Daily Readings - Wed Sep 11 2019
Colossians
1Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.2Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.3For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.4When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.5Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.6Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.7You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived.8But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.9Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices10and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.11Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.
Luke
20Looking at his disciples, he said: "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.21Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.22Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man.23"Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their fathers treated the prophets.24"But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort.25Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep.26Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets.
Sermon
In today's readings, we are invited to reflect on the transformative power of living a life rooted in Christ. The passage from Colossians urges us to seek heavenly things, to mortify our sinful desires, and to clothe ourselves in the new man created in God's image. This is a call to internal transformation, where our old selves are stripped away, and we are renewed in Christ. The Gospel from Luke presents us with the Beatitudes, where Jesus challenges us to reevaluate our understanding of true happiness. He blesses those who are poor, hungry, and mourning, while warning those who are wealthy and complacent. This is a call to external transformation, where our societal norms are turned upside down, and we are called to live in a way that reflects God's values rather than the world's.
The connection between these readings lies in their emphasis on transformation. In Colossians, we are called to transform our inner lives by putting on the new self, while in Luke, we are called to transform our external circumstances by living out the Beatitudes. Together, they remind us that following Christ is not just about belief but about a radical change in how we live. This transformation is not just for our own sake but for the sake of others, as we are called to reflect Christ's love and justice in the world.
Applying this to our daily lives, we are challenged to examine where we are holding onto old patterns of sin and where we are clinging to worldly comfort. Are we allowing Christ to transform us, or are we resisting His call to renewal? Let us ask ourselves: Are we living as people who have been raised with Christ, seeking the things that are above? Are we living out the Beatitudes, blessing those who are marginalized and being a source of hope for those in need? The moral lesson here is clear: True happiness and fulfillment come not from the things of this world but from living a life transformed by Christ, seeking His kingdom, and reflecting His love in all we do.