This reading tells us something more about Christ, our king. It is a beautiful hymn from the letter to the Colossians. We are invited to thank God for the gift of his Son, who he loves, who makes it possible for us to “inherit the light”, “a place in his kingdom”. It is through Christ that we “gain our freedom, the forgiveness of sins.” This sounds like a different kingdom from an earthly one;
this is one of light, love, forgiveness and freedom.
We see the uniqueness of the Son that God has given. “He is the image of the unseen God.” So when we see Christ, we see the face of God. He is “the first-born of all creation, for in him all things were created”. We, all creatures, nature and the entire universe are created in Christ. “He holds all things in unity.” This is a personal creator holding us in love. We all belong.
Christ, our king, does not cause division as evil does, but connects all Creation into oneness.
He is “the Beginning”, “first to be born from the dead”, so that “all things [would] be reconciled through him and for him”, “when he made peace by his death on the cross.” Our king, the first person to rise from the dead, gave his life that we may have life.
This is a king
of intimacy and involvement, a king of Love.
Does the description of Christ in this reflection change the image I have of God?
What do I feel invited to as I consider that in Christ all people and all the universe were and are being created in love, and in this to be united?
