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Christmas Season · First Sunday after Christmas Day · Year C

Colossians 3:12-17

By Faith

December 26, 2027

Clothing the Naked, Michael Sweerts
Clothing the Naked, Michael Sweerts, c. 1661The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
A young man in a red coat hands a white shirt to a poor man who stands bare to the waist, from a series of the Works of Mercy.As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.Michael SweertsA Flemish painter who worked in Rome and Brussels and ended his life as a lay missionary in Asia.The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New YorkThe Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, one of the largest art museums in the world.The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Revised Common Lectionary
GospelLuke 2:41-52Lk 2:41-52
EpistleCol. 3:12-17Col 3:12-17
Old Testament1 Sam. 2:18-20, 261 Sm 2:18-20, 26
PsalterPs. 148Ps 148

Overview & Insights

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1)

The Nature and Importance of Faith The mention of the importance of faith in the last two verses of the preceding chapter leads naturally to this famous chapter on faith. It is impossible to know whether the author is making use of a source, which he now takes over in part or totally, or whether he is composing a fresh catalogue of heroes on the model of existing examples. Extensive reviews of the history of Israel had been composed to substantiate a warning or to provide encouragement, and some of these would have been known to our author. As examples, we may mention Psalm 78; Wisdom of Solomon 10; Sirach 44–50; 1 Maccabees 2:51–64; and Acts 7.

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Commentary

Working Preacher: Commentary on Colossians 3:12-17Working Preacher: Commentary on Col 3:12-17 Working Preacher

Lutheran lectionary exegesis on the household virtues Paul commends for Year C.

CEP: Colossians 3:12-17 CommentaryCEP: Col 3:12-17 Commentary Center for Excellence in Preaching

Reformed preaching commentary on the repeated call to gratitude in this passage.

Enduring Word: Colossians 3Enduring Word: Col 3 Enduring Word · David Guzik

David Guzik's verse-by-verse evangelical notes on the whole chapter.

StudyLight: Colossians 3 CommentariesStudyLight: Col 3 Commentaries StudyLight

Many complete commentaries on Colossians 3 gathered on one passage page.

BibleHub: Commentaries on Colossians 3:12BibleHub: Commentaries on Col 3:12 BibleHub

Parallel classic commentaries keyed to putting on the new self's virtues.

Background & Word Study

BibleHub Interlinear: Colossians 3:12BibleHub Interlinear: Col 3:12 BibleHub

Greek text with parsing for the clothing imagery and the peace of Christ.

BibleProject: Colossians OverviewBibleProject: Col Overview BibleProject

Animated overview of Paul's letter and its vision of life in Christ.

The Church Fathers

Catena: Colossians 3Catena: Col 3 Catena

Patristic comment chain gathering the Fathers on the chapter.

Questions preachers ask

What is the roll call of faith?

Hebrews 11 tells of those who trusted God's promise before they saw it, Abraham and Sarah among them, welcoming from afar the fulfillment that comes in Christ.

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