Rescued from the darkness

Colossians 1:9-14 (NRSV)

For this reason, since the day we heard it, we have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God's will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God. May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

We have been transferred from the darkness to the light.  What does that feel like?  What does it feel like especially on days when it still feels oh, so dark?

I think we get conditioned to walking around in our daily lives forgetting this powerful condition we live in: that we have been rescued from the power of darkness.

And we need reminding.

Colossians, like the other epistles in the New Testament, was a letter.  Not the kind of letter we are used to receiving these days.  And not a letter to one person, but instead to a group.  But it is a letter.

And isn't it powerful when in a letter someone tells you that they are praying for you and even better WHAT they are praying for you about?

I have been fortunate to receive these kinds of life giving letters.  My friends from Tanzania when they write letters, infuse the same spirit of joy and faith and prayer.  When I read their letters I feel good and prayed for!

I am reminded that I have been rescued from darkness.

And because we are rescued we are set free to bear fruit and to learn and grow.  We are saplings that God is turning into mighty oaks.

It's OK to need reminding.  We need to hear God's love for us.  We need to be reminded of God's grace and challenged to live into the lives we've been given.  Going to church does that, certainly.  So does being part of a small group, either a Bible Study or prayer group.  And giving and receiving letters like this help to.

Maybe it's time to write a letter yourself.  Write it to a loved one, or even to yourself.  Reminding of God's power of light over the darkness and that we are set free.

God of goodness and light, you have set us free.  Help us to soar!  Amen