I wondered if I should write an original poem to plumb the depths of Paul’s praise of Jesus Christ.  The thought is frightening because I am no poet.

Humbling task

This was an exceedingly challenging sermon and worship service to prepare.  The Apostle Paul brings his “best stuff” in these five verses.  New Testament scholar N. T. Wright says this is one of the most important passages in the New Testament in regards to Christ.  It is certainly the heart of Paul’s letter to the Colossians.

To preach on this text is like offering color commentary on Tiger Woods on his finest day, or writing a critique of Dickens’ Tale of Two Cities, or analyzing the architectural components of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.  Preaching on this passage humbles me.

These verses are so significant to Paul’s thought that he changes from prose to poetry.  Whether he borrows from a hymn already in use by the first century church or writes new verse just for this letter is open to debate.  Either way, his language is rhythmic and lofty, with carefully chosen vocabulary and cadence. 

I wondered if I should write an original poem to plumb the depths of Paul’s praise of Jesus Christ.  The thought is frightening because I am no poet.

There’s more to my intimidation before this text.  Even if I were to somehow come up with words to say or songs to sing or elements of the worship service that are worthy of Paul’s “high point,” would the effect be one of diminishing his message?  What I mean is that I will have failed if you, the worshiper, leave the sanctuary saying, “What a great worship service!”  I want you exclaiming, “What a great Christ!”

The Prayer

It certainly seemed to me that if this is indeed an ancient Christian hymn, music should be a central part of how we communicate the text.  I asked Paul and Peter to help me choose the best songs with unmatched praise of Jesus Christ.

Crown Him with many crowns, the Lamb upon His throne.

Hark! How the heavenly anthem drowns all music but its own;

Awake, my soul, and sing of Him who died for thee,

Hail Him as thy matchless King through all eternity.

Indescribable, uncontainable,
You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name.
You are amazing God
All powerful, untameable,
Awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim
You are amazing God

We also decided to use one of the most beautiful songs heard in this sanctuary in recent memory, titled The Prayer.  Becky and David on the vocals along with Marin on the violin and Peter on the piano bring these lyrics and score to life.

It is a prayer for security and direction, and for the first time this week I looked up all the words, including translation from the Italian lyrics.  When I did I noticed several parallels between The Prayer and what Paul says of Christ in today’s text.

No rivals

I wondered if an analysis of this text was necessary or even appropriate.  Maybe it should be only sung or read as poetry.  And I don’t want to spoil the power of its simplicity, but a few observations did increase my appreciation this week for what Paul is expressing.

First, although we don’t know the specifics, we do know that Paul was combating rival philosophies and religious ideas that had crept close, if not into, the Colossian church.  Some of these will emerge in the next couple of weeks, but the competing ideas were either of Jewish origin or Greek origin, or perhaps both.

I wonder if what was happening was simply that the Colossians were opening themselves up to these competing religious ideas or at least asking a lot of hard questions.  It’s funny – we think we invented pluralism and tolerance in the twentieth century, if not actually invented the alternatives themselves.

Paul’s theme is simply, “Christ is supreme” (v. 18).  He is first.  He is ultimate.  He is highest.  He is unique.

And while it’s not possible to name the competing ideas in Paul’s day, it is similarly not difficult to identify popular beliefs in our day that are named or implied as competition for the uniqueness and supremacy of Christ.

Do any of these sound familiar to you? 

• I’m not a religious person, but I’m very spiritual.
• Just believe what’s right for you.
• Why should we criticize the beliefs of others?
• The Bible is a collection of human writings.
• The world can be explained by natural forces.
• I just want to cover all my bases.
• I don’t need to go to church to find God.
• Knock on wood.

We could go on, but what all these ideas represent is that either Christ is not real or he is not enough or he is not unique or who and what he is, is a matter of private interpretation.

By contrast, the structure of Paul’s hymn-poem makes a series of affirmations about Christ’s uniqueness, sufficiency, and supremacy –

• He is the image of the invisible God…for by him all things were created (v. 15-16).
• He is before all things, and in him all things hold together (v. 17).
• He is the head of the body, the church (v. 18).
• He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy (v. 18).

The closing stanza changes the sentence structure, but once again draws on the comprehensive nature of Christ –

• For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him (v. 19),
• And through him to reconcile to himself all things (v. 20). 

We may ask, “Well, what practical value is that lofty theology for me?”  Paul will flesh that out in the rest of this letter, but for now he wants your mind focused only on Christ.

• Whoever you think is the answer to the world’s need, he is.
• Whatever you want to know about God, he is.
• Whenever you see flaws in the church and wonder who’s in charge, he is.
• Wherever you are, he is.
• However you view the source and goal of life, he is.

He is

I’m no Apostle Paul or Shakespeare or even Peter Corneliussen or Paul Cummings.  But I somehow couldn’t escape the need to put these lofty ideas into an original poem.  I can only help that my feeble attempt to express my own heart will add to and not distract from what Paul is trying to convey.  So here’s my verse based on Colossians 1:15-20, titled, simply, “He Is” –

He is…

God made visible, the Word comprehensible,

All I know of God, he is.

Nothing is he did not form,

No one overrules his arm,

All creation his alone.  He is.

He is…

Complete integration, no separation,

Whatever I need he is.

Amoeba and Canyon

Orion, Cro Magnon –

Before they could be, he is.

He is…

Loving his bride, leading his pride,

Head of his church he is.

You see her scars

And ask, “Who’s in charge?”

He never resigns.  He is.

He is…

Beginning and end, firstborn from the dead,

Who is supreme?  He is

The Father’s own pleasure.

The peace that we treasure

By the blood of his cross he is.

The very thought

One of the most enduring poems about Jesus Christ in the post-apostolic era was written by Bernard of Clairvaux in the twelfth century.  Jesu Dulcis Memoria is a Latin poem of about fifty four-line verses, some of which have been translated into two English language hymns, “Jesus, Thou Joy of Loving Hearts” and “Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee.”

Taste the beauty of the original in this verse -  

Jesu, dulcis memoria,

dans vera cordis gaudia:

sed super mel et omnia

ejus dulcis praesentia.

Bernard was born into nobility, and developed a love for poetry and literature as a boy.  His mother died when he was 19, and four years later he entered the monastery for a life in service to God and the church.

From a Protestant perspective eight hundred years later, Bernard certainly had his blind spots.  He advanced the cult of the Virgin Mary as intercessor for human beings.  He was the leading advocate of the Second Crusade and died with its failure as one of his key legacies.

But Bernard also taught the centrality of a personal faith modeled on Jesus Christ.  His essay, “On Loving God,” which began, “You want me to tell you why God is to be loved and how much. I answer, the reason for loving God is God Himself; and the measure of love due to Him is immeasurable love.”

I am quite sure that when I am dead and gone, if anyone at all remembers me, there will be valid criticisms of how I lived and what I taught.  Nobody’s ever gotten this life of faith right yet, and I will not be the first.

But if I can leave behind, as Bernard of Clairvaux did, any bit of my heart that moves others to love God and worship Jesus Christ, my life will have mattered.

So, as we close, listen to this nineteenth century translation of Bernard’s Jesu Dulcis Memoria.  You will find the words on page 274 of your hymnal.  Listen to the voices of others singing the first three verses.  On verse 4, please stand and join us in a meditative, a capella stanza.  On the fifth verse, we join with the instruments in full voice as we worship Jesus Christ.  He is.  Amen.