Looking Forward Colossians 1:1-14 11th July Duncan Leake
1. Dios es bueno. Siempre ! I enjoyed our holiday in Spain…Mind you when I came back I thought that perhaps I ought to go on holiday more often:
Lovely letter from the Mark Ireland saying how much he enjoyed being here last week, complimenting the musicians on the way they led worship.
I have seen some good press reports in the paper of how the church was surveyed and Janet Lee from the Burntwood Post spoke about the friendly welcome she received when she visited here during the week, also some good press coverage about the Little Friends anniversary events that we had the week before we went away. But the reason I thought perhaps I ought to go away on holiday more often is that because when I do go on holiday it is such a rare event that it gets a mention in the local paper. (read… the vicar of St. John’s is on holiday this week !!! ) Having read the article I think I might want to be on holiday next week as well.
2. The holiday that we have just enjoyed has been one of his good gifts to us…. but I know that God would not expect me to spend all my time planning next years holiday. If I said to you that all of last year I had been looking forward to being away from Chase Terrace for 16 days You might be just a little bit surprised. Or maybe not ! You might think that if I spent all my time wishing I could be somewhere else… or looking forward to being away on holiday, then that could be a sign that something was wrong. And you would be right. God has called me to live each day for him here and now in the place where he has put me.
3. I sometimes meet people who spend a lot of their lives looking forward. Looking forward to the time when they can get a better job, a promotion, a higher salary.
Looking forward to the next holiday.
Looking forward to when the children are grown up. Looking forward to when they have grandchildren. Looking forward to when they will retire.
Looking forward to when they will have more time to do the things they have always wanted to do.
And I sometimes meet people who are so disappointed Because after so much looking forward... things didn’t turn out as they expected.
What was meant to be a dream holiday… turned out to be more of a nightmare.
What was meant to be the “Perfect” wedding day turned out to be just a little bit less than perfect.
Or if they had been looking forward to promotion at work… well perhaps there was a change of circumstances… after working so hard for that promotion, the company closed down and they were back to square one.
Or after longing for that house move for so many years.. the new neighbours weren’t quite what they had hoped for.
Or maybe after years of looking forward to holidays abroad and time to do things in retirement... there was an illness, or a death, or some change of circumstances… and everything that they had been looking forward to became impossible.
What are you looking forward to?
What is it that gives your everyday life, meaning and purpose? What is it that influences the choices you make about how you spend your time, how you spend your money, what you do day by day week by week, month by month with the life that you have?
4. When we arrived at our destination in Valencia, it seemed as if we had lots and lots of time ahead of us. Going at the start of one week and returning at the end of another.. really long break. First few days went really slowly…. But then they started to speed up. And on the flight home it seemed as if the time had gone very quickly indeed… didn’t seem like five minutes since we’d been taking off and flying out to Spain. And by the time we’ve been home 24 hours.. (and I’ve read the local papers!) the holidays rapidly becomes a distant memory.
We say.. “Holidays are like that. They only last a short while. They are over too quick” In fact.. holidays are no different from anything else. The one thing that holidays and our life on this earth have in common is that they are both short - temporary.
Valencia, where we enjoyed being so much for the last couple of weeks… is not my home. And neither is planet earth.(Just what we always thought.. Duncan’s an alien !!!)
5. The bible reading this morning… We always pray for you, and we give thanks to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for we have heard that you trust in Christ Jesus and that you love all of God's people. You do this because you are looking forward to the joys of heaven—as you have been ever since you first heard the truth of the Good News.6 This same Good News that came to you is going out all over the world. It is changing lives everywhere Colossians 1
What is the good news that changes lives?
It is the news that once we belong to Jesus we have something to look forward to.
It is the news, as the bible passage puts it.. that the Father, … has enabled you to share the inheritance that belongs to God’s holy people…
The news that life is only temporary is not really news at all. We all know it.. we just don’t like to talk about it much. The news that there can be something for us to look forward to.. now that is news for many people.
Maybe you saw that TV program a last autumn on BBC… 50 things to do before you die.
Here’s the list.. produced by a survey of over 20,000 viewers. (show list…)
…And life can become like a race against the clock. We feel we have to pack into it all sorts of experiences (have you seen 100 things to do before your 30)… because if we don’t ... then we have wasted our time here.
In fact we waste our time here
when don’t realise that we can have something to look forward to.
The bible says… No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him." 1 Cor. 2:9 You can be certain that our experience of living in the presence of the creator of the whole universe will be much better than anything in the top 50… all that lot will seem boring in comparison.
So what’s the most important thing do you think… spending time making choices and decisions about our next experience here, our next holiday, our next consumer purchase … stuff that’s not going to last us very long anyway.. or spending time making choices and decisions each day that will prepare us to live with God for eternity?
6. Later in the same letter, beginning of chapter 3…Paul writes… Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits at God’s right hand in the place of honour and power. 2 Let heaven fill your thoughts. Do not think only about things down here on earth.
I wonder if we talk about heaven enough?
Maybe you have heard the expression “pie in the sky when we die”. They are words from a folk song that poked fun at Christians who seemed to be saying to the poor, don’t worry about what your life is like now,, things will get better for you when you die.
Of course the truth is, any one who claims to be a Christian but who is not concerned about poverty or injustice, or the environment, or political systems… has simply not read and understood the bile. Because God is passionately concerned about all those things. The Christian faith is about how we live here and now. The good news is that we can live in relationship with the creator of all things now.
We have a one-to one with the father because of what Jesus has done for us. We can be strengthened taught, guided, gifted, empowered by the Holy Spirit day by day. Knowing Jesus makes a difference now.
And if we don’t know Jesus know , if we don’t live in relationship with the father now… then our life here is literally hopeless, and without purpose.
Because compared to eternity… this life is short. It is only temporary.
No more permanent than my holiday in Valencia.
7.The whole point of this life is to prepare us for our real home.
We need to learn to love God now if we are going to live in the presence of his love for ever.
We need to learn to honour him with our lives now, if we are going to honour him and worship him forever.
We need to learn to serve him now… to offer back to him all the gifts talents time whatever, that he gives to us… if we are going to be saints who will delight and rejoice in the presence of God give ourselves in service and love to him forever.
Maybe the bible is right… we need to think about heaven a lot more. We need to be much more aware than we often are, that this life is temporary.
Perhaps you are looking forward to passing your exams, completing a course of study. Well… study.. work hard, do the very best that you can with all the abilities that God has given to you. But ask him… What is your purpose for me father. I know that this life is temporary. So how do you want me to live my life now so that it will help me to prepare for the time when I will be with you forever?
Are you looking forward to a new home… a new job, a new car.. whatever. Fine enjoy every good gift that God brings your way. Thank him for the privileges and comforts that you enjoy. But say to him...
Father.. I know that all of this is only temporary. Everything I have is your gift to me... for a short while.
And then ask him… What do you want me to do with the resources that you have given to me? How do you want me to spend the money you have blessed me with? How do you want me to use the talents and skills you have given me? What do you want me to do now to help to bring others into the Kingdom of Jesus so that they can share with me in the inheritance that you have prepared for all those who know you?
Knowing that God wants you to have a future with him.. will influence how you life your life now. It will affect the choices you make, the things you do, how you give of what you have, time, skills, money. That’s why, as the bible passage this morning said… (this good news…) is changing lives everywhere
Is your attention on your retirement, are you looking forward to a future when you will have more time. OK… God may indeed bless you with a time of leisure. But whatever time he gives to you, he gives to you for the purpose of preparing you for your place with him in heaven. He wants you to enjoy being in his presence for ever, he wants to see reflected in you the character of his son Jesus. So if he grants you extra years here, then they are years for you to use growing closer to him, becoming more like Jesus,
So ask him in retirement…
Father how do you want me to use my time giving myself in love and service to you, to your church and to others, just like Jesus did.
This life is only temporary… God wants us to get ready for our real life, our lasting life of love and service in his presence.