Colossians 1:11–14 ¹¹ May you be empowered in all power, according to the strength of His glory, toward all endurance and patience with joy ¹² giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you for a share in the inheritance of the saints in light. ¹³ He has rescued us from the authority of darkness and transferred us into the rule of His beloved Son, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Who are we, and why are we here?  As we sit here on our 25th anniversary, I think it’s important and even imperative for us to ask, “Who are we?  Who are we at Christ the King Free Lutheran in East Grand Forks?  Why are we here; what is our purpose?”

Many passages could do this as well, but these four verses from Colossians very succinctly and very powerfully help us understand who we are and why we are here.

Who are we?

It is very easy to define who we are not.  Little to no thought is needed to say, “No, we are not like them.  No, we disagree with those people.  We deny that doctrine.  No, no, no, we aren’t that type of ‘Lutheran.’”

It’s not as easy to define who we are.  We have solid tools (the Apostle’s, Nicene, and Athanasian Creeds; Luther’s Small Catechism; and the Augsburg Confession) which identify what we believe.  And what we believe goes a long way when trying to define who we are.

What does Scripture say we are?  Starting in the middle of v. 12, Scripture says you are qualified.  Notice you are qualified not because of something you have done or some choice you have made.  You are qualified by God the Father.  How could anyone dare say that they are qualified before God unless God has done the qualifying Himself?

As we have looked back on our past, we heard of God’s powerful work in and through this congregation; we remember how God has richly provided for us.  In everything, God has caused growth and blessed us.  And, yet, it would be foolish to say that we have been a ‘model congregation.’  We would be fools to say that we are the epitome of what a congregation should look like because that just isn’t the case.

We have failed.  We are all sinful; we are all sinners.  We all fall short of the glory of God.  We hurt our neighbor, we hurt our brothers and sisters in Christ, and we hurt our witness to others.  For all of that, you and I need forgiveness.

Thank God He is in the forgiveness business.

You were by nature unqualified.  But God has qualified you; He has made you worthy.  If the God Who is holy, holy, holy has made you qualified, who is anyone to say that you are unworthy or unqualified?

God has qualified you for a share, for a portion, in the inheritance of the saints in light.  The inheritance that the saints receive, there is a share in it for you because God has qualified you.  He washed away your sins.  In baptism, God buried you with Christ and raised you up with Christ (Ro. 6:3-7).

God saved you in your baptism.  He connected you with Christ; He rescued you.  You, sinful sinner that you are, were under the authority of darkness—you were in a hostile kingdom.  But Christ came bringing the rule and reign of God with Him.  He purchased you, He redeemed you, and transferred you to His rule.  In Christ you have the forgiveness of sins.  In Christ, you are forgiven, redeemed, naturalized into Christ’s kingdom; you are rescued, sainted, and qualified.

That is who we are.

Why are we here?

Even though we are now under the rule and reign of Christ, there are more people to be qualified by God the Father.  There are more people to be rescued from the authority of darkness and transferred into the rule of the only-begotten Son of God.

Christ your King uses you to work as He grows His kingdom.  You are His tools used to qualify others.

God doesn’t need your works.  Apart from your works, God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit has qualified you, rescued you, transferred you, and given you redemption the forgiveness of your sins.  God gives you all these things and leaves you here to work for the benefit of others.

God doesn’t need your works, but your neighbor does.

God has set you free.  You are free, then.  You are free to forgive others because you have been forgiven.  You are free to love others because you are loved by God.  You are free to serve your neighbor because Jesus Christ has served you.  You are free to provide for your neighbor because God has provided for you a share in the inheritance of the saints in light.

God is empowering you; He is empowering you with His power to do those things.  You are here so God can provide for, serve, love, and forgive your neighbor.

You fail—yes, you fail.  We all fail to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.  We fail to love our neighbor as ourselves.

But when you fail, there certainly isn’t a problem with your qualification—God qualified you.  You simply struggle with understanding the totality of God’s forgiveness.  Believer, in God’s eyes, you have never sinned—ever.  Jesus is the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world (Jn. 1:29).  If Jesus has taken away the sins of the world, that means Jesus has taken away your sins too.  Don’t try to steal your sins back from Jesus.

And even when you commit the same sin you were confessing just two seconds ago, receive again the fresh, infinite forgiveness of God.  His mercies never come to an end.

Who are we?  We are Christ the King Free Lutheran—sinners who have been forgiven, redeemed, rescued, transferred, and qualified.  Why are we here?  To be those who are qualified by God, to be Christ the King Free Lutheran, the body of Christ purchased and forgiven, empowered with the strength of God’s glory, enduring and patient.  Amen.

May the peace of God guard you—mind, body, and soul—unto the resurrection of the dead and the life everlasting.  Amen.