Daily Readings - Fri Sep 03 2021
Colossians
15He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.16For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things were created through him and for him.17And he 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, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.19For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,20and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
Luke
33And they said to him, "The disciples of John fast often and offer prayers, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours eat and drink."34And Jesus said to them, "Can you make wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them?35The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days."36He also told them a parable: "No one tears a piece from a new garment and puts it on an old garment. If he does, he will tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old.37And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed.38But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins.39And no one after drinking old wine desires new, for he says, 'The old is good.'"
Sermon
In today’s readings, we encounter profound truths about Jesus Christ and the nature of His mission. The first reading from Colossians presents Jesus as the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation, and the head of the Church. This passage emphasizes Christ’s supremacy and role in creation and redemption. The Gospel from Luke, on the other hand, offers a practical lesson about the newness of life in Christ. Jesus responds to criticism about His disciples’ lack of fasting by using parables of the patch, wineskins, and wine, highlighting the incompatibility of old practices with the new life He brings.
The context of these readings is crucial. Colossians was written to a church facing heresies that diminished Christ’s divinity and role in creation. Paul’s emphasis on Christ’s primacy serves to correct such errors. In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus addresses critics who are tied to old religious practices, unable to embrace the freedom and joy of the Kingdom He proclaims. Together, these readings remind us that Jesus is both the foundation of all existence and the source of new life that cannot be confined by old ways of thinking or living.
As we apply these readings to our daily lives, we are invited to reflect on our openness to the newness of life in Christ. Jesus calls us to embrace the freedom and joy of the Gospel, rather than clinging to outdated practices or mindsets that stifle growth. The moral lesson here is clear: our faith must be fresh and vibrant, like new wine in new wineskins. We are called to trust in Christ’s transformative power and to live in a way that reflects the renewal He brings to our hearts and lives. Let us, therefore, seek to live as people who are open to the new things God is doing, trusting that Jesus is always the source of true life and renewal.