The Tenth Sunday after Pentecost (NTA)

Colossians 3:1-17

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. ² Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. ³ For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. ⁴ When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. 

⁵ Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. ⁶ On account of these the wrath of God is coming. ⁷ In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. ⁸ But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. ⁹ Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices ¹⁰ and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. ¹¹ Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all. 

¹² Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, ¹³ bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. ¹⁴ And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. ¹⁵ And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. ¹⁶ Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. ¹⁷ And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. 

You know the Church has done a somewhat good job in the last few years focusing on sexual immorality. The church and our culture finds the topic of sex to be so intriguing. But do we just get to the first thing on the list and forget about everything else. Yes, Homosexual activity is a sin and should be punished. Yes, Divorce is wrong and the only reason God allows it is because you are sinful people. Yes, having sexual relations outside of Marriage is wrong, and those who have sexual relations with one another are proclaiming their marriage to one another in the eyes of the LORD.

But what about evil desires, covetousness, and idolatry? Our anger for other people and hateful expressions toward one another is horrible. The way we mistreat people for having a different view than we do. The way we demonize our friends and family for saying "No" or "Bad Boy" is demonic in itself. Even our capitalistic ideals to have better stuff than our neighbor, this is all wrong and sinful. We seem to forget about how much we do love this world rather than the creator of all things.  Oh, yeah and when is the last time you have even thought about the obscene talk in the work place or local supermarket.

We all have become obsessed with what is evil. We no longer look to help to teach one another what is right and what is wrong, because once we tell someone else they are wrong, we are the bad guy. St Paul reminds us of what is wrong in each of our lives. St Paul calls himself chief of all sinners. I tell you that you are a sinner, because I know that I am a sinner. I know my sins and desire to put off my sinful activities and put on Christ.

So St Paul and myself desire the same for you. You can put away this evil, because Christ has died for your sins. He has claimed you to be his very own. He is clothing you with his righteousness. So that created in the image of Christ, you are a new person. So maybe, just maybe, we can start to speak, think, treat, and behave like that new person in Christ Jesus.