Main Text: Colossians 1:1-14 (Deuteronomy 30:9-14; Luke 10:25-37)
To believe in the resurrection is to believe that death no longer separates us from the love of God in Jesus Christ. Jesus then is the living object of our faith who is not impacted, changed or defeated by what is happening in our lives and world. This means that we always have a focal point upon which we can confidently build our lives. We are to lead lives worthy of the Lord. Our reading from Deuteronomy claims that the law is not something that is too hard to follow or hard to see. The law was God’s gift of how-to live-in relationship as it was meant to be with God and all creation. It was meant to bring God close. Unfortunately, the closer that God became the more people pulled away. They wanted something they could control and embody. The Gospel story of Jesus encounter with the lawyer illustrates this. He wanted to justify himself. He was not concerned about a relationship with God as much as assurance he had satisfied God’s demands. Therefore, he wanted a definition of neighbor that he could manage. The purpose of the law was not for people to accomplish it, but rather for God to accomplish His will through it in and through the lives of God’s people. Jesus fulfilled the law and overcame death, so that now we can conform our lives to his. It is an invitation to a better life than the world can offer. How are you leading a life worthy of the Lord? Where do you need to conform your life to his? Because the object of our faith is always before us, may the Spirit give us the ability to follow.