What is the relationship of the Kingdom and the Church? Is it Jesus proclaimed the Kingdom but the church came instead. Thus, “give me Jesus not the church.” Or is I kingdom of God and the Church, two different realities. Now we live in a totally mundane realm called the Church, but there is coming a wonderful heavenly Kingdom. Or is it the reverse?

Paul, we have read your letters to churches which you evangelized and where you were personally known. As we read your letter to the Colossians, we noticed that you had never been there and did not know them personally, nor the church in Laodicea, yet you wrote them letters. Since you have a wide and deep concern for churches everywhere (Col. 2:1), we ask you to write to us here in eastern Connecticut. We promise to read it when we assemble at our meetinghouse (Col 4:16).

We first see the word church in Colossians when Paul declares that Christ is “the head of the body, the church” (1:18). Paul’s ministry is for the sake of “his body, that is, the church” (1:24). He concludes with greetings to “Nympha and the church in her house” and instructions that his letter be read “in the church of the Laodiceans” (4:15-16). Our search is for that mysterious church but for Paul the great mystery is Christ in his relationship to the church, “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (1:26-27). All this written 30 years after Jesus of Nazareth was crucified.

Paul commends speaking to everyone gracious words seasoned with salt (Col. 4:6). The metaphor of “salty speech” suggests healthy words that grab the imagination of listeners and capture their lives as well. Paul follows his own advice in his gracious words to the church in Colossae as he counters the empty speech of false teachers who were trying to capture them with “sound bites” of their philosophy.

Paul believed that something happens when churches read his letters or hear them read aloud. Something happens to the readers. More than transmitting information, there is a transformation of the readers/hearers both then and now. For example, we are not told what the letter from Laodicea is. Nor are we told what prison Paul is in when he writes. That information is known to those “insiders” but not to us “outsiders.”

Are you into a good mystery? Read Paul’s letter to the Colossians; all of it; all of us in church (4:16). There is a mystery in this exchange of letters between neighboring congregations What churches? Which letters? It looks like there is a lot of inter-church communication going on. There is a mystery of names, all eleven of them (4:7-17). It looks like there is a lot of inter-personal ministry going on.

After my presumptuous question asked in the article and sermon last week – What is God up to in this world? – I lower my inquiry today and ask the same question of the apostle Paul. His answer is surprisingly similar.

Paul wanted the Ephesian church to know that God is up to something big in his world. He has a plan (Eph. 1:10) a mysterious plan had been revealed to Paul (Eph. 3:1-10). And, says Paul to the church, when you read this you can know the plan and we can make the plan known. First, though, shouldn't we learn to read the plan?

I've selected two items from the greatest command, our hearts and our minds, because of the constant tension between the desires of our hearts and decisions of our mind; between the heart and the head.

Recently, when I read the book of Acts again looking for names of the church, I noticed in the narrative following the first naming of the church the story about Peter's miraculous rescue from prison and certain death. As soon as he [Peter] realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose other name was Mark, where many had gathered and were praying (Acts 12:12). As I read, I realized that this story is about an unnoticed woman who deserves to be noticed and imitated today.

Thirty years ago, Joyce was teaching at Auburn University. We had visited our daughter in Columbus for Christmas and were travelling back to Auburn on New Years Day, a Saturday. The mid-point of our trip was Nashville, TN where my mother had lived as a little girl. Looking for a restaurant still open at 10 p.m. we exited onto Charlotte Pike. I wanted to drive by the Charlotte Ave. Church of Christ where mom had worshipped. To my chagrin as we drove by that historic building, I saw the topic for the Sunday sermon – “Why I am a Member of the Church of Christ”. Recognizing the title of a popular book listing doctrinal reasons why one must be a member of the true church, I remarked, “What a sermon to preach to people as they launch into a new year!”

Have you heard a word of encouragement recently? I did today, from my dentist. I was in for a cleaning. Four x-rays were taken, and after much probing all over my mouth by a new very professional hygienist, Dr. Singh came in, examined the x-rays, and my mouth with a very foreboding light. He said, “everything looks good, see you in six months.” Also, I had an encouraging letter from the hospital detailing charges for my ER visit last month of over $7000. The bottom line read, “Amount you owe, $100.” To avoid the dentist’s drilling and to have a good insurance plan is encouraging, but our attention today is on “words of encouragement” for our Christian hygiene.

Wow! The above title is 1 Timothy in a nutshell. Healthy translates hygiainos, from which we get the medical term hygiene. It begins and ends Paul’s letter to Timothy (1:10; 6:3). You may have heard about “sound doctrine.” I suggest that we say “healthy teaching by healthy teachers.” And “household” is the focus rather than “church.” Household translates oikos, occurring in its various forms eight times in the letter Church is OK since the household of God is the church of the living God (3:15). Timothy is to teach the church in Ephesus how to behave.

Paul left Timothy in Ephesus to teach the church how to behave as a household of God (1 Tim. 3:15) and thereby exemplify God’s way of ordering His household (1 Tim. 1:4). We will explore those passages later. Today, I recall memories of behavior in church as I have travelled through this land singing with God’s churches as I go (Eph. 5:19).

Paul’s charge to his beloved child Timothy to remember Jesus Christ risen from the dead is not anticipating an annual Easter which began to be observed roughly a century later. Rather, it is about a whole way of faithful living, imitating Paul, teaching his gospel, patiently enduring evil, correcting truth-swervers with gentleness in hope of their salvation (2:22-26). Thus, he will be a worker whom God approves.

Fifty-five years ago, Joy Carol and I sang a Burl Ives ditty: “As you walk through life, you will have no cares if you walk the lines and not the squares. As you go through life, make this your goal, watch the doughnut not the holes.” Ives spoke wisely. Do not let your life be ruled by silly superstitions. And pay attention to substance, the things in life that really matter.