Last Words to Live By
a sermon based on Colossians 3:12-17
by Rev. Frank Schaefer

When I read the words of Colossians 3 and 4, I am reminded  of the movie “John Q.” in which Denzel Washington plays a father who is willing to donate his own heart to his dying son whose only chance of survival is a transplant.  When John Q. says good bye to his son, supposedly the last time he would ever see him, last words of advice keep coming out of his mouth: be good to your mother . . . be kind, be good, don’t hang out with the wrong crowd . . . if someone offers you drugs, turn and run….

Paul seems in this mode of using a last chance of fatherly advice-giving.  He crams it all in there.: be good, be kind, be meek, be patient, and, by the way, forgive each other and …o yes, be thankful, and .. before I forget: study Christ, and help each other understand.

Do you feel  there are too many pieces of advice here to digest at one time?  Well, there is a reason for the urgency behind these words, and behind the entire letter to the Colossians.  They are what Paul thought might be his last words  to the fledgling church.

Paul likely wrote this letter from Rome, where he was placed on house arrest while being tried for treason.  This was in the  early 60s of the first century, and being tried for the “offense” of being a Christian usually ended in death by execution.  Every day Christians died for their faith in Rome during that time, and Paul was realistic enough to know that his end was not far off.  So he took the pen and frantically wrote many of the epistles that have survived to this day in the canon of the NT.

Knowing this, we get the feeling that Paul’s words are very important words, words to live or die by.  In many cultures around the world, the words of a dying person  are very important; they represent a passing on of wisdom from one generation to the next.  In the Old Testament, they are often expressed in terms of a blessing.  Paul, in a real sense, is imparting his wisdom onto us, his followers and disciples.  

So what is the central thought in this passage, the one concept which encompasses all the other sub-concepts?  That’s not so difficult to determine in this passage;  it is the line he introduces with: above all…  Let’s read this line again in Verse 14:

“above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony”

“Clothe yourself with love” that’s an interesting concept.  How exactly do I clothe myself in love? It’s not like I can go to TJ Max and find their love department to try and fit on love T-shirts or pants or jackets.

What could Paul have had in mind?  Was there a laundry situation in first century Rome?  In verses 9-10 of the same chapter he refers to taking off the old humanity and putting on Christ.  Apparently, in Paul’s mind, Christians have a choice about how to live.  In his mind living out our Christianity--loving one another--may be as easy as taking off a piece of clothing and putting on a new, freshly washed one. 

As I was thinking about this, I went through my closet.  I noticed that a lot of my t-shirts actually had messages on them.  And I noticed most of them do not really express love.  I brought a couple of them with me.  This one here, for instance, says: “Bush voters—I told you so!”  And this one says: “I have a bad case of the Mondays.”

You see, if I decide to wear a certain T-shirt with a certain message, it portrays a certain attitude toward the world.  It probably is an indication of my mood.  So it is with the attitude we put on every day.  We do have a choice, Paul is saying.  We can decide at the start of each new day to put on Christ, to put on an attitude of love.

“Above all,” Paul says: “clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.”  Ok. so I need to look for the right T-shirt in the morning.  I need to  ignore the ones that have a negative message—even though they may be funny—and go for one that says:  I  LOVE   …  (hold up T-shirt)

Putting on love--what if we were to make a list every morning as we get ready for the day, something like:  “I love . . . .   Jesus, my family, my job, my house, my car, my church, my friends, my enemies, life….

I wonder if saying those words out loud in the morning--like an affirmation – would change our attitude and improve our lives.  What do you think?  Sounds intriguing enough to try, doesn’t it?  I think Paul is onto something here.” 

Paul knows that out of an attitude of love for others will spring forth spiritual fruit like kindness, patience, humility, forgiveness, and compassion.  Out of an attitude of love for Christ will come forth a spiritual hunger which will cause us to learn all we can about God and teach one another in matters of faith.

So, check out your closet and see what kind of messages you have on your T-shirts and then think about what kind of message you would like the world to see on your face and on your life.  Paul knows that it is beneficial for us to clothe ourselves with love.  So, what are we waiting for? If it’s up to us, then, for God’s sakes, for our own sakes: let’s clothe ourselves!    Amen.