Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

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Creation describing the Glory of God
Colossians 1:9-20
v 9-12 “For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you.  We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way; bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to this glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience and giving joyful thanks to the Father who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of life.” 

These are the words of Paul to the Colossian church and yet in 2020, in the age of CoVid and racial divide this prayer is timely. Since CoVid-19 began, we’ve had to uncomfortably change the way we go about our daily routine.  But it also gave us and the world time for some much needed self-reflection on many issues, especially race in America.  This country’s history as it relates to people of color is, in a word, messy.  The death of George Floyd opened up an old wound that never seemed to fully heal because the movement for change seemed to stall.  But with mostly peaceful protests, God was working to bring His will into this world and we have already begun to see some of the fruits of that labor in some of the legislation that was recently passed. 
Paul’s words were meant to instruct the church of Colossae, and address the heresy of Gnostics who believed it took a special knowledge to be accepted by God and that salvation could not be found through Christ alone.  Paul called on the church to not only accumulate knowledge, but to use it to live a life worthy of the Lord.  It is not enough to merely know that something is wrong, you must live the wisdom and understanding the Spirit gives.  Faith without deeds is dead.
Our God calls on us to live lives that were meaningful.  To use our wisdom and our understanding.  What is our faith if we are not moved to practice it?  What is God’s love if we are not reflecting it to all we come in contact with?  What is our church if it is not welcoming to all people?  I pray that in our heart we are mindful of the world we are walking back out to.  We will be walking  into a new normal- but it is our Christian duty to create the world we want.  I pray that we act on the wisdom we gained during this time.
PRAYER 
“God, please be with all of us as we build the world we want”

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
“Be the change you wish to see in the world”- Mahatma Gandhi

Swithin Titus- St Johns Mar Thoma Church
 Christian Education Forum, Diocese of NAE of the Mar Thoma Church

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