A Chosen Community - Colossians 3:12-17 Part Three

A Chosen Community – Colossians 3:12-17

Part Three

Concluding Reflections

The proliferation of new civic organizations and social clubs demonstrate the pervasive hunger that many people have to belong to something.  They want to be accepted by peers, colleagues, neighbors and friends.  Each spring on the nation’s college and university campuses, millions of students submit to insidious actions as they rush to join fraternities and sororities.  They desire to belong to these groups and receive the privileges of membership leads them to commit ridiculous deeds in which they demean themselves and possibly risk their lives.  The thirst to belong fuels this acquiescence of nonsense and superficiality.  In addition, some of them join these groups because they believe that they obtain identity, authority and benefits that they could not acquire otherwise.  Then, there are the people who do not join any groups because of their fear of rejection.  These types of persons also find it difficult to believe that they will be included wholly in the community.  In sum, whether groveling in a self-effacing manner or pretending to prefer isolation, people have a tremendous need to belong to a community.

In my mind, I hear the theme song to the “Cheers” sit-com placed in a bar in Boston.  “Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name and they’re always glad you came.  You want be where everybody knows your name.”  The bar community of “Cheers” afforded each cast member a place where he or she was valued for simply showing up.  Although they fought with each other, they always found a way to forgive and move on.  They shared each other’s successes and they hurt in the midst of each other’s pain.  Seemingly, they loved each other unconditionally.  Would it not be great if each local church could have the same thought of its group of disciples?

Lesson Objectives

• Define what it means to be a chosen community in Christ.
• List the characteristics of a chosen community.
• Study carefully Paul’s list of virtues and assess our progress, individually and corporately, in obtaining them.

Prayer

Gracious God our Father, Redeemer and Counselor, teach us that we belong to You.  We are Your children and we are members of Your family.  Daily, let us recall the inheritance that we enjoy as members of the household of faith.  Grant us a special grace to sustain us in the assurance of Your love until we are admitted to the communion of saints, heavenly hosts and goodly fellowship of the eternally redeemed.  In the Name of our Lord Jesus who lives and reigns with Thee and the Holy Spirit forevermore, we pray.  Amen.