living in community

Hello sisters and brothers,
Tonight the Presbyterian Church USA begins our general assembly, a meeting held each two years to make decisions and chart a course for the next two years. Tonight we begin the assembly by electing a moderator to lead the assembly and help lead the church. Our neighbor John Wilkinson from Third Presbyterian is one of three candidates for that office. I invite you to pray for the candidates, the commissioners and our church as we seek the Spirit's leading.

Appropriately, our passage for today is about how we live in community, something we always need to remember. God calls us to be a loving community of discipleship, and we always have more to learn about that.

God bless,
Sam

Colossians 3:5-17

5Put to death, therefore, whatever in you is earthly: fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed (which is idolatry). 6On account of these the wrath of God is coming on those who are disobedient. 7These are the ways you also once followed, when you were living that life.

8But now you must get rid of all such things—anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive language from your mouth. 9Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have stripped off the old self with its practices10and have clothed yourselves with the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of its creator. 11In that renewal there is no longer Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; but Christ is all and in all!

12As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. 13Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.14Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. 16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. 17And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.