Nothing Hidden

Colossians 1:24–28 NRSV

24 I am now rejoicing in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am completing what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church. 25 I became its servant according to God’s commission that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, 26 the mystery that has been hidden throughout the ages and generations but has now been revealed to his saints. 27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 It is he whom we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone in all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ.

The work is...

Hard.

This is a very honest passage. Paul shares openly with the Colossian church, first, about Christ as the image of the invisible God, the one that has overturned the power of death and the firstborn of God’s new creation.

Paul follows this deep and beautiful hymn with an open qualification for his absence from the Colossians and the suffering he is undergoing on behalf of the churches and communities he supports.

We know that Paul is in prison in Rome as he writes this letter. Along his journey to this point, he has helped to establish churches and writes to support them in their contextual labors. But he is also struggling, afflicted as he awaits trail and weary from the long-suffering work of offering spiritual support to people who he cannot directly connect with any longer.

His words here at the end of the first chapter of Colossians remind us that honesty and transparency are required if we are to be a part of true community in Christ. Paul is adding his afflictions to the suffering that Christ underwent — not that his sufferings are additional or superior to Christ’s, but that he labors on in the same suffering as a member of Christ’s body on earth, the community of God, the church in its many forms.

And Paul, in his honesty, hides nothing of the difficulties he experiences, while also celebrating them, knowing that the hard work, the inner and outer struggle to support and pastor the community of Jesus, is vital, it is important, it is a worthwhile cross to bear.

Friends, if we are to be a people who sustain and make space for others to encounter the love of Christ in our body, we have to be prepared to be weary, worn out, tired. We are running a race together, as Paul masterfully illuminates in other parts of his writings. We, too, are to find the honesty of long-suffering care and committed service to our world.

It makes me think of so many professions and callings in our world today that we do, not simply for a paycheck, but because we know the work is vital and important.

I think of school teachers and educators, drudging through the last few years of trying to nurture and grow our young people, while facing immense pressure and division, politics and outright anger from their communities.

I think of our local leaders and public servants, who put their lives out on display for their community to see, put their lives on the line to keep others safe, who do the hard work of advocating for the rights of others, even when it comes at a cost to themselves.

My father was a career firefighter. He knew the value of the long, good work of caring for his community. And, it took an immense toll on him. Physical pain from hauling heavy hoses or guiding gurneys with injured people upon them. Emotional pain from witnessing some of the more horrific and heartbreaking sides of the human experience, death, suicide, abuse, car accidents.

I remember the many mornings he would come home from a long 24 or 48 hour shift and simply crash into bed, exhausted.

Our work, especially work that demands more from us than simple expertise and training, but demands heart and tears and sweat and intimacy with others who are hurting — our work hurts. It hurts in the sense that we know it often is taking more from us than it gives back. It hurts in the sense that our calling may take us away from our family, may demand that we sacrifice wealth or stability for the good of others, hurts in that it is often thankless and unseen.

Commentators on this passage of Scripture make it clear that Paul names his suffering on the behalf of the churches as a justification for his absence and a reminder that he truly is rejoicing and celebrating for them as they grow in Christ’s way.

Perhaps there are some folks in the Colossian community who raised concerns about Paul’s absence. Where is this guy and why do we need to listen to what he says? If he were truly invested in us, why is he in jail far away? Is he some kind of reckless wanderer?

Paul wants the church to know he is with them, even far off. He wants them to trust in his love for them and his sense of purpose in offering them support. He wants them to know that this hard work is actually what inspires him to keep on — he knows the deep worth of the afflictions he faces — for he knows Christ crucified…the man of great sorrow and suffering.

And he wants to encourage them, to remind them how the message that he has shared is one of great hope, a glory found in Christ’s glory among them. That through the changing of their hearts and minds, the transforming of their whole selves into servants and strugglers along the way of Jesus, that the good, true, whole life is found.

So where does this leave us?

Is this passage a downer that should remind us of how much discipleship in the way of Jesus costs? Well, yes.

Should we chime in and start naming our own afflictions, our own suffering for this body we call the church of Christ? Well, yes.

But should we become discouraged and give up? Well, that’s complicated.

We are often quick to want to make things feel happy or “ok” or gloss over the pain we feel. We want to turn away from these harder things, these more complex and layered emotions. We prefer the stance of martyr, servant of Christ, working for another jewel in our crown of glory.

But as people who look out and see the wicked problems of our world, who see suffering and division, heartache and sorrow, we must be honest with ourselves and each other. We must seek the truth that, yes, the work is hard, the cost is high. And we cannot hide from this reality.

I’ll speak personally for a moment. I feel very connected with Paul’s words in this short passage. Pastoral ministry is not easy. There’s that joke…is it a joke?…that folks think pastor’s have it pretty great because they only work on Sundays…yeah…right. Just like teachers, who have it made in the shade as they get to relax all summer long and not work…yeah…right.

Personally, I know the toll and cost of serving Christ. I, like Paul, rejoice in the cost that it takes upon me, because I know what I and we do together is important, deep, life-giving work.

But we mustn’t hide the reality of the cost. If we are to look at the deep, deep struggles of our work with honest assessments and actually seek to help push against their tide, we must not hide the reality of the toll.

By facing the reality of what is, by not letting our struggles together remain hidden, we can turn a corner and find a different way, a way that honors the wholeness of who God made us to be. Will we dare to share this kind of honest struggle with each other? Will we dare to let each other know that we love them deeply AND that love requires sacrifice?

Again, I feel Paul’s sentiments here very close to my heart. I look out at this community and feel such deep love for you all. I hold so many of your stories in me, the realities of your own suffering and weariness, your joy and hope. I wouldn’t trade this calling for anything — I know that God has blessed me and my family by places us here.

It is, as Paul says in vs. 29, for this I toil and struggle with all the energy that Christ powerfully inspires within me.

Can we make a choice together as a community to not hide the cost of our work, not hide behind a veil of having it all together or shouldering a burden alone? Can we be real with each other and, like we heard earlier, bear one another’s burdens.

If we will not, if we cannot hear the voice of weariness and the reminder of the struggle, then we will fall. We will hurt and hurt others.

It is when we do not hide, but instead share the realities of what we struggle for, with one another, that we grow strong.

Today Bellingham celebrates its annual Pride Festival. We’ll have a table down at the Depot Market Square, a place to say hello and offer a word of love and encouragement to folx to who need it.

I’m a straight, cis-gender, white male. I’m happily married to my wife of almost 17 years and have never really questioned my sexuality or gender identity throughout my life.

Why be a part of this thing? It’s not my fight, right? Why show up and offer care and support? Aren’t I an outsider, a clergyman, a man who presents very traditionally a personality that could very well look like the guys who stand on the opposite corner and spew hatred? Why bother?

The reason I show up as an ally and support at an event like Bellingham Pride is to do what Paul is doing for the Colossian church. Instead of hiding away in his afflictions in a cell, instead of saying — hey, this isn’t my community, I’m weary and can’t serve....instead of this…Paul offers encouragement.

He sends his word of encouragement and he offers the hope of the great mystery of God’s love which is found in Christ, the hope of glory.

I show up, even when I’m tired or weary, discouraged or weighed down, because I know people long to be loved and reminded that God is with us.

I show up to share the good news of God’s loving welcome, God’s calling to each of us as beloved children, even us Gentiles, us outsiders and queer folk and average dudes like me.

And again, showing up costs something. And this cost, this not-hiding, this pain-staking struggle — it is a glorious mystery, where we are met and inspired and empowered by God’s spirit. Despite all that weighs us down, despite our afflictions, God’s great mystery of restoration leads us on.

So, will you stop hiding your struggle? Will you step forward and know that God goes with you? Will you find joy in the suffering and in yielding your power or privilege so that the world might know God’s mercy through you?

This is who we must be, in Christ. And it is in Christ alone, that we find the strength and wisdom to do so.

Amen.