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Text: Col 4:1-18
In the name of + Jesus. Amen.
St. Paul closes his letter to the Christians at Colossae with some last-minute advice about how we should treat slaves (because we are all slaves of Christ), about being steadfast in prayer, watchful, grateful, and praying for the leaders and missionaries of the church. The apostle implores us to speak with wisdom, especially to outsiders, and to manage our time well.
But the bulk of his conclusion reads like a litany of the saints. For while we focus on St. Paul as the author of this epistle, and indeed, as the writer of most of the books of the New Testament – the apostle Paul is not alone in his ministry, nor is he alone in being persecuted for the sake of his proclamation. This is a reminder that the church is indeed a “great cloud of witnesses” (Heb 12:1). There are far more saints involved in the work of the ministry than Paul himself.
He mentions Tychicus, Onesimus, Aristarchus (who is also a prisoner), Mark, Barnabus, “Jesus who is called Justus,” Epaphras, and Luke the Evangelist. He also greets members of the church at Colossae by name: Nympha (who allows the church to meet at her home) and Archippus (a local minister). And beyond these people mentioned by name are the many unnamed saints whose work makes Paul’s ministry possible: servants of local churches (both the laity, as well as the clergy: bishops, presbyters, and deacons), those who financially support Paul as well as their fellow Christians in poorer regions, those who volunteer to carry manuscripts of the letters to the various churches (epistles which have become books in our Bibles). And then there are those who provide countless meals and other hospitality, making the ministry of the church possible.
We have had centuries of heroes of the faith: saints whose names are set apart for commemoration on specific days of the calendar. Christians all over the world and in every jurisdiction or denomination will soon honor Sts. Matthew, Michael, Luke, James, Simon, and Jude – some of whom in churches named for them.
And then there are saints who will never have a church named for them: our mothers who read the Bible to us, our fathers who took us to Divine Service, our teachers who taught us the Gospel, our pastors who preached to us, baptized us, and gave us the body and blood of Jesus, and our brothers and sisters who worked tireless behind the scenes. Let us honor our faithful grandparents who spent years praying for us. Let us thank God for the faithful homebound members whose prayers ascend to heaven for our churches and members. And let us not forget the generations of those whose labors are ended and are at rest. Let us offer our thanks to God for all of these unnamed heroes:
For these passed on
before us,
We offer praises
due
And, walking in
their footsteps
Would live our
lives for You (LSB 517:4).
Amen.
In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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