Sermon for Trinity 19, October 4, 2026
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort. Amen.
Colossians 3:12-21 12Therefore, as God’s elect, holy and loved, clothe yourselves with heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13Bear with one another and forgive each other if anyone has a complaint against anyone else. Forgive, just as Christ forgave you. 14And, in addition to all these things, put on love, which ties things together in perfect unity. 15Let the peace of Christ control your hearts, to which you were also called, in one body. And be thankful. 16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, with gratitude in your hearts to God. 17And everything you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. 18Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. 19Husbands, love your wives and do not treat them harshly. 20Children, obey your parents in everything, for this is pleasing in the Lord. 21Fathers, do not embitter your children, so that they do not become discouraged. (EHV)
Clothe yourselves in the peace Christ won for you.
Dear beloved children of the Lord,
It is quite common in families for parents to expect their children to hold themselves to certain standards when out in public. This is perhaps especially true among the wealthy, the politically elite, and royalty. For example, the British Royal Family has very strict protocols that every member of the family is expected to uphold at all times.
Of course, in those cases, the family expectations are primarily focused on preventing embarrassment to the family. In contrast, our Lord is not concerned with embarrassment. Rather, out of love for us and for all people God gives instruction for living to those He has made His own children, so that we live in the gentleness and humble nature of His Son, Who, “Though he was by nature God, … humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:6-8) Thus, it is to express His tender love for us that the Spirit says, Clothe yourselves in the peace Christ won for you.
The first thing we must realize is that these instructions are for Christians, for those whom God has already made His own. Notice with joy that Paul wrote this to “God’s elect, holy and loved.” Out of all the teaming hordes of humanity afflicted with the sinful nature inherited from Adam, and deserving nothing but His rejection, God chose us to be His own “dearly loved” children. We are so dearly loved that God gave His only begotten Son, Jesus, into suffering and death on our behalf. By Christ’s righteous living and perfect obedience to His Father in heaven, holiness was established for those who would believe in Jesus.
Then, through the faith worked in us by His Holy Spirit in Word and Sacrament, God has counted us forgiven and cleansed of all sin. By the powerful washing of Baptism, God washed away the stench of all our guilt then dressed us in the perfect righteousness that Jesus lived for us. Furthermore, Jesus promised, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.” (John 14:23) So, to faithful Christians, with Jesus and the Father dwelling in us, the Spirit says, Clothe yourselves in the peace Christ won for you.
Now, we know that no one is able to make himself a Christian by following these commands, for as long as we walk the troubled soil of earth, we remain in the condition of sin, so our works can never earn God’s mercy. Consequently, those who try to use instructions like this to gain, by their own works, a place in God’s heaven earn only condemnation for their faults.
Instead of telling the troubled soul how to please God and be saved, Paul’s instructions, here, tell us how to live as part of Jesus’ sanctified bride, His holy Church. Consequently with the Holy Spirit working in us, we do not want to dress in the shameful rags of our own efforts, but we put on the pure white clothes that Christ has woven for us in Himself. It is Jesus put on us that leads to pleasing God. We thereby become His representatives here on earth. We do this by confessing our unworthiness and guilt, and trusting in Jesus for forgiveness and salvation, and in that state of grace striving to live as He would live.
Paul wrote, “Clothe yourselves with heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.” What greater heartfelt compassion could be shown than what Jesus showed as He entered our world to live with the rabble of humanity? Not willing to sentence the whole human race to hell, Jesus entered our world—this world so troubled by our sinful ways—just so that He could eliminate our rift with God and heal our souls to live with Him forever.
Jesus demonstrated kindness to those who needed His help, who indeed had nothing to offer Him but more sin, when He healed the sick, the lame, and the blind while He forgave the sins of all who came to Him for help and healing. Jesus lived humility in not demanding our obeisance before saving us but taking on complete servitude to rescue the unworthy from eternal death. The very Son of God, and true King of heaven and earth, was willing to live as one of us in order to rescue the wretched refuse of humanity from sin, death, and the devil’s control.
Jesus’ gentleness was evident to all in that rather than demand obedience to more and more laws, He declared, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:29)
In consideration of all that Jesus has done for us, Paul writes, “Bear with one another and forgive each other if anyone has a complaint against anyone else. Forgive, just as Christ forgave you. And, in addition to all these things, put on love, which ties things together in perfect unity.” Remember that through the adoption of Baptism, we each have God dwelling with us and empowering us to live as Jesus lived for us with unconditional love devoted to bringing forgiveness to others. Jesus said, “God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” (John 3:17)
If we pause for a moment and remember all the times we have been unwilling to forgive someone else, or even those times when perhaps we punished one of our own children for their misdeeds but then forgot to tell them that they are truly forgiven for Jesus’ sake, it is easy to be stricken in the heart for our unloving, unforgiving attitudes. It is for just such times that the Spirit caused Paul to write, “Let the peace of Christ control your hearts, to which you were also called, in one body. And be thankful.” Be thankful that Jesus has already forgiven you. Be thankful that He has won complete and everlasting peace between you and God. No, we don’t deserve that mercy and kindness. No one does for we all fall short of the glory of God, but that is the richness of God’s love for us and for all—that Jesus came to save sinners. Be thankful, for He came into this world to make us right with His Father in heaven so that we may Clothe ourselves in the peace Christ won for you.
Sometimes, we find it hard to forgive, and even harder to forget; we want the offending party to make up to us for whatever the fault, but is that how Jesus forgave us? Did He not rather suffer and die for all the sinners of the world regardless of whether we believed? Therefore, put on love. Put on that determination to do for the other person what he, like us, doesn’t deserve and cannot earn.
At the same time, we dare not pretend that any sin is something good. We are often surrounded by unbelievers who demand that Christians condone what God calls sin. To condone sin is not love but pure hatred driven by the evil one. Instead, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, with gratitude in your hearts to God.” God’s Word does not change, nor should we want it to, for it is life and hope and salvation to the believer. So, we are to teach it faithfully, and use it wisely in all we do, and our response to God’s Word should always be praise and thanksgiving. We, of course, do this in our weekly church services, yet it is for the good of our neighbor that the Lord encourages this to be evident in every part of daily living.
When feelings of worthlessness come upon us, we can look to the love God demonstrated for us on the cross, where because He loves us, Jesus sacrificed Himself so that we would be rich in righteousness and dearly loved by His Father in heaven. If we ever feel gloomy or worried, we can take heart in the fact that God has redeemed us from evil and condemnation—that He has opened the gates of heaven for all who believe in His Son. Living with gratitude to God can be contagious. It is hard to stay focused on gloom when your associates are singing praise to God even in the hard times.
It is perhaps in our own families that we have the greatest difficulty staying true to God’s directives. Husbands and wives struggle to balance power, needs, and desires. It is easy to let the sinful nature control our reactions to the little hurts of life. Children may sometimes rebel against parents’ authority even while needing that guidance to have happy, contented lives. Therefore, we again are reminded to focus on what Jesus has done for us; “And everything you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
In the day-to-day struggle of life in this sin-broken world, there is much that causes hurt and consternation even among people who love each other. It is therefore wise to keep our eyes looking always toward the One Savior who never stops loving us. So, the Spirit reminds us that our salvation and forgiveness comes only through Christ, and our sanctified service is the same. Through faith, Christ puts Himself on us, around us, and in us. Through the gift of Baptism and the life-giving food of His Holy Supper, Jesus works in us, making the Spirit’s witness come true when He caused Paul to write: “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared in advance so that we would walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10)
Dear friends, may God’s workmanship, and the merciful love of Christ Jesus shine on and around you continually, as you Clothe yourselves in the peace Christ won for you. Amen.
May the LORD our God be with us, just as he was with our fathers. May he never leave us or abandon us. May he turn our hearts to him, to walk in all his ways. Amen.