152 Pauls prayer for God's people in Colossians 1

The lectionary reading for Trinity 4 in Year C is Colossians 1.1–14, the opening greetings and prayer of Paul for the followers of Jesus he has not met in an ekklesia which he did not plant.

Paul adapts the standard letter greetings in a striking way, and his two part prayer/introduction (there is a break at verse 9) contains some remarkable ideas. Paul's eschatological understanding of 'two kingdoms' or 'two ages' is implicit rather than explicit, so we need to tease that out. And he has a repeated focus on the fruitful growth of the gospel and the fruitful growth of the people, which remind us of the parable of the sower, the Exodus narrative, and the creation of the world.

The Bible Project video on Colossians is here: https://youtu.be/pXTXlDxQsvc

The gospel reading is Luke 10.25–37, the so-called parable of the Good Samaritan, and you can watch the discussion here: https://youtu.be/9XhInBtx250

and find the written commentary here: https://www.psephizo.com/biblical-studies/seven-surprising-things-about-the-good-samaritan-in-luke-10/