This verse comes in an oft-quoted passage of Paul’s letter to the Colossians. After listing a number of actions (such as greed, impurity, and evil desire) and motivating behaviors (like anger, wrath, and malice) that are considered un-Christlike, he describes stripping away these old practices and reclothing ourselves in the image of our creator. He goes on to say that old hierarchies and divisions are invalid in this renewal before contrasting the old practices with new ones, like compassion, kindness, forgiveness, and love. One of my favorite parts of this passage is that he goes on to say that we dwell in what the New Revised Standard Version translates as harmony, others as unity, and that we should sing songs together. Amen!

We are really fortunate at our church to have pastors who provide us great insight and fresh perspective on the scriptural passages that are often so familiar to many of us.

Recently, Pastor Jonathan was preaching about the concept of being “born anew,” and he made the point that many of us who were raised in the church consider this a bit of a foreign concept, since we don’t remember not practicing our faith, and there was often not a landmark moment when we decided we would follow Christ. In a subsequent week, he was describing a conversation he had with a mentor, asking when the mentor had decided to devote his life to the call of ministry. The mentor’s reply was “most recently, this morning.”

I think that we often hear familiar scripture like today’s passage, and we think about when that might have happened to us in the past. Some past time when we rejected the bad and embraced the good. We don’t consider that we make the decision to reject the old ways and embrace the new daily. In fact, I would argue that it’s really situational — we have to make these decisions multiple times every day. Having been brought up in a faith tradition that believes that one “becomes saved” at one point, then all is set, this way of thinking is a reframing of what I was raised to believe is the relationship with Christ. Like a healthy marriage that is not just vows on the couple’s wedding day, but constant decision making to help each other prosper and grow through this life, even — and especially — when it’s difficult, our relationship with Christ is not a once-and-done experience, but a renewal throughout our lives. But like the healthy marriage that allows us to peel away at the onion, revealing new experiences and understanding of one another, the relationship with Christ also evolves to reveal new understanding of Christ and to present never-ending ways we can embody his goodness, allowing us to experience renewal each time.

God, in Christ Jesus, you give us a new way to live, for which we are thankful. Help us to always look for times when we can put on the clothing of Christ, experiencing the renewal and rebirth that you offer us, and never let us think we are finished learning how to better reflect your love. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen.

This devotion was written and read by Dwight Dockery.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: podcasts@1stchurch.org.

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