Colossians 1:15,17,18
“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
And he is before all things, and in Him, all things hold together.
And He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything He might be preeminent.”
During the holiday season, it’s easy to get overwhelmed with all there is to do in the few short weeks before Christmas. There are errands to run, shopping to do, and visiting relatives that take up every second of our free time. With the busyness of the season, we can forget why we celebrate this wonderful time of the year. I know this might sound cliché, but we need to remember those “He is the reason for the season” signs I see in yards across town. These verses remind us why we celebrate Christ not only at Christmas but every single day throughout the year. These verses give us three reasons why we must always remember and celebrate the glory of Christ.
Paul tells us in verse 15 that Christ is the image of God and the firstborn of all creation. God loves us so much that he gave us an image of who He is. Could you imagine being one of the disciples walking with Jesus and knowing this is the image of God! The God of the universe that created everything wanted us to see who He is and what He is like by sending us His Son.
The next reason comes in verse 17, when we see that Christ is before all things and holds all things together. Since Christ is part of the Godhead, he was there from before creation. He has been holding everything together since the beginning. If there is one thing that shows the Glory of Christ, it is the fact that he holds all of creation together. Without him, the universe would fall apart!
As we come to verse 18, we see another reason to celebrate the Glory of Christ. He is the head of the church and He should be supreme over everything that takes place in creation. A body without a head is a dead body. Christ is the head of the church so we should never take the magnitude of His Glory lightly.
For our church to fulfill His will we must always remember who is leading us and seek His ways above our own. And when we do this, we make Him supreme over everything in our lives and our church!
Take some time this holiday season to reflect on the Glory of Christ. There is nothing more our Savior wants than for us to celebrate his Glory.
Using the HEAR method to consider the verses above.
Highlight – what words or phrases jump out at you?
Explain – what does the passage mean?
Apply – how does the passage intersect with your life today?
Respond – how is God leading you to respond?
Brice Allumbaugh
Photo by Janko Ferlič on Unsplash