The Bethany Bullet Sermon Message - Week of August 11, 2019

Sermon: “Back to School..’er Church. The Three R’s – Rising in Christ”

Text: Colossians 3:1-11

School is starting back up.  "The three R’s" are back in full swing.  Odds are the term "the three R’s" (Reading, wRiting, aRithmetic) was not crafted by an educator but a preacher...in preaching, spelling doesn't count.   St Paul, in his letter to the Colossians, focuses upon the basics of the Christian life: Rising with Christ, Reflecting the Christ, Relaying to Christ.

"You HAVE BEEN raised with Christ."  Have Been.  The term is past and passive.  The author of scripture, the apostle to the Gentiles is not praying that you will be raised, nor hoping this could be in your future.  He declares this is the case already for the child of God.  Not only is this a past action but it is a passive reception for the Christian.  That is, God has done this for us.  He has raised us.  Through a tomb that held no body and a font that held His resurrection promises, God has raised us.   (See Romans 6 for further reading)

Now as those who HAVE BEEN raised, we are called to rise up daily.  In the small catechism Luther writes that Baptism signifies that we are to, "Daily Rise up and drown the old Adam through repentant contrition and then rise up to live before God in righteousness." 

-Pr. Kevin Kritzer