Colossians 3:1-17

TEXT What Not to Wear It is a cold and rainy Saturday morning here in Parker County. And if you think about it, each part of that previous sentence affects the way you dress. There are exceptions of course (retired folk, people who work on Saturday, etc.) but for most of us cold + rainy + Saturday morning + Parker County = soft jeans or sweats, warm thick socks, a comfy long sleeved shirt, and if one must go outside a rain jacket of some sort. In Colossians 3 Paul calls for a change of clothes. The analogy actually goes deeper. Forget Stacy and Clinton's plastic trash bin, Paul wants us to take our old clothes out and bury them! Paul wants to make sure the Colossians remember the affect grace is supposed to have on our lives. During Lent, we reflect on Jesus's sacrifice. We consider the worldly baggage we've accumulated. We clean out our closets. If we have been wearing anger, filthy language, and lies we take them off and bury them. We stand naked before the Lord and ask to be clothed in compassion, gentleness and love. (See also Revelation 3:17-19) We can leave behind the things of this world. What we can't leave behind are the character traits of Christ.