This is post #1 of a 16-session blog series entitled The Christ Collection: Putting on the Likeness of Jesus. Each and every day, you and I, as Christ followers, can pull out a few of these beauties and slip into something comfortable. Hand-crafted masterpieces made for this world, so when we wear them, we can go out on Christ’s behalf, shining brightly like the Son. Here’s the homepage for the entire series.
Welcome to our Christ Collection word study. Over this series of sixteen blog sessions, we’re going to look a bit deeper at each of the Eight Holy Garments and Five Practical Accessories Paul mentions in his letter to the Colossian church. Each session will begin with a Lectio Divina reading from Colossians 3, and each day, we will be reading from a different translation of the Bible. That way, you’ll get the opportunity to see the richness of words Paul used in writing his letter. Today’s reading is from The Message Bible (MsgB).
Today’s Lectio Divina: Now you’re dressed in a new wardrobe. Every item of your new way of life is custom-made by the Creator, with His label on it. All the old fashions are now obsolete…From now on everyone is defined by Christ, everyone is included in Christ. Colossians 3: 10, 11b (MsgB)
I’m guessing that most of you, my dear readers, are not wealthy enough to have a whole closet full of custom-made clothes. If you’re like me, you’re lucky when you can find a good sale price on a nice-fitting shirt or pair of pants at Wal-Mart!
But, while most of us will never have the luxury of wearing hand-tailored, custom-made clothing, we, as Christ-followers, do have something unique to wear. Something very stylish, yet very traditional. Something very classy, but yet you can’t find it,even at Armani’s or Prada’s in New York City.
Paul, in his first-century letter to his friends in Colossae, is the first person to talk about these unique threads, mentioning Eight Holy Garments and Five Practical Accessories here in this third chapter of Colossians. Yet, while Paul speaks well of these colorful clothes, he wasn’t actually the first one to wear them. That honor goes to one very unique man who is known by several different monikers.
Alpha and Omega,
Way, Truth and Life,
Son of God. Son of David,
And of course, The Soon and Coming King.
You and I know Him best as Jesus of Nazareth.
Eight Holy Garments. Five Practical Accessories. All crafted by the hand of God, modeled beautifully by the Living Word, and then customized personally for each one of us so we might look, act, and speak just like the Master.
What’s that, you say?
You haven’t heard of The Christ Collection?
Well then, let’s sit down here for a moment or two and I’ll tell you more.
You see, the day you made that decision to become a Christ-follower, God in Heaven, your Holy Father, the Creator/King, pulled out His needle and thread and began crafting Eight Holy Garments and Five Practical Accessories to place in your personalized hope chest. He knew full well that you and I would have great need for these classics, because in this rough-n-tumble world, cheap clothes wear out fast and so do we. So, in His great love, God assembled a collection of eight high-quality garments made from the very best fabrics found in both heaven and earth. Then, He added five practical accessories to accent each piece.
And, as Paul tells us here in today’s Lectio Divina, each and every day, you and I, as Christ followers, can open up our closet, pull out a few of these beauties, and slip into something comfortable. Hand-crafted masterpieces made for this world, so when we wear them, we can go out on Christ’s behalf, shining brightly like the Son.
So, I invite you to join me as we peruse through The Christ Collection, giving a bit of extra time to ponder on the quality, the beauty, and the purpose of each of these classics.
Would you care to join me?
Ladies and Gentlemen. May I present to you, over the next few weeks…
The Christ Collection: Eight Holy Garments & Five Practical Accessories:
Compassion. Kindness. Humility. Gentleness.
Patience. Becoming Otherly. Forgiveness. Love.
The Peace from Christ. Thankfulness. The Word of Christ.
Good Common Sense. The Gift of Song.
So, what’s in your closet?
My Prayer: Father God, I thank You for Your precious Word that offers me this very practical advice on how to dress myself for the greater glory of God. Jesus, I see You as the perfect model, one who demonstrated for me how I might take these same custom-made garments, wear them as You did, and thus reflect Your character and nature. Holy Spirit, teach me how I might wear these garments for God’s honor, for His glory. For His name’s sake. Amen.
A Few Thoughts to Ponder: There’s an old saying that states “We are what we wear.” So, what character traits am I wearing today? Do these traits reflect more on who I am or who Jesus is working through me? Finally, as I look over the list of the Eight Holy Garments and Five Practical Accessories found in Colossians 3, which ones are in my closet, and which are missing?
So, what are you experiencing as we ponder upon Colossian’s Christ Collection?
We hope you’ll enjoy these 16 blogs that focus on the amazing garments and accessories God has hand-crafted for us so that as we wear them, we can better reflect the nature and likeness of Jesus of Nazareth. Here’s the homepage for the entire series.
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