Written by: Phil East – Boys Brigade

Colossians 4 v 7-11
Tychicus is my dear brother in Christ and a faithful minister and servant with me in the Lord. He will tell you all the things that are happening to me. This is why I am sending him: so you may know how we are and he may encourage you. I send him with Onesimus, a faithful and dear brother in Christ, and one of your group. They will tell you all that has happened here.
Aristarchus, a prisoner with me, and Mark, the cousin of Barnabas, greet you. (I have already told you what to do about Mark. If he comes, welcome him.) Jesus, who is called Justus, also greets you. These are the only Jewish believers who work with me for the kingdom of God, and they have been a comfort to me.

Notes 
I recently sent a long email to a friend in London whom I hadn’t contacted for about 6 months. Towards the end of my ‘epic’ my wrists ached and my eyes hurt, so I ended as quickly as I could with lots of chatty one-liners – ‘Tom says hi!’, ‘Imogen’s finally got a job’ etc. Our Bible passage today is similar. After a long letter instructing the Colossians, Paul gives bits of information about mutual friends before signing off.

At the end of my email, I made patchy plans to meet my friend, so that we could catch up properly over a beer or a coffee and delve a bit deeper than you can in an email. Paul couldn’t do that (he was in prison) but he does make arrangements for Tychicus to visit on his behalf. Likewise, the purpose is to catch up properly and answer the questions. But Paul is also sending Tychicus for another purpose – to encourage the Colossians.

Encouragement is so important. If someone just takes a few moments to tell you that you’re doing something well and they appreciate your effort it can make all the difference and really keep you motivated. I’m sure you can think of a time when you’ve really appreciated a bit of encouragement from your boss, tutor, friend, relative or someone similar. We need encouragement in our Christian life too for when times get tough and the journey is hard. The Bible can be a great encouragement. It commands us ‘do not worry’ or ‘do not be afraid’ 365 times! And we can be an encouragement to others too. Why not drop a Christian friend an email or a postcard? Perhaps quote a favourite Bible verse and tell them that you’re praying for them. You could make a big difference.

Colossians 4 v 12-18
Epaphras, a servant of Jesus Christ, from your group, also greets you. He always prays for you that you will grow to be spiritually mature and have everything God wants for you. I know he has worked hard for you and the people in Laodicea and in Hierapolis. Demas and our dear friend Luke, the doctor, greet you.
Greet the brothers in Laodicea. And greet Nympha and the church that meets in her house. After this letter is read to you, be sure it is also read to the church in Laodicea. And you read the letter that I wrote to Laodicea. Tell Archippus, “Be sure to finish the work the Lord gave you.”
I, Paul, greet you and write this with my own hand. Remember me in prison. Grace be with you.


Notes 
Today we come to the end of Paul’s letter. He gives greetings and encouragement, referring to some of his faithful fellow-workers in various parts of the early church.

The bloke who stands out for me here is Epaphras. We know very little about him, though the letter to Philemon tells us that he was also a prisoner with Paul. Here we learn that he always prays for the Colossians (another translation says that he’ wrestles’ in prayer for them). Just imagine the scene: Paul and Epaphras in prison, surviving in grotty conditions, probably in poor health, possibly hungry, and yet praying their hears out for the Colossians. Isn’t that inspiring!

Many Christians can give personal testimony to the power of prayer in all sorts of circumstances. I hope you can too. Karl Barth (theologian) once said, ‘To clasp hands in prayer is the beginning of an uprising against the disorder of the world.” He had no doubt about its value. And perhaps we don’t either. But when life is so busy, as too often it is, prayer can easily get sidelined. John Wesley obviously appreciated this problem, but managed to suss out the answer. He once wrote, “Today I have such a busy day before me that I cannot possibly get through it with less than 2 hours prayer.”

What about you? Are you too busy to pray or too busy not to pray?

Luke 22 v 1-3
It was almost time for the Feast of Unleavened Bread, called the Passover Feast. The leading priests and teachers of the law were trying to find a way to kill Jesus, because they were afraid of the people.
Satan entered Judas Iscariot, one of Jesus’ twelve apostles. 

Notes 
Have you ever been to a gathering that gives you a real sense of your history? I remember going to my Granddad’s 70th birthday bash. All kinds of stories were shared about achievements, sacrifices, good times and bad. It gave me a really strong sense of who I am where my roots lie. The Passover was similar for the Jews. It was the time when they remembered the freedom from slavery in Egypt God had given them. It represented another step along the road to the Promised Land and reminded them of their special position as God’s chosen people. So it was very important to them and they spent a whole week celebrating it.

Meanwhile, the priests and teachers have got other things on their minds. They’ve finally decided it’s time to get Jesus out of their hair once and for all. Why? Because Jesus has challenged their power and they are scared. Jesus is a charismatic figure who has stirred and inspired the people. The air is heavy with expectation as people whisper about a new spiritual and social order as they mingle in the streets. So the priests and teachers are scared of losing their stranglehold on power.

Power is attractive and can become addictive for all of us. It can be used for good or for bad. And Jesus challenges the power of each of us. He invites us to accept him as our best mate and saviour. But that means giving up our ultimate power over our lives and letting him take charge and become number 1. When Jesus challenges our power, are we going to turn away in fear like the teachers and priests, or are we going to embrace his better way, opening ourselves to experience risk, challenge, change, blessing and endless opportunities?

Luke 22 v 4-6
Judas went to the leading priests and some of the soldiers who guarded the Temple and talked to them about a way to hand Jesus over to them. They were pleased and agreed to give Judas money. He agreed and watched for the best time to hand Jesus over to them when he was away from the crowd.

Notes 
Is Judas a baddy or just a misguided goody? The Gospel-writers are quite clear: they portray him as self-serving and corrupt – a real ‘Nasty Nick’! But opinion tends to be divided. Some take his actions at face value and think that he was utterly horrid. Others think he betrayed Jesus in order to spark a revolution and hasten the Kingdom of God by force. In that case, he was well-intentioned but misguided and naïve.

Whatever your estimate of Judas, one awkward fact about him hits us hard in the face: without him, there can be no crucifixion, no resurrection, and therefore no salvation story. There’s no getting round it. His role is dreadful, possibly even despicable, but he is integral to God’s salvation plan.

That probably sets all kinds of questions raging in our minds and all kinds of conclusions. One such conclusion we should take note of. The story of Judas demonstrates to us that however evil and terrible the world, people and events may at times seem, they are never Godless. Nothing is outside of God’s influence and grace to affect and use for the good and his purposes. Even in the worst circumstances, our God reigns. It also shows that God can use all people, no matter how awful they seem and no matter what dreadful things they do. Nothing is irredeemable. That’s good news for Judas, and it’s good news for you and me.

Luke 22 v 7-10
The Day of Unleavened Bread came when the Passover lambs had to be sacrificed. Jesus said to Peter and John, “Go and prepare the Passover meal for us to eat.”
They asked, “Where do you want us to prepare it?” Jesus said to them, “After you go into the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you.

Notes
Have you ever had to make a kind of sacrifice? Perhaps you’ve chosen to sacrifice chocolate or alcohol for Lent, or you’ve sacrificed some of your free time to do someone a favour. You may even have sacrificed some of your blood or even an organ for transplant. I remember as a kid sacrificing one of my favourite toys for a Blue Peter bring and buy sale, and feeling like a martyr! We make all kinds of sacrifices in life, some which are major, but most are fairly trivial.

Sacrifice was no trivial matter for the Jews though. They sacrificed a lamb at Passover because that’s what their ancestors had to do when they were slaves in Egypt. They killed lambs and daubed their door-posts with the blood, so that when the angel of death came over, their firstborn were not killed. Sacrifice was a matter of life and death.

What Peter and John didn’t appreciate as they prepared for this meal was that Jesus was going to be a new kind of sacrificial lamb. In the past an animal had given its life unwittingly to save the people from death. Now, the Son of God was going to do the same, but in the full knowledge of his fate. Jesus chose to die.

Jesus’ sacrifice wasn’t just a matter of life and death for him. It’s a matter of life and death for us too. Jesus chose death so that we can choose life. He chose to die so that we can choose to live a fulfilled life in partnership with God, fully experiencing the depths of his love and forgiveness.

We too have to make a choice. To choose Jesus is to choose life in all its richness. The decision is yours.

Luke 22 v 10-13
Follow him into the house that he enters, and tell the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher says: Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover meal with my followers?’ Then he will show you a large, furnished room upstairs. Prepare the Passover meal there.”
So Peter and John left and found everything as Jesus had said. And they prepared the Passover meal.

Notes 
I’m sure that all of us have spent a lot of time preparing for big events in our past. Perhaps you’ve taken a driving test. You probably spent many hours with your instructor perfecting your parallel parking. Then there were the hours getting ready for the theory exam and harassing your mum or dad to let you practice in their immaculate car! Perhaps you’ve spent ages revising for your exams or getting ready for a date.

Whatever you’re preparing for, if you want it to go well you want a certain outcome (e.g. to pass your test) then you put in the hours to make sure that it happens. I get the same impression from Jesus in today’s reading. This Passover meal is so important to him. It’s the last meal he will have before his death and it’s so important for explaining to his disciples what’s going to happen to him. So he makes sure nothing goes wrong. He’s put in the hours and prepared for it perfectly.

This made me think of how often I don’t really prepare properly to meet with God. I get up late on a Sunday, scramble into the car, and make it to church just in time for the first hymn. Or I’m juggling my toast, Bible, razor, coffee and prayers in the morning. Perhaps if I prepared better to meet with God, the outcome would be better. Why don’t you resolve to have a little time of preparation (perhaps quietness, trying to empty your mind of pressing concerns) before you go to church or read these notes tomorrow? Allow God to get you ready for what he’s got to say. Perhaps then, you and I will get more out of these times and hear God more clearly.

Luke 22 v 14-16
When the time came, Jesus and the apostles were sitting at the table. He said to them, “I wanted very much to eat this Passover meal with you before I suffer. I will not eat another Passover meal until it is given its true meaning in the kingdom of God.”

Notes 
‘The future’s bright, the future’s orange.’ So a certain mobile phone company wants us to believe. But do you believe it? Do you believe that the future is bright? You may have all kinds of plans for your education and career, relationships and world travel. Or you may not. Some of us like to have our future mapped out, others like to go with the flow.

When we’re young we’re meant to believe in the future, in progress, potential and endless possibilities. But lots of people don’t. Even if you’re optimistic about your personal future, it can be difficult to be optimistic about society and the world more generally. Whereas our parents and grandparents tend to believe passionately that the world is getting better, today we tend to be a bit more cynical and cautious. In many ways, it’s hard not to be when we look around us.

Jesus seems really optimistic in today’s reading. He’s looking forward to the next time he eats a proper meal, when the Kingdom of God reigns. The Kingdom of God is what will exist when Jesus comes again. We know very little about it, apart from the fact that is will be completely cool and God will reign over a new heaven and earth. Exciting stuff!

Most of the pessimism that’s the norm today is a consequence of the fact that we have little trust in the human attempt at progress and perfection. That project looks really corrupt. But Jesus is optimistic about the future because he knows that it won’t be controlled by humans but by God himself. This isn’t naïve optimism, it’s God’s promised future. If we trust in God rather than in humans the future might not be orange, but it will be gloriously bright.


word-on-the-web uses the Scripture text taken from the Youth Bible, New Century Version (Anglicised Edition) copyright 1993 by Word Publishing Milton Keynes