Weekly Refelctions - It's the Little Things

There is a show on television that I watch all the time called "The Incredible Doctor Pol" about a veterinarian in Michigan. It's a reality show following the doctor as he and his staff treat animals.  One of my favorite parts of the show is when they take samples from the animals and look at them under the microscope. 

Ear mites and fleas, and parasites - oh my!
Okay - so maybe it's a little gross, but I am fascinated by all the things they find that we can't see. 

Because we can't see them - we don't think about them. Thankfully, the doctors on the show know how to look for things that we can not see that could be making an animal sick and know how to treat them.

So, this week - as we are approaching Thanksgiving - I am thinking about all the things we can be thankful for that we can not see. 

The scripture passage for this week - the Sunday before Thanksgiving - is from one of the Epistles in the New Testament.  Remember that epistle is just a fancy word for a letter.  This passage is from the 

the book of Colossians—which is Paul (or maybe one of Paul’s followers writing in the name of Paul) writing to the people who live in Colossae.

Our Sunday school lesson tells us Paul might have been concerned about Christians there because there were some people around that worshiped nature and sought advice from the stars in the sky.  So Paul wrote them a letter to remind then about what Jesus taught about God. 
(We used the verses from this scripture as the Affirmation of Faith during our worship service.)

Read Colossians 1: 11-20

 I rarely ever like to focus on just one passage of scripture by itself out of context - but this week I have been thinking a lot about verse 16. 

“For by him all things were created, in the heavens and on the earth, things visible and things invisible…”

Thanksgiving is the time of year when we think about all the things that we are thankful for in our lives and in the world.

We give thanks for the things we can see – our food, our friends and family, our homes, and for the beauty of the world. The rivers, mountains, trees, flowers, and animals of the natural world are just a few of the wonderful gifts from God. You could make a long, long list of the things we see and give thanks for in our world.

We don’t often think about those invisible things that are so important to our lives. I am thankful for the air and all the tiny cells that make our bodies work - and the invisible wifi signals that make our technology work - and the list goes on and on. 

What are some things you are grateful for that you can not see? 

The scripture starts with Paul writing that "The Son" - Jesus-  is the image of the invisible God. 

Here are some things to think about this week:

• What do you think it means to be created in the image of God?
• How would you describe God's nature? As you read the Bible what have you learned about the nature of God?
• How is it challenging for you to live in the image of God in today's world?
• How can you live according to God's nature this week?