When I was in high school my parents moved our family from
the North Hills of Pittsburgh to Tidewater, Virginia. It was not a move that I
welcomed. I was comfortably ensconced in my school and social sphere. I had no
desire to move 450 miles away, where I knew no one.
But of all the lures to stay, there was one that tethered me
to North Allegheny more than any others – track and field. Throughout junior
high and into the tenth grade I ran track for the Tigers, competing in several
track and field events. My place on the team was secure. The future looked
bright; then the move.
What I never could have anticipated was what I discovered
when I arrived in Virginia. Not only did they have a good track team, their
coach was a man named Jerry Gaines. I quickly learned that Jerry was the first
African American to receive a full scholarship to Virginia Tech. He was a
world-class hurdler who ran in the Olympic trials against Rod Milburn, the
American gold medalist in the 110-meter hurdles at the 1972 Munich Olympic
Games. Suffice to say it took only a few days for the memories of N.A. to fade
and the dreams of Western Branch High School in Chesapeake, Virginia to capture
me. Under Jerry’s tutelage my track and field focus narrowed considerably from
five events to three, with a central focus on the hurdles.
I have often thought of the providential blessing it was to
move at that time. What appeared to be a major disappointment turned into an
unexpected and unanticipated joy. I was able to learn from a master hurdler. In
fact, to this day I remember him saying on numerous occasions when we were
dogging it, or when we thought we had accomplished something great, “I’ve been
where you still have got to go!” No coach, in any sport, ever influenced me as
much as Jerry Gaines.
I’ve thought a lot about Jerry over the past few weeks as I
have been preparing, with Henry, to lead you in a study of the book of
Colossians. It’s not an unfamiliar book to many of you who have gone through The Course
of Your Life. It is the letter that forms the foundation of the Course of Your Life study; and I commend
that study to all of you.
The striking similarity between Paul and Jerry Gaines is
that they spent their time on nobodies. We were nobodies. Paul’s writing to a
group of people he’s never met. He’s never even been to the town of Colossae.
One famous New Testament scholar calls Colossae, “The most unimportant town to
which Paul ever wrote.” Based on worldly measures they were nobodies just like the
Western Branch track team was to Jerry Gaines, and yet, he valued them.
More importantly, the letter of Colossians is the most
complete and insightful description of the nature of Jesus Christ we find anywhere
in Scripture. To put it in theological terms: The letter of Colossians contains
the highest Christology found anywhere in the Bible. What we find are words as
relevant to us in our Christian lives as they were to their Christian lives.
Paul’s purpose in writing is the same as the Holy Spirit’s purpose in our lives
– to grow us up in the faith, to present us mature in Christ, so that He may
use us to glorify Himself.
This week we begin a new series entitled, “The Incomparable Christ.”
This week’s message is on Colossians 1:1-2 entitled, “The Will of God.” We will
be focusing our attention on four points: The Place, The People, The Problem, and
The Purpose.
In preparation you may wish to consider the following:
1. Where is Colossae?
2. Why would J.B. Lightfoot call it an unimportant town?
3. What populated the town?
4. How did a church begin there?
5. Why did Paul feel compelled to unite them from prison?
6. What prison was he in?
7. What does Paul mean in verse 1 when he says, “by the will of
God”?
8. What does “to the saints and faithful brothers” mean?
9. What is the essence of the problem at Colossae?
10. How does Paul use the salutation, “Grace to you and peace
from God our Father” as a perfect encapsulation of what Christ has done for us?
See you Sunday!
