ has the right to be the Head of the church because of his victory over death which gives hope to believers.
Christ is described as "firstborn from among the dead". By this Paul means Christ was the pioneer in defeating death. As one translation renders it, "he leads the resurrection parade." He is the pioneer of those who would defeat death because of their relationship with him.
Paul then says that in light of the resurrection he is to have supremacy. That statement can be puzzling because Paul had already affirmed Christ's supremacy in the previous verses. I believe there are at least two possible explanations:
Paul may be simply saying that the Resurrection revealed Christ's supremacy which had been voluntarily hidden during earthly ministry.
Paul may be reminding his readers that the pre-incarnate Christ, the Second Person of the Trinity, being the eternal God, had never faced the threat of death. That was an entirely human experience. To demonstrate his supremacy Christ, the Incarnate God, faced man's greatest enemy—as a man. Faced it and won.
As we move through this Lenten season toward Easter, we ought to keep that in mind. Some of us have lost loved ones since the last Easter. Some of us still feel the loss of loved ones many Easters ago. Our hope of victory over the grave gives substance to the Easter faith which we share as Christians. All over the world Christians have a hope in the face of death.
So, if Christ is the Head of the Church, what does that mean for us—we who are in Christ and, thereby, in the church?
If Christ is the Head of the Church, we will turn to him to discover the church's proper agenda. The church's agenda is to proclaim the gospel and to transform those men and women who respond to the gospel into followers of Jesus Christ. Strangely enough, as more and more men and women become followers of Christ the prospect of truly achieving a new world order, one where peace and the end of hunger becomes a reality.
If Christ is the Head of the Church, we will acknowledge our dependence upon him. As churches and denominations become wealthier and more influential, the greater the danger they face of believing they can stand alone. Without Christ we will wither and die.
If Christ is the Head of the Church, we will make him not only the focus of our adoration and devotion, but the core of our message.
CONCLUSION
Paul wrote this letter while imprisoned for his faith. Most students believe he dictated it to Tychichus, his friend and the founder of the Colossian church, the man who would soon leave Paul to take the letter back to his congregation, that band of Christians facing a crisis of confidence.
I can imagine Paul, as he finished dictating the words of this hymn, pausing and turning to his friends to say, "Let's sing it one more time together."
Tychichus who would soon take the dangerous journey home needed the message of this hymn. Timothy—the timid young protégé of Paul's—was there; he knew he might soon be on his own, without Paul to turn to for counsel and encouragement. He needed the message of this hymn.
Paul, who might soon be called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice for his faith, needed the message of this hymn.
They all needed to hear that Christ is Lord, Lord of the universe, Lord of the Church, Lord of history, Lord of salvation.
As we face an uncertain future, one filled with threats to our very way of life, we need to hear the message of this hymn: Christ is Lord!
