“Set Your Heart On Things Above!”

“Set Your Heart On Things Above!”(Col.3:1-4).
Few weeks back I informed a distant relative about the death celebration of my granddaughter. Few days later the relative brought me some gifts. She told me she had brought her gifts to me at home because her church does not permit death celebrations.
I recall that missionary Christianity in my village considered participation in death celebrations to be not only paganic, but satanic. Christians who were seen merely watching a traditional dance were flogged in church on a worship day in the presence of worshippers so that the punishment could be a deterrent to others.
Over time when the missionized church was indigenized, some of the restrictions were relaxed. The death celebration of a Christian was either by the church or with tradition. It depended on the will of the deceased.
Today, things have taken a different twist. The death celebration of a Christian has become a mixed affair. Christian groups even celebrate the death of a nonChristian in solidarity with a bereaved family member of the deceased.
All these tension and confusion stems from the ignorance of the indigenizing princle and the pilgrim principle. With the Indigenizing principle God in Christ takes us as we are with all our disrelations. He does not take us on the basis of what we ought to be
With the pilgrim principle God takes us as we are to make us what he wants us to become. As such we belong to our past, but we are on a pilgrimage to be what we ought to become.
By becoming new creations in Christ we do not suddenly forget our past. Our past is a crucial determinant of who we are. We cannot take in new ideas except in terms of the ideas that we already have. Therefore, whoever forgets the past suffers from amnesia. Of course, both principles are in perennial tension!
The word of God does not change, but over time people get clearer understanding of content that was presented in the container of the messenger as if the container was part of the content. Each culture is free to remove the content and put in their own familiar container.
In Collosae there was a heresy which seemingly set forth an impressive system of religious philosophy that was created by false teachers. It was not of divine origin. The false teachers showed off with a kind of false humility and a kind of “harsh asceticism that brutally misused the body.”
Paul’s letter to the Colossians admonished believers to let them know that such practices did not in any way promote holy living. They do not restrain sensual indulgence. We died with Christ to the basic principles of this world (Col.2:20-23).
Now that Christ is risen, we have risen with him. Therefore,“set your eyes on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”
Let us focus on Christ our salvation with whom our lives are now hidden.
Weekend prayer: Holy Spirit help me to fix my eyes on Christ with whom my life is now hidden. Amen!
Have a blessed weekend! Peace be with you!
Rev Babila Fochang.