Colossians
Dear <<First Name>>
I hope that the week thinking about Creation has been helpful and brings, again, to our minds the need to deal with the climate emergency through our own personal choices and those of our governments.
We turn now, for the next few weeks, to the Epistle to the Colossians. Colossae was a prosperous city in what is now modern Turkey and was wealthy from the wool trade. It is one of the seven churches referred to in Revelation and close to Laodicea. It was evangelised either by Paul or his co worker Epaphras. The Letter shows Paul to be in prison but it’s not stated where. There was a large Jewish population in Colossae which had tense relations with the fledgling church. The city never recovered from an earthquake in the year 60. There is doubt as to whether Paul wrote the letter and scholars debate whether it was written by Paul or by a follower of his. The letter presents Christ as the first born of all creation, first born from the dead, the head of the Church and source of its authority, direction and nourishment.
It is a rich text for us to ponder over the next few weeks.
with every good wish
Andy
The Rev’d Andy Braunston
Coordinator, Daily Devotions from the URC