Scripture Commentary for November 24

Sermon (November 24) – “First Place”

Colossians 1:11-20

This letter to the church at Colossae beautifully describes how Christ is the beloved Son who establishes God's  kingdom. Being part of the kingdom leads to this hymn of thanksgiving.

Colossians is one of four letters written by the Apostle Paul while he was in prison. He was probably in a prison in Ephesus at the time. Paul was worried that the new church in Colossae would not be prepared for what it means to be a faithful church. Paul does two things to help them since he can’t be with them. He writes this letter and he prays for them.

Paul wants them to know that by living out their faith, they will experience fullness of life (v. 11.)

Notice that Paul writes in v. 12 that we are to give thanks. Being grateful is one of the common themes in this letter. Why? Because when we are grateful to God, this means we are aware of what God has done for us through Christ and what this means about who we are.

Verses 15-20 is a beautiful hymn/poem to help the Colossians celebrate the supremacy of Jesus Christ. This is appropriate for Christ the King Sunday!

John 6:25-35

Jesus has feed a crowd of thousands with a boy's small lunch of fish and bread. Now Jesus is talking with the crowd about the food that does not perish. He shares that he is the true Bread of Life.

What does this text teach us about who Jesus is? 1) v. 27 – He is the one upon whom the father has set his seal. Jesus is living out who God is through this wilderness feeding which reminds us of the wilderness feedings in the story of the Exodus. 2) v. 28 – By participating in this feeding, there is an expectation that the people who have been fed have a responsibility to form a new community by believing in Jesus as the one who has been sent by God.

V. 34 – This is a good prayer for us to help us remember our need to allow God to nourish our deepest hunger, not just physically, but also spiritually!

V. 35 – This is one of the seven “I am” statements that we find in the Gospel of John.  “I am the bread of life.” “I am the light of the world,” “I am the good shepherd,” etc.