 St Alban’s Episcopal Church Bolivar, Missouri Sunday, July 17, 2022 Adult class at 9:30 The Epistle – Colossians 1:15-28  The Adult Class – 9:30 AM The Episcopal Way Ryan Williams will lead the last class on this book today – The final two chapters will be combined. Searching for Sunday On July 24 we will begin the new book, Searching for Sunday, by Rachel Held Evans. You can order it for kindle or as a used book. Instead of a single leader, we will take turns leading the conversation, Mother Cathy will start the discussion on that day, but any others who are willing will be invited to take a Sunday to lead the conversation. Colossians 1:15-28 This is the second of three readings from this epistle. Mother Cathy will be preaching from Colossians next week – but today Ruth Lewis will make reference to it in her sermon as well. Jesus is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions of rulers or powers – all things have been created through him, and for him. He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether in earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross. And you who were once estranged and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his fleshly body through death, so as to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable before him – provided that you continue securely established and steadfast in the faith, without shifting from the hope promised by the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven. I, Paul, became a servant of this gospel. I am now rejoicing in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am completing what is lacking in Christ’s affliction for the sake of his body, that is, the church. I became its servant according to God’s commission that was given me for you, to make the word of God fully known, the mystery that has been hidden for generations but has now been revealed to his saints. To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. It is he whom we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone in all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ.  |
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