Epaphras. Onesimus. Nympha. Paul.

Selections from Colossians come up in the RCL for this season. Why not double-dog dare ourselves to read every word of this (perhaps) Pauline epistle? Over several weeks, we can trace his argument: theology->Christology->self-introduction->you (baptized)->ethical behavior->household code->prosopography (which is a list of persons, the cloud of witnesses that communities rely on). We’ll pause for a “bottle episode” on Philemon, because it’s quite possible that Philemon and Colossians were written, delivered, and read at the same time.

Thanks be to God for you! Selections from Colossians come up in the RCL for this season. Why not double-dog dare ourselves to read every word of this (perhaps) Pauline epistle? The letter begins by placing all of us in the context of God, the Source of all knowledge and wisdom – everything we need to know for the saintly life we’re called to live. “This is Who God is.”

In whom all the Fullness was pleased to dwell. Riffing on an ancient Christological hymn, humble Jesus of Nazareth is acclaimed as the cosmic Reconciler/Peacemaker, and his ignominious death converts to a glorious reversal of the world’s deep brokenness.

This is me. Our author has not met the church to which he writes, so he introduces himself. He is primarily a servant (slave) of God, and a steward of the divine mystery of God’s inclusion of the Gentiles, making the gospel universal (for “every human being”, v. 28) rather than a localized expression of Judaism.

This is you. Our author may not have met the Colossian Christians, but the only identity he’s interested in is their baptized identity. This is in contrast to troublemakers who want to assess additional requirements for the super-religious; there is no “leveling up” from a simple, wholehearted commitment to “walk in Jesus” (v. 6).

Comportment for Community. In the typical movement for epistles, the author moves from theological explication to ethical exhortation by means of a single “therefore” (v. 1). What does the Christ-subsumed life look like on the ground? Egalitarian…mutual…forgiving…in the name of love, practiced in worship…

Bottle episode: Philemon, Onesimus, Paul. Two names appear in the epistles of both Colossians and Philemon: Epaphras and Onesimus. They are the carriers of both correspondences on the author’s behalf. What do we learn from Philemon about the trajectory of biblical theology concerning the rigorous hierarchy of enslavement?

The household code. This is the kind of stuff that makes people say, “I hate Paul.” Is it redeemable? Does it matter? Can we find there the evidence of a trajectory toward liberation, equality, justice? Does it matter?

A collection of co-conspirators, a cloud of witnesses, the great congregation. How many workers, how many witnesses, how many helpers, how many heads-of-household does it take to make a church? Lots. How much can we learn from these names about the way the early church functioned, and the way ours could, too? Lots.