Release Date: May 27th, 2026Reflecting Christ
- by Nancy Frey
What is your morning routine? Maybe you roll out of bed, jump in the shower, dress, gulp down your coffee, head to work. Or maybe you get up, spend time in prayer and worship, and sit down to a leisurely breakfast, before you wash up and dress. Whatever your routine, it probably includes making sure your hair looks OK, that there is nothing stuck between your teeth, that you have on appropriate clothing, before you go out in public.
Just as we have our daily routine for getting dressed, so we need to prepare for each day by “putting on” those behaviours which represent Jesus and which are pleasing to God. Paul writes to the Colossians:
12 Therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. 13 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. 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. (Col 3:12-14)
As followers of Jesus, our inner transformation matters more than what the outside shell looks like, so it’s important that we attend to our inner self each day.
Paul is writing to a group of Christians living in the town of Colossae. It seems the Colossian Christians wanted very much to please God by doing the right things. The problem was, they weren’t sure what they needed to do to please God. The believers in Colossae were confused by the different religious practices they saw around them. Do they have to wear certain clothing, or eat certain foods, or avoid certain foods, or fast regularly, or are there special days that have to be properly observed?
This inner transformation doesn’t happen all at once; it is incremental.
These practices may make people look religious, but they do not in fact make people more like Jesus. Instead of worrying about external traditions or practices, Paul says, make Jesus your model; imitate him. As followers of Jesus, our inner transformation matters more than what the outside shell looks like, so it’s important that we attend to our inner self each day.
Now I’m going to go out on a limb here – maybe I am the only one – but sometimes I think it would be a whole lot easier to celebrate certain festivals, or to focus on what I eat, or to take on other external practices that don’t require any inner transformation. The new nature which Paul asks us to put on each day is much harder – it is more difficult to remember to be compassionate, kind, and loving, to forgive and to live at peace with others. It may just be me, but sometimes I think the hardest thing is to tolerate people who get on my nerves!
The New Testament does not contain a detailed code of rules for the Christian; what the New Testament does provide are basic principles of Christian living which may be applied to different situations of life as they arise.
This inner transformation doesn’t happen all at once; it is incremental. It requires intention and practice. Immersing ourselves in the stories of Jesus and living alongside others who are also following Jesus’ example helps. So does cultivating joy (Paul recommends music) and gratitude as daily practices.
The New Testament does not contain a detailed code of rules for the Christian; what the New Testament does provide are basic principles of Christian living which may be applied to different situations of life as they arise. So I invite you tomorrow morning as you get ready to be seen in public, to put on, along with your clothes, those attitudes which Paul recommends: compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forbearance, forgiveness, and love.
- Nancy Frey is pastor at Listowel Mennonite Church