Sunday May 18, 2014 | Greg Boyd
7 Tychicus will tell you all the news about me; he is a beloved brother, a faithful minister, and a fellow servant in the Lord. 8 I have sent him to you for this very purpose, so that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts; 9 he is coming with Onesimus, the faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will tell you about everything here.
10 Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, as does Mark the cousin of Barnabas, concerning whom you have received instructions—if he comes to you, welcome him. 11 And Jesus who is called Justus greets you. These are the only ones of the circumcision among my co-workers for the kingdom of God, and they have been a comfort to me. 12 Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you. He is always wrestling in his prayers on your behalf, so that you may stand mature and fully assured in everything that God wills. 13 For I testify for him that he has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and in Hierapolis. 14 Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas greet you. 15 Give my greetings to the brothers and sisters in Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house. 16 And when this letter has been read among you, have it read also in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you read also the letter from Laodicea. 17 And say to Archippus, “See that you complete the task that you have received in the Lord.”
18 I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.
The little things we do in the Kingdom make a big difference. In this sermon, Greg shows that the incarnation and cross are spiritual and physical realities for us.
The incarnation and the cross show that our faith should be physical and spiritual. The incarnation and the cross refute the platonic idea of separating the physical and spiritual. For God, both are important, and this is shown by Jesus taking on the messy, physical reality of this world. We are similarly called to have this type of theology, where are separate from the world yet a part of the world. For Paul, he was telling the Colossians to take part in messy relationships that humans have with one another, and in this way, they would be illustrating the God who reveals himself to creation.
Greeting, welcoming, helping, praying and charging were revelation of the importance of the little things in the Kingdom. These little acts of grace affirm the worth of one another. Many Christians say they love and would lay down their life for their enemies, and yet we have trouble saying hello, welcome and how are you. It feels like, in our society, that our culture is losing its common decency of making another feel welcomed, acknowledged, and let them know they have worth. It seems to be that the first thing someone should sense in us is a welcoming and comforting presence.
This passage also shows that Jesus followers should have intimate relationships. In our culture of individualism, it is often easier to insulate oneself from everyone else. But, we’re made in the image of a triune God and we were made for intimate relationships. We all have a core need to know and be known. We only grow and thrive in the Kingdom as long as we have these intimate relationships with other Christians. We are all threads that should be woven into one tapestry, and this is what forms the Kingdom.
We all need intimate relationships in the Kingdom, and we need to seek them out and go deeper. If you are not currently in this type of relationship, be praying and keep your eyes open as you greet people. Get involved in local ministry and try to find kindred spirits that are around you. Toward all people, our love must be incarnate and it starts with small acts of affirmation. In this way, we will begin to embody the image of the Triune God in which we were created.