This coming Sunday, May 17, 2026, I will be preaching for the first time at Ceres Christian Church as their new Associate Pastor. Having just started here on March 15, I am incredibly excited for this milestone. I was given Colossians 3:17 as my text:

“And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.”

This verse acts as the climax of chapters 1, 2, and 3.

• In Chapter 1: Paul teaches us about the supremacy of Christ. He is preeminent and sufficient. Paul argues that through the cross, God is reconciling all things to Himself.
• In Chapter 2: Paul writes about the fullness of God, noting that “in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form” (2:9).
• In Chapter 3:1-16: This section acts as the elevator to verse 17. Paul tells us that since we were raised with Christ, we need to look up, not down, focusing on heavenly realities (3:1–2). There is also a major “wardrobe change” in this passage. We are told to “put to death” our old clothes (anger, malice, lust) and “clothe ourselves” with the new (compassion, kindness, humility).

Finally, right before he springs our living application on us, Paul says to “let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives.”

Now comes the application—the instruction on how we actually accomplish all of this. He says:

Since our old way of living is dead, our words and deeds must change to match our new life in Christ.

Since Jesus is King of everything, we are to do everything in the name of Jesus.

Since Jesus is the source of all life, we are to give thanks to God through Him.

So now you have a plan. Here it is. Whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.”

Morri