Wouldn’t it be great if we as individual Christians and particularly as members of Christian churches could be known by our faith in Christ Jesus in the way that Paul and Timothy heard about the brothers and sisters in Christ in Colossae?  Let’s all reflect on that today.  How do people think about us and our Christian communities at St. John’s, St. Paul’s, St. Mary’s or wherever we belong?  Are we known for our faith in in Christ Jesus and the love in the Spirit we have for each other and all God’s people?  Are we known for the way we bear the fruit of the Gospel and grow in the grace of God in truth?  Do we exhibit trust in the mercy of God to the extent that we work to bring glad tidings to the poor and proclaim liberty to captives?  What would Paul say about us were he to write us a letter today?  Would he be impressed with our love in the Spirit?

It seems that we should be about the same purpose for which Jesus was sent.  We must proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God.  Like Jesus, we should heal the sick, feed the poor, care for the elderly, as well as teach and rebuke in the work of our churches.  Yet, it seems to me that this must all come out of a central calling to proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God.  Any secular agency can take care of people’s earthly needs, but that is not enough to transform the world.  We should be known, not for how many programs we have, not for how big our church is and how beautiful is the artwork.  All these things are necessary and good, but they are not sufficient if we are not known for our faith in Christ Jesus and the love in the Spirit that we have for each other and all God’s people.  It isn’t enough if we don’t exhibit trust in the mercy of God to the extent that we work to bring glad tidings to the poor and proclaim liberty to the captives.  Otherwise, we are just another non-profit organization.  Our calling as Christians is greater.  We must proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God! So, how are we known?  What do people say about us?