Holding Life Together When It Feels Like Its Falling Apart
Colossians 1:9-20 (New International Version)
9For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. 10And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully 12giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. 13For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
15He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. 17He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
INTRODUCTION: The “Original” Theory of Everything.
Albert Einstein dreamed of finding a single theory that would embrace all of nature’s laws. But in his quest for this unified theory, Einstein came up empty-handed. Others followed and pursued what has come to be known as the Theory of Everything, seeking to define all the laws of the universe in one theory. Proponents of the theory of everything see the universe as a grand cosmic symphony.
If the universe is a grand cosmic symphony, who’s writing the music? Who’s conducting the orchestra? In Colossians 1, Paul writes the “original” theory of everything. For Paul, Jesus is the source of holding life together. Does that work for you? Is life holding together or is it unraveling at the seams?
One sign life is unraveling is when worry hits us. Corrie Ten Boom spoke of the unraveling effects of worry, when she said, “Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, but it empties today of it’s strength.” Along with worry, life seems to unravel with stress, pain, suffering, and the list could continue. These all can challenge the togetherness we feel in life. Today for those of us who feel life unraveling, Paul offers Jesus who holds life together even when it feels like it is falling apart. Today let’s look at 3 handles in Holding Life Together When It Feels Like It’s Falling Apart
HANDLE 1. CONNECT: Link up to Jesus the source of life. Perhaps a little schoolgirl put it best when she said, “Some people couldn’t hear God’s inside whisper, and so he sent Jesus to tell them out loud.”
In Jesus, we see God’s compassion — out loud. In Jesus, we feel God’s power — out loud. In Jesus, we experience God’s love – out loud. In Jesus, we get a sense of God’s personality — out loud. For Jesus is the source of life. Paul says in Colossians 1:16, For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels—everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him. -- (Msg)
A charming elderly Southern lady was trying to convince her nephews and nieces that southerners were the best people in the world. One of them asked, “Aunt Sue, do you mean that everything good and beautiful comes from the South?” She said, “Well, nearly everything.” One of them asked, “Do you think Jesus was a southerner?” She replied, “Well, he was good enough to be a Southerner.”
But the Bible won’t let us be content with affirming that Jesus was just a morally superior person or an inspired prophet or an example of love. Author C. S. Lewis reminds us we do not have that option. Lewis claims if we read the Bible fully and objectively we will conclude Jesus was either God or a complete lunatic. There is no middle ground.
When Jesus’ disciples asked to see God the Father, Jesus replied, “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father.” He said, “Before Abraham was, I am.” Those words “I am” were the traditional Hebrew name for God.
Other teachers had said, “This is the way you should live.” But Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but by me.”
It takes some audacity to claim God visited this planet only once in the form of a human being, and that we are privileged to know that person. It takes audacity to claim that the church has the franchise on the only worldwide message of salvation. Then, by God’s grace, let’s be audacious! Because the Bible declares it, history confirms it and God wants us to know that in Jesus we see the fullness of God.
Paul shares what Jesus came to do in Colossians 1:14, 20, 14We have been bought by His blood and made free. Our sins are forgiven through Him. … 20Everything in heaven and on earth can come to God because of Christ’s death on the cross. Christ’s blood has made peace. -- (New Living Version)
HANDLE 2. PRAY: Stay in contact with Jesus the source of wisdom and understanding. In 1495 Leonardo DaVinci began to paint his immortal vision of the Last Supper. Working slowly and with great care for detail, he spent 3 years completing the painting. When he finally finished he called a trusted friend to see it. “Give me your honest opinion,” said DaVinci.
“It’s wonderful”’ said his friend. “In fact, that cup is so real I cannot keep my eyes off it.”
Immediately, DaVinci took a brush and drew it across the sparkling cup, removing its glow. He said, “If it affects you that way, it must not remain.”
“But why,” asked his friend. “The cup was beautiful.”
“Because,” said the great artist, “Nothing whatsoever shall distract attention from the figure of Christ.” Prayer keeps us in contact with Jesus. Prayer clarifies our focus. Paul recognizes prayer’s power in Colossians 1:9, So we have continued praying for you ever since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you a complete understanding of what he wants to do in your lives, and we ask him to make you wise with spiritual wisdom. -- (NLT)
Recently I received a thank you letter from a member we assisted. Let me share what she wrote about the power of prayer, “We had some difficult times over the past 2 years with the personal issues related to my marriage that we were dealing with. There were times I thought I could not deal with another obstacle or problem that was put in my path. With the help and prayers of so many from Christ Lutheran Church we were able to get through it. I personally had so many blessings and answers to prayer. … Day after day, down to (the) most minor thing, God never let me down. He was always there and He heard my prayers and those who were praying for me and He answered them. There were times when I was shocked and amazed at how things turned out and then I would have to remind myself that it was only because of His great love for me and that I had simply prayed. God tells us in His scriptures that we are to pray without ceasing and ask for what we want in His name and He will supply all our needs. So why was I so shocked. Human nature I guess.”
Folks, God answers prayer. That’s why in the midst of saying Jesus holds life together, He writes of prayer in Colossians 1:11, We pray that you’ll have the strength to stick it out over the long haul—not the grim strength of gritting your teeth but the glory-strength God gives. It is strength that endures the unendurable and spills over into joy. -- (Msg)
HANDLE 3. GIVE THANKS: Have Jesus adjust your attitude to gratitude, and He will change your life. As we approach Thanksgiving this week, it is good to remember to be thankful. I came across a list this week of Some Things To Be Thankful For This Thanksgiving.
1. Be thankful for automatic dishwashers. They make it possible to get out of the kitchen before the family come in for their after-dinner snacks.
2. Be thankful for husbands who attack small repair jobs around the house. They usually make them big enough to call in professionals.
3. Be thankful for children who put away their things and clean up after themselves. They’re such a joy you hate to see them go home to their own parents.
4. Be thankful for teenagers. They give parents an opportunity to learn a second language.
5. Be thankful for smoke alarms. They let you know when the turkey’s done.
Paul speaks of a greater reason to give thanks in Colossians 1:12, And you will joyfully give thanks to the Father who has made you able to have a share in all that he has prepared for his people in the kingdom of light. -- (New Century Version)
According to one man (Meister Eckart), the most important prayer in the world is 2 words long, “Thank you.” I have discovered there is power in giving thanks to God. Giving thanks even when life is falling apart provides a needed attitude adjustment towards gratitude. The reason for such thanks Paul shares in Colossians 1:13, God rescued us from dead-end alleys and dark dungeons. He’s set us up in the kingdom of the Son he loves so much. -- (Msg) God rescued us by sacrificing His Son on the cross. The One who holds life together gave His life that we might live.
So where do you need an attitude adjustment? And may I suggest, don’t try it on your own for we typically live by circumstances, but build on what God has done for us through Jesus Christ.
CONCLUSION: Do you spot the gorilla?
Why do some people see opportunities others miss? In the book, “Did You Spot the Gorilla?” psychologist Richard Wiseman describes an experiment that provides a clue. Volunteers watched a 30-second video of two teams playing basketball and were asked to count the number of times one of the teams passed the ball. What they weren’t told was that halfway through the video, a man dressed in a gorilla’s suit would run onto the court, stand in front of the camera, and beat his chest. Amazingly only a few of the volunteers spotted the man in the gorilla suit. Most of the volunteers were so intent on counting passes that they completely missed the gorilla.
Wiseman concludes that most people go through life so focused on the immediate task at hand that they completely miss gorilla opportunities. He gives the example of a team of 3M researchers who were trying to develop a high-strength adhesive. One of their attempts produced a product that was actually the opposite—a very low-strength adhesive. Most of the team thought the result was a failure, but one saw it as an opportunity. That adhesive failure went on to became the invention that made 3M Post-It notes a reality.
If we aren’t careful, we can be so fixated on the mundane, that we miss God-given opportunities of significance. This week make sure you spot the gorilla of God’s grace. Spot Jesus who holds all life together.
Reaffirm your connection with Christ. Set aside time to pray, and give God permission to interrupt your day with His response. Give thanks this week in worship and in your own expression to God of the thanks we have for Jesus who holds life together even when it feels like it’s falling apart. Amen.
