The first reading for today is from Paul’s Letter to the Colossians 1:9-14, a part of the opening greeting of the letter – which is more than a greeting, it is a prayer for the people of Colossae in which Paul hopes the people are filled with the “knowledge of God’s will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.” It is this ‘knowledge’ which forms the basis both of holiness and of thanksgiving, and which is the central characteristic of humanity that is now renewed in Christ (3:10 – the new self, which is being renewed, for knowledge, in the image of its creator). Continue reading →