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.
Paul talks about slaves listening to their masters, and wives to their husbands. This is hard reading for us enlightened 21st century postmodern Christians. We know slavery is wrong and in marriage, a couple is equally yoked to each other. But after reading through Colossians, I’m gaining a slightly more nuanced perspective of Paul’s words. I’m not certain it’s what he originally meant, but I believe it’s consistent with Jesus’ teaching.
Paul says that whatever we do, in word or deed, should be done in the name of the Lord. We should give up all of the bad human traits – evil words, gluttony, anger, malice, wrath, and instead take up kindness, compassion, humility, meekness and patience. I know that this notion can be taken to extreme, and has been, that we should be meek now and that our reward will come in heaven. That the oppressed should be kind, and not speak evil – even against their oppressors. I am not suggesting that anyone should be oppressive, or evil, or unkind. But I do believe we are to tolerate where we are, and whatever we do, we should do it in the name of the Lord.
When I was in an unpleasant work situation in a government job, I must admit that I did speak ill. I wasn’t always able to do my work ‘giving thanks to the Lord’. And I haven’t necessarily learned how to do that. But I do think it’s the smarter way to exist and thrive. I’m sure I added to the toxicity of that workplace, although I didn’t intend to. And I’m sure my barbs and snarls contributed to my own unhappiness. How much better it would have been to instead take an outlook of kindness, compassion, and patience.
To be clear, I am not suggesting that the oppressed should simply meekly thank their oppressors. But in any overturning of the tables, there can be anger or there can be a sense of right-ness. Fix the wrongs, but check your anger at the door. Work for justice and peace, but don’t resort to speaking evil, or wrath.
It is extremely difficult for us to untangle the two – working against tyrannical powers, and maligning and hating those tyrannical powers. This morning, I’m thinking about how we can build a culture where we work for justice and peace, without contributing to the toxicity of the situation.
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