Christ, the Image of the Invisible God

This meditation is based on a passage for April 21, 2010 in the Daily Lectionary Year 2 from the Book of Common Worship for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) (1993).

Text: Colossians 1:15-23

Reflection and Question: After the usual compliments at the beginning of a New Testament letter, this passage sets out the writer’s logic: Christ is the first-born of all creation. Christ reconciles us to God, giving us power to remain steadfast in faith. And the writer is the servant of Christ to build up the church. There is no reference to “Jesus,” here, only “Christ,” which is a signal that the church is Colossae is primarily a Greek community. Still, Jew and Greek find common ground in Christ as the image (familiar to the Greeks) of the invisible God (familiar to the Jews). What do you see in your mind when I say “Christ?”