Thursday 11 September 2025 - Holy and beloved

Thursday 11 September 2025

Today is Thursday the 11th of September, in the 23rd week of Ordinary Time. The Brilliance sing, ‘Christ Be With Me’. Christ be with me, Christ before me Christ behind me, Christ within me Christ below me, Christ above me Christ be with me At my right hand, at my left hand As I lie down, as I rise up As I stumble, as I fall down Christ as I stand Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me Christ in every eye that sees me Christ in every ear that hears me Amen, amen Today’s reading is from Saint Paul’s Letter to the Colossians. Colossians 3:12-17 As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. St Paul, writing to the Christian community of Colossae, in modern-day Turkey, paints a picture of what an ideal follower of Christ might look like. How far can you recognise yourself in that picture? Think of someone who knows you well. What is there in Paul’s words that they would think applies to you? What part of this picture do you find it most difficult to live out in your own life? A disciple should be like the one they follow. Much of this passage describes what Christ himself is like. As you hear the passage again, notice what it tells you about Jesus, as God’s chosen one. Colossians 3:12-17 As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Take a moment or two to thank God, for the parts of this picture that you can see in yourself. And to ask for God’s help, for those parts of it where you need to grow. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be World without end Amen