To The Lord with Sonja Knutson

“To the Lord” sounds like a toast, but it can also be a way of living. We take the final stretch of Colossians and bring it down to street level: how Jesus reshapes what we do with our relationships, our work, our words, and our time when nobody is applauding. If you’ve ever wondered what “Christ is all you need” looks like on an average Tuesday, this message gives you language and traction.

We also slow down for the parts of Colossians that make modern readers tense, especially the household instructions about wives, husbands, children, and parents. We talk honestly about why these verses have been used in harmful ways, then zoom out to the first-century Roman power structure Paul is addressing. The invitation is not control or harshness, but a home where respect, sacrificial love, and wise boundaries point everything back to Jesus.

From there we move into workplace discipleship and a Christian work ethic rooted in Colossians 3:23-24: work heartily, serve with integrity, and lead with justice because our ultimate audience is Christ. We connect that outward life to an inward rhythm of devoted prayer, then finish with Colossians 4 and the challenge to speak with grace “seasoned with salt” in a culture that rewards outrage.

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Transcript

Series Wrap And Summer Preview

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My name is Sonia Knutsen. If you have not met me yet, I would love to get to know you a little bit better. I serve as a pastoral associate here at Central, and it is a blessing to be on this team. Well, we in our last week of our sermon series, reviewing the book of Colossians, and it's called Underneath It All. And it's been a fun series, has it not? Next week, Ryan, as Olivia shared, is going to be sharing his last sermon before his sabbatical. If you have not been around or if you've not heard, he's going to be leaving for the three months of the summer months to be in rest and Sabbath and reviewing his past life and looking forward to his future life here at Central and in his own home life and asking himself, what does it mean to be a Christ follower? What is Christ doing in my life? And so we would ask that you would encourage him and pray for him and for sure come next Sunday and be in prayer and listen to his message. He's going to be talking a little bit, he's closing out the book of Colossians, but also talking a little bit about what Sabbath really means for all of us. And so please encourage him. We're going to be fine over the summer months. We're going to be moving into a summer series that's on the book of Daniel, which will fill in those summer months and end with the UPIC series, which is one of our favorites as well, around here. Pastor Ben, myself, and then we're going to also have three guest speakers that will predominantly be teaching through this Daniel series. We're excited about that. But in this series, Ryan and Ben have been walking us through this short book. It's really a letter. It's about two and a half pages in the book. That's not bad, is it? And they've done, excuse me, a great job of sharing Paul's vision of who Jesus is as he wrote from prison. Think about that. And he wrote to a young church who was struggling between the demands of the empire and the demands of a church. And in this letter, Paul explains that Christ is the visible image of the invisible God, the one who brings peace and reconciliation to all things. The first few chapters of Colossians is based on theory, in my opinion. And in the end of the letter, in the end of the book, what we'll be talking about today and framing around what Verona just read us, we're going to be talking what I think is the applicable stuff or the good stuff, the stuff that you bring to your kitchen table with your friends and your family. And we think like, this is what I heard in the first part of Colossians, and now how do I apply it to my life? If I were to summarize this short book, I would say that the big idea of this is that Christ is all you need, no supplements added, meaning if you are in Christ, you've received God's fullness and have everything you need for living fully with him and for him, which is an echo of our reading that Verona shared in Colossians 3, 23 through 24. Today we'll be digging around that reading a little bit more on both sides of it, in the end of chapter three and then through chapter four. And I've titled my sermon to the Lord in the words of Norm, in honor of a friend who gives all he does and all he is and his life to the Lord. Will you begin with me in prayer? Heavenly Father, this morning as we close out your letter in Colossians and we explore how to apply this word to our families, to our work and to our world, we thank you for the relationships that you've given us. And we pray for your wisdom over our homes and our families and our work and our daily lives. Help us to work heartily as serving you rather than just people. And when interacting with others, give us wisdom and patience and gracious words.

The Story Behind To The Lord

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Remind us that in all we do, we ultimately serve you. Be present in my words today and let them honor and glorify you in your precious name. Amen. So Norm is Norm Beatty, otherwise maybe known as Jeremy. He typically, he's a member here. He typically with his family sits at the 8:30 service right here in this little section where the Humphreys are today. They wouldn't kick you out, though. They would let you stay there this morning. Norm is a beautiful Christian man. He was ordained here last summer as a pastor. He works with his wife at Faith in Action. His wife is a director there. Her name is Moraine. I encourage you highly to get to know this family. They've been members here for a long time. But for a short time, Norm was with us on staff and he led our property team here. Well, one staff summer, we were on a retreat and it happened to be overlapping over Norm's birthday. And in typical central style, when we celebrate someone's birthday around here, we don't give them gifts or cards. We love on them with words of affirmation. So we were at a luncheon and we were sitting around a table and we were telling Norm reasons that we loved him. And Ryan's like, I'm going to start this conversation out. And so he was telling Norm all the lovely things about him. You're humble, you're loving, you love Jesus. And Ryan said at the end of his talk, he's like, raise your glass to Norm. And all of us went, to Norm, as did Norm. But then Norm said, Can I rebuttal this a little bit? I mean, thank you for the acknowledgement. And this is truly Norm style. Thank you for the acknowledgement. But I wouldn't be who I am or do what I do if it wasn't for Christ. So can we say instead, to the Lord? And we all said, to the Lord. And every time one of us went around and said something wonderful and loving about Norm, we ended with, to the Lord, and did the rest of the restaurant because they started to catch on to what we were doing. So somebody would say something and the whole restaurant would say, To the Lord. And this is who Norm Beatty truly is. He gives all he is, all of his skills, all of his gifting, every act that he does is to the Lord. Even to the point when we came back from the staff retreat and we would see him in the hallways. And even now, today, he's been off staff for quite a while. We see him in the hallways. And what do we say, Ryan? To the Lord. I love this. And he reminds me of the book of Colossians. I can't help but think of Norm's words to the Lord as Paul encourages us and lifts our lives as Christ followers if we truly do believe in the full sufficiency of Jesus. But let's see if you see and hear and interpret the same gestures as we walk through this book today. So I would encourage you to open your books to page 958. The books and the Bibles are right in front of you, if you don't mind, or if you have your own, or if you have your app. In the Black Bible, though, the ones that are in the pew, it's on page 958. And we're going to talk through this starting with where where Ryan ended off last week,

Christ Is All You Need

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which was in chapter 11, or excuse me, verse 11, chapter 3, where he shared, in that renewal, there is no longer Greek or Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarians, see then, slave or free, but Christ is in all and is all. If that's not a to the Lord statement, I don't know what is. Amen. What it's saying is that we are all of equal value value and that there are no dividing lines. Think of how controversial that was for the times and the empire, considering literally people were governed by an oppressive hierarchy who didn't honor women, children, or slaves. Now Paul understood power flowed downward, the strong ruled, the weak submitted. But in his letter, Paul is stepping into the world and saying, not in this church, not in this kingdom, because in Christ, relationships don't work like the empire anymore. And then he goes on, if you go down to 17, and he says, 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. Do you hear my theme? To the Lord. Amen. I'm loving Colossians. It's forward thinking, it's Christ-centered, it's purposeful, it's renewing of who we are and who we are supposed to be. But then Paul's Paul seems to play on words a bit and he sends some mixed messages coming out of that message as he frames his letter around four areas of our lives as if we're playing in a sports arena. And he mentions this starting in verse 18. And he starts with our homes, our workplace, our prayer life, and our world. Again, as if we're living in a sports arena, with the focus beginning in our homes, because that's where faith gets started, if you think about

No Dividing Lines In Christ

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it. Think about your own faith. Where did your foundation start with? It began in your home, whether it was good, a good experience or not, whether it was positive or negative. Paul knew to grow this idea of Christ-centered living, to do that, it needs to start in the home first. Read with me chapter 13, that's starting with 18. It says, Wives, be subject to your husbands as if feeding to the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them. Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. Fathers, do not provoke your children lest they become discouraged. Well, who cringed a little bit when you were reading that? It sounds borderline oppressive and surely could be a topic for debate and discussions in homes, especially for those who might struggle with the word and with God. In fact, who hasn't heard that verse or similar verses used to argue and to provide content that supports dominance and control or power in your home? Women, submit to your husbands. Children, obey because God said so. Which can make the Bible sound a little harmful, like a moral code book, but that has no consistency with what God's story is even remotely about. And I hear the confusion because remember, this letter was written in a world where women and children and slaves were overlooked and treated like property and less like people. But God tells a different story again and again, and he models that story by choosing people in the society that are overlooked. He chooses the outsider and the forgotten. He chooses the weak and the ones that no one expects. Take Ruth the widow, for example, or Rahab the prostitute, women with no social standing. If humans were writing this story, they probably wouldn't even make the footnotes. But God puts them right in the middle of it. And not only do they matter, these women be cart be become part of God's family. And he sends Jesus to change the world. And when Jesus shows up, all are welcome. Because Jesus sees women, he blesses children, he touches lepers, he eats with the sinners. In God's kingdom, everybody matters, unlike the empire that Paul is referencing. So why then would Paul write this after his previous writings? Remember, there is no longer Greek or Jew, circumcised, uncircumcised, slave or free. We are all weak equal, but wait, wives submit to your husbands, and children obey. Well, I believe that Paul was playing it safe. He knew the Roman household code code, the rigid hierarchy that governed domestic life. It was defined by three core relationships: husbands over wives, fathers over children, and masters over slaves. And he knew this code was enforced,

A Hard Passage About The Home

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that men owned and had legal authority over women, children, and slaves, owned even to the point that if a man didn't agree or didn't care for the way his wife is responding to him or his children or his slaves, he could dismiss them. He could kill them if he chose. So Paul uses this code of the Roman Empire, but brilliantly he re-engineers them to fit a Christian worldview when he advocates for wives to submit to their husbands, not to enforce the oppressive patriarchy, but to ensure harmony and point everything back to Christ. He says, wives submit, but husbands love your wives and never treat them harshly. And children obey, obey as if you see Jesus through your father, through your mother, but fathers, do not provoke your children, for they may lose heart. So as disturbing as this passage may read to some, it was not written to create rules for how marriages and parents should set up their power structures. Rather, it was saying the kingdom sees people and it starts in the home. It starts in the marriages and the families, where the wife is called to support and respect her husband, and a husband is called to love sacrificially, not selfishly, or harshly, as Jesus models with humility, patience, and grace and sacrifice. Is it always easy in a marriage? No. Especially when the laundry can't seem to make the basket, or the toilet seat is left up, or the crumbs can't seem to be wiped off the counter. Just saying. It's just not that hard. Or we're when words are harshly shared and mistakes are made. We are imperfect humans, aren't we? Who make imperfect choices that often hurt the ones that we love the most. So in our imperfect marriages, when we live sufficiently in Christ, we practice forgiveness and patience and sacrificial love every single day. And we trait chase gate grace as if it were a runaway puppy who forgot where he came from. And when you think you can't chase it anymore because actions and words are too hurtful and sometimes feel unforgivable, then you take another lap and together you say to the Lord, because we've got this. Look, we're not saying that if you live in an unhealthy marriage and you're walking through hard times, that you should stay. But we are suggesting that if you are in a marriage together in Christ, and you have people to come around you and talk through hard things, and maybe you're going to a therapist, and maybe you pray together, that in a marriage framed in Christ, then it's worth it. So, yeah, wives, submit to your husbands. Honor and love them as you honor and love Jesus. And husbands, honor and love your wives as you honor and love Jesus. And then Paul continues, children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. But also, fathers, do not provoke your children least they become discouraged. Parents, how easy is it to crush your children through criticism and anger and impossible expectations? Even when you think you're being constructive, we have to be careful and attentive

Marriage Marked By Sacrifice

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to our tones, our actions, even our nonverbal communication, because we are raising future Christ-like beings. So if we want them to be loving and kind, then we need to guide them with love and kindness, even in firm redirection. Parenting is not merely about controlling behavior, it's about shepherding. Amen. One time I lost my youngest son, Connor, for about two minutes in a Target. He would tell you that he wasn't lost. He was just playing hide and seek, right, dear? Even after we had talked about several times about safety and why we don't run away in the big grocery stores. And that even if your heart is saying, I want to play hide and seek, you need to start listening to mommy because it's the safe thing to do. And in those short few moments, I understood every Bible verse about wandering sheep as I shepherd section to shepherd, section to section, calling his name, trying not to panic and bargaining with God. Lord, if you bring this child back to me, I'll never complain about his messy room or all his Legos ever again. And when I finally found him and asked him, Why did you hide? he calmly and confidently replied, Because I knew you would find me. That's when I realized that parenting is basically being a full-time shepherd. You spend all day guiding and protecting and feeding and correcting. And then with one little distraction appears, your sheep is gone licking shopping carts somewhere. And I can't help but think this is Jesus' viewpoint of us, right? Which is humbling as a parent. While we're trying to shepherd our children, God is shepherding us too. And when we are in relationship with Him, we too know He is always there for us, which is why Paul said, start in our home so we can confidently move them into our workplace to share this Christ-like reshaping of our lives with others. In Colossians 3:22 through 24, Paul turns us to relationships involving servants and masters within the first century world when he shares, slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything, not with a slavery performed merely for looks to please people, but wholeheartedly fearing the Lord. Whatever task you must do, work as if your soul depends on it, as if the Lord was not for humans, since you know that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You serve the Lord Christ. These passages can feel difficult for modern readers because they

Parenting As Shepherding

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reflect social structures that existed in a historical context. Yet Paul's focus is not in endorsing oppression, but it is instead telling us how the gospel transformed the way people treat one another within the realities of the culture. He is saying, let your work be an act of worship. Think about that for a moment. Let your work be an act of worship. You've been given skills and gifts and abilities, not of your own self, but God has nurtured them. God has given them through nature and nurture. So whether you work in an office or a classroom, a construction site or in your home, seen or unseen, all work can be done for the Lord. Our ultimate goal is not for human approval, but for God, with integrity, honesty, faithfulness, even when no one is watching. And then Paul goes on to say masters, meaning your employers, your supervisors, and ones of authority over you. He's saying, masters, treat your slaves justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a master in heaven, which means your leadership is no longer about control or self-interest. It's about stewardship where the gospel reshapes workplaces because it reshapes people. It's about workers being coming diligent. It's about leaders becoming just, and relationships are marked by dignity and fairness and compassion. And then Paul shifts his external relationships to the inner rhythm that sustains all of this through the arena of prayer, because he knows that whether we're in home or we are in our workplace, to build our relationship with others, we need to build our relationship with Jesus. And he says, devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray for us as well that God will open to us a door for word that we may declare the mystery of Christ. Friends, prayer is not meant to be occasional or reactionary. Paul is saying, remain devoted and steadfast in it. I think of prayer often as my phone and its relationship to my charger. You miss one day, maybe you survive, right? But you ignore it long enough and suddenly you're down to 1% and you're stressed out, making bad decisions and blaming everyone else for your problems. So charge your phones, but also charge your life through prayer. Because when we pray, we realign ourselves with God and our relationships. It reminds us that God rules and that He is present and wise and faithful. And in that, we should be thankful and alert, not only to temptation, but also to the

Work As Worship And Integrity

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opportunities for ministry and the movement of God all around us. When I'm meeting with women here in the church, I'll often ask them, where did you see God in that? And sometimes, especially in hard seasons, they'll have to stop and think about it a little bit harder. Because if we're all being honest, when we're walking through dark times in our lives, it's hard to see God. When we're sitting and living in depression, when we're walking through a divorce, we've just lost our job. We're studying for the boards and we think there's never going to be an end to it. But God is there. We second guessed if there's ever going to be joy. And then slowly we begin to see, oh, he's right there. No way, he's over there. That's right. He's right here. And he's even here. And we realize that God was present all along in our homes and in our workplace, in our prayer life, and in the world where he is overlooked and put on the back burner often. But we are called in this letter, if we call ourselves his, to then be wise in all that we do. In Colossians 4, it says, conduct yourselves wisely toward our outsiders, making the most of time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer everyone. This says to me, live thoughtfully and carefully before others, because guess what? People are watching. Later on, we're going to have a baptism for little Addison. And Ryan's going to probably say to them, as parents, you're bringing her forward to baptize her because you're going to raise her in faith. And that means she's going to be watching everything that you do. She's going to be paying attention to how you react to this world. And guess what? As Christ followers, it's the same thing. The world is watching us. There's eyes and ears open, everyone, just like your Alexa, by the way. People are waiting. As Christ followers, they're waiting for us to see how we're going to respond to the world, how we're going to conduct ourselves, how we're going to handle conflict, how we speak and treat others, and whether or not our lives match our messages. So this says to me, walk in wisdom, recognizing that everyday interactions become

Prayer That Keeps You Aligned

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opportunities for witness. Speak kindly because words carry tremendous power. In a culture often marked by outrage and sarcasm and hostility and division as Christ followers, sound different, be different, be gracious, and season what you say and how you act with salt, not the messy, sassy kind of salt, but salt that is wise and beneficial. Central, this new life in Christ that Paul wrote about and encourages us in this letter changes not only what we believe, but how we speak and engage with others every day. And it reminds us that the gospel transforms ordinary life when Christ rules in lives that are filled with God's grace in our homes, in our workplace, in our prayer lives, and in this world. So as we go into the world today, what I love to call the mission field, because that's what it is. We go about our ways in the days and the weeks to come. Ask yourself Does Christ shape your home life? And does he govern your work ethic?

Gracious Speech In A Watching World

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Does Christ make every day, or do you make every day a reflection of who Christ is? Is in your life, a life that praises him daily to say to the Lord in all that you do. And therefore, doing that, do you draw others closer to his kingdom? If not, then I would ask yourself what changes do you need to make for a new life in Christ that's not merely believing differently, but it's about living differently because Jesus is our Lord overall. Amen.