Sermon November 19-20, 2022

Title: Christ is our Blessed Hope!
Text: Col 1:13-20

Facebook live: Christ is our Blessed Hope!

13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Dick Hoyt might not be a name that rings a bell with you but what he did might.

Dick’s son Rick is a quadriplegic and has cerebral palsy. Together they competed in over 1000 races with Dick running and pushing his son in a specially constructed wheel chair beginning in 1977 and continuing through the 2014 Boston Marathon.

After their first race in 1977, Rick told his father,

“Dad, when I’m running, it feels like I’m not disabled.”

With their tandem running, Dick Hoyt delivered his son Rick from the darkness of his disability to the light of an active hope in his life.

What a beautiful and inspirational story of a father’s love for his son and the joy of a life well lived in service to another.

In our epistle today Paul speaks of another Father and son. Who work together in the pursuit of a lofty goal – the redemption and forgiveness of sins.

We though are burdened with a greater disability in this life than being a quadriplegic or dealing with cerebral palsy, and that is being dead in sin and dead to God.

We have no hope to push ourselves to the finish line, though at times we think we can because we appear healthy and able on the outside - but remain dead to God and have no hope.

“I got this, I can make my way, I can carry on!” We think.

But we lay dead. Unable move or reach the starting line let alone push ourselves to the finish line. So how do we compete? How do we participate? How do we finish the race? How do we receive the crown, when we can’t even make a start?

We don’t. We can’t. So, what do we do, despair and lose hope?

No! But we have one, an advocate. One who runs the race. One to stand in for us, in a way we never could.

That one is Jesus. A son, who became like us, yet without sin.

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.

One who came, not to push our disabled bodies of death in a sin filled world to a finish line that too will crumble and be destroyed. But one, who in the end came to deliver us from death and deliver the kingdom and eternal life to all who simply believe and trust in the name of Jesus.

16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

Hope is possible in this life even while death reins because the author of life is the light of the world and in him there is no darkness.

Jesus breaks the darkness of despair because when he enters, darkness flees. This life of sin and death, blessing and curse while only wrapped up in the here and now can be transformed by the al transforming love of God. While we see success or failure through the eyes of sin as the only outcome and way in this life, God in Christ gives us a new way, new reality, new hope and a new peace in the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

In our gospel reading today, Jesus hangs convicted on this cross of death, for you and me, between two criminals.

39 One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!”

He looks for an earthly rescue and a way out of his predicament. Death remains, and death will come, and death will bring punishment for eternity with a separation from the blessed hope that God desires to give to all.

40 But the other [thief] rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.”

42 And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

43 And [Jesus] said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Forgiveness given to one and rejected by another.

What an interesting exchange but what is most telling, is that God, 4 … desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 1 Tim 2:4

God does not desire the death of the wicked. He does not desire that one thief come to faith and the other to destruction.

Had the other thief repented, he too would have received forgiveness on account of Christ. You are never too far away from God’s mercy and forgiveness.

It is not God’s desire to punish sinners by casting those who deserve death to their appointed fate. But because, the wrath of God has been poured out fully on his son - our Lord Jesus - by his sinless life, death in our place, and his glorious resurrection from the dead. A way has been made for you and me and for all who by faith trust in Christ’s vicarious work (his work on our behalf) and receive the kingdom too!

18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.

Our life as the church has many distractions. [family, work, money, time, politics] We would do well to keep our eyes fixed upon Jesus – the author and perfecter of our faith – for in this life many will claim to be the way or to know the way, only to lead astray those who place their trust in a false hope, false truth or a false god.

I was texting with my friend Tim the other day, who along with his wife Mini visited here last weekend. Our discussion centered around the blessed hope that is Jesus. And as we talked, Tim commented:

Keep your eye on the ball. Make sure it’s the right ball!

As the church, we can’t have a false hope or a wrong hope. Hitting a home run in life does not keep you from an eternity in the lake of fire separated from God and all of his blessings – we can’t elect ourselves to heaven - but only by the free gift of faith in the Blessed Hope that is Jesus Christ, do we take hold of the promise and the promised rest in his blessed presence forever.

19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

This weekend we celebrate the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.

May we together with Christian brothers and sisters around the world renew our love for God and neighbor. Doing good and shinning the light of Christ in a world of darkness, so that those who are dead to God might see the hope and finish line in Jesus and receive life eternal in his name.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit!

Amen