Let Earth Receive Her King – Colossians 1:15-20

There’s so much to think about this time of year. Maybe too much! There are gifts to be bought, cards to send out, decorations to hang, dinners and gatherings to prepare for, maybe vacations to plan. For students there were exams to take!

It’s easy for Jesus to become an afterthought. Who he is and what he has done might barely get any airtime at all in our minds and in our culture. And, sad to say, even when Jesus does get some airtime during this season, it’s often not the real Jesus that’s in focus at all. It’s often what I called “American Christmastime Jesus.” He’s lovable, perpetually a baby, and has little to no bearing on our real lives. He’s not much more than a cultural symbol of warmth, coziness, and fuzzy feels.

This past Sunday our aim was to catch a glimpse of the real Jesus — to have an encounter with the God-man himself. So we started by reading about his birth in Luke 2:1-7. Then we asked, “Who is this child?” For answers we turned to Colossians 1:15-20. 

The answers we found are intended by God to astound us. They’re meant to move us to on-our-knees worship! They’re meant to re-orient us completely and fill us with awe and deep-seated hope!

So, let’s return to those words in Colossians 1. I hope the questions below help you to see for yourself who the child in the manger truly is and to worship him as King — your King.

Questions for Reflection and Discussion

1. What’s been consuming you most during this Christmas season? In other words, what concerns, plans, or people have been most on your mind over the past few weeks?

 

2. How would you sum up in one sentence what Col 1:15-20 says about Jesus Christ? It might be hard to summarize in one short sentence, but give it a shot.

 

3. As you read through Colossians 1:15-20, is there any aspect of Christ’s identity that amazes you most? That drives you to worship and love him more?

 

4. Colossians 1:19 states that God intends to reconcile “all things” to himself through Jesus Christ. That includes the created, natural world in which we live. What excites you most about a world that is totally renewed and freed from the curse of sin?

 

5. Why was Christ’s physical death necessary to reconcile us to God? (See Heb 9:11-28. Are there other passages that answer this question for us?)

 

6. In order for us to truly appreciate the manger (the incarnation of God), why must we also cast our eyes on the cross (the crucifixion of God)? In what ways does the cross help us to fully understand the significance of the manger scene in Luke 2?

 

7. Colossians 1:23 counsels believers in Jesus to “continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard…” What in your life right now threatens to cause you to shift away from the hope of the gospel? What is distracting you from Jesus and the hope that is yours in him? What practical steps can we take to encourage one another to “continue in the faith, stable and steadfast”?

 

8. If everything this passage says about Christ is true, how must this affect the way you live in the year ahead (e.g., your priorities, your goals, the way you use your time in 2018)?