Colossians 3:1-17; John 6:11-13, 27, 35
November 21, 2021
preached by Pastor Doug Cooper
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Time of Reflection Quotations

“In contentment I still feel the need of some imperishable bliss.”

~ Wallace Stevens (1879-1955), American poet

“Is that all there is, is that all there is?
If that’s all there is my friends, then let’s keep dancing
Let’s break out the booze and have a ball
If that’s all there is.”

~ Peggy Lee (1920-2002), American musician and actress

“‘Evangelion’ (that we call the gospel) is a Greek word, and signifies good, merry, glad and joyful tidings, that makes a man’s heart glad, and makes him sing, dance and leap for joy.”

~ William Tyndale (1494-1536), English scholar and Bible translator

“Though a man of sorrow, He was even on earth anointed with the oil of gladness above His fellows. Does this seem strange?… Shall we wonder that there was divine gladness in the heart of Him who came into this world not by constraint but willingly, not with a burning sense of wrong but with a grateful sense of high privilege, and that He had a blessed consciousness of fellowship with His Father who sent Him, during the whole of His pilgrimage through this vale of tears?”

~ A.B. Bruce (1831-1899), Scottish minister

“Lament is a cry of belief in a good God, a God who has His ear to our hearts, a God who transfigures the ugly into beauty. Complaint is the bitter howl of unbelief in any benevolent God in this moment, a distrust in the love-beat of the Father’s heart.”

~ Ann Voskamp (1973-present), contemporary Canadian author

“The most important point to be attended to is this: above all things, see to it that your souls are happy in the Lord! Other things may press upon you… But I deliberately repeat, it is of supreme and paramount importance that you should seek above all other things to have your souls truly happy in God Himself. Day by day seek to make this the most important business of your life.”

~ George Muller (1805-1898), Christian evangelist and director of the Ashley Down orphanage in Bristol, England

Sermon Passage

Colossians 3:1-17 (NIV); John 6:11-13, 27, 35 (ESV)
Colossians 3

¹⁵ Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. ¹⁶ Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. ¹⁷ And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

John 6

¹¹ Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted. ¹² And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.” ¹³ So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten…

²⁷ “Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”

…³⁵ Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.