Church, our sermon text this morning is Colossians chapter 3, verses 1 through 4.
That's page 984 in the Pew Bible.
Go ahead and turn there with me.
Colossians chapter 3, verses 1 through 4.
As we turn there and before we read, let me pray for us.
Our Father, we do indeed hunger for the day.
When with Christ we will stand in glory.
And Father, we thank you that you've given us your clear and present word in the scriptures to speak to us as we run the race looking forward to that day.
So would you equip us this morning, Father, through your word, by your spirit, that we might set our minds on Christ and live for him looking forward to that great day.
We pray this in Jesus' name.
Amen.
Colossians chapter 3, verses 1 through 4.
Let me read this for us.
If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.
For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
So I wonder if you think people can really change.
Do you remember that great scene at the end of Rocky 4?
You can talk to me about it afterwards.
Rocky's just beaten the Russian, right?
And the great call that he has is people can change.
If you take a walk through the aisles of a bookstore, you might actually get mixed messages about whether or not people can change.
On the one hand, there are lots of books in the self-help section.
Lots about mindfulness and recovery and change and so on.
Beth told me that she saw a whole section of magazines actually devoted to this the last time she was there.
So on the one hand, maybe people can change.
But on the other hand, the sheer number of those books kind of makes you pause, doesn't it?
If people really can change and if someone has actually figured it out, why are there so many books on the topic?
And why do they keep being published?
Does any of it really work?
In chapter 2 of Colossians, right before the text we just read,
the Apostle Paul has been exposing the emptiness of what we might call man-made spirituality,
of religion apart from Christ.
Whether it's rules that promise to make us good and upright,
or whether it's rituals that promise to deliver exciting spiritual experiences,
Paul says apart from Christ, it's all empty.
That's how chapter 2 ends.
Look there with me at verse 23.
He says,
That is,
The gospel of Jesus Christ is something different.
In chapter 3 of Colossians, Paul is going to show us how the new life in Christ really does change us.
Not from the outside in, like the old religious rules and rituals try to,
but from the inside out.
The heartbeat of chapter 3, if you take a step back and look at it,
the heartbeat of chapter 3 is actually found in verses 9 and 10.
And there Paul says,
You have put off the old self with its practices,
and have put on the new self,
which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.
For those in Christ, something deep inside has happened.
You've put off your old self.
You've put on the new self.
And the image of God, the very image of your creator is being renewed in you.
Now, verses 5 through 9 talk about putting off the old self in Christ,
and verses 12 through 17 talk about putting on the new self in Christ,
and we're going to get to those passages in the next two weeks.
But before Paul gets to all that,
there's a critical first step.
Before we can put off the old self,
and before we put on the new,
there's a principle or a practice that undergirds all the rest,
like the deep pillars that hold up a bridge.
If you've been over the new Tappan Zee Bridge recently,
you realize how giant those pillars are,
holding up that bridge, crossing that river.
Or like a foundation holding up a building.
There's a practice that precedes and undergirds all of this.
What is it?
The opening verses of chapter 3 tell us.
Verse 1 says,
Seek the things that are above.
And then clarifying what he means,
Paul says in verse 2,
Set your minds on things that are above.
So the practice or the duty that undergirds all the rest of Christian living
and holiness and transformation is this,
that we intentionally and constantly be setting our minds
on things above.
In other words,
if we're going to see any progress in putting off our old nature,
if we're going to see any growth in putting on the new nature of holiness
and Christlikeness,
we have to be deliberately and daily setting our minds on things above.
Now what we're going to do this morning
is we're going to unpack this exhortation
to set our minds on things above.
And we're going to unpack it
and we're going to look at it from three different angles.
First, we're going to look at the object.
What are these things above that we're supposed to be setting our minds on?
And then second, we're going to look at the motivation.
Why should we actually be doing all this in the first place?
Why should we?
Why can we do this?
And last, we're going to look at the practice.
How do we do it?
What are some practical steps that we can take
to be daily and deliberately setting our minds on things above?
So let's begin with the object, with the what.
What are these things above on which we should be setting our minds?
Is Paul saying that we should have our head in the clouds all day?
I mean, what are these things above?
Are we just supposed to be staring at the clouds,
forgetting about all of our troubles,
whistling a tune as we go,
daydreaming about pie in the sky,
by and by,
forgetting about all of our worldly cares?
No, look again at verse one.
If then you have been raised with Christ,
seek the things that are above where Christ is,
seated at the right hand of God.
Whatever else Paul might mean by the things above,
this much is clear,
it's where Christ is.
In other words,
Jesus Christ is the focal point of heaven,
the things above.
In other words,
if we have thoughts of heaven,
if right now we picture the dwelling place of God in our minds,
if we think about the present spiritual dimension of reality
where God dwells in fullness,
that's what the Bible means by heaven,
by the way,
if we're thinking of that,
and if Christ is not there,
and if Christ is not the central reality of that picture,
if Christ is not the all-consuming center of its glory,
and worship,
and joy,
and life,
then we aren't thinking biblically.
In Revelation chapter 5,
the apostle John is given a glimpse into heaven,
given a glimpse into this spiritual dimension of reality
where God dwells in fullness,
and what he sees,
and what he hears,
is actually all creation praising Christ.
They're singing,
worthy is the Lamb who was slain
to receive power,
and wealth,
and wisdom,
and honor,
and glory,
and blessing.
To set our minds on things above
means above all,
to set our minds on Christ.
And then Paul adds this detail in verse 1,
did you catch it?
That Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
Now that's a reference to Psalm 110,
which is a psalm about the coming Messiah's enthronement
and his reign.
And because Jesus is that long-awaited Messiah,
this expression,
seated at the right hand of God,
is actually one of the most common ways
the writers of the New Testament
talk about Jesus' ascension
and exaltation in heaven
40 days after his resurrection from the dead.
You see,
the same Jesus who became incarnate
in the Virgin Mary,
who lived a perfect life under God's law,
who suffered and was crucified
as the atoning sacrifice for our sins,
who was raised bodily from the dead
on the third day in power,
that same Jesus has ascended in glory
and lives right now,
seated at the right hand of God the Father.
You see, Jesus is not just a historical figure
of long ago,
although he certainly lived in history.
He's living and reigning right now
at the right hand of God,
as real and as present as he was 2,000 years ago.
So as we set our minds on things above,
we're above all setting our minds
on the Lord Jesus ascended
and seated at God's right hand.
This is where we are to fix our minds.
But what's the significance
of Jesus' session,
as it's sometimes called?
That is his being seated
at the right hand of God.
What does it tell us about Jesus
on whom we are to set our minds?
Well, in the Bible,
at first,
Jesus' session at God's right hand,
his being seated at God's right hand,
means that Jesus is ruling
right now from heaven.
To sit at God's right hand
is a royal metaphor.
It means that Jesus is the one
who's in control,
even though the world
seems out of control,
even though so much of the world
is at present in rebellion against God,
even though the church at times
seems to be so beleaguered and weak,
Christ is sitting on the throne
and he will return.
And then on that day,
all of our trials
and all of our hardships
will be seen for what they truly are,
light and momentary afflictions
that have been preparing for us
an eternal weight of glory
beyond compare.
Second,
Jesus' session at God's right hand
means that his work of atonement
is complete.
Hebrews 10, 11, and 12
says that the Old Testament priests
had to stand daily at their service,
offering repeated sacrifices.
But,
when Christ had offered for all time
a single sacrifice for sins,
the writer of Hebrews says
he sat down
at the right hand of God.
He sat down
because the work of atonement
was finished.
It was totally complete.
There was nothing left to be done.
All that was needed
to forgive our sins
and reconcile us to God
had been accomplished
once and for all
at the cross
where he,
the sinless one,
took the place
of the sinful many
and bore all their sins away.
So when you set your mind
on things above,
when you set your mind
on Christ seated
at God's right hand,
you set your mind
on a finished work of atonement.
That all that is needed
for you to be reconciled
to your creator
has been finished.
And third,
Jesus' session
means that we have
a perfect mediator in heaven.
Friends,
you realize
that seated at God's right hand
is Jesus,
our perfect high priest,
who,
as Hebrews 4 says,
sympathizes with all
of our weakness.
Jesus,
in every respect,
has been tempted as we are
yet without sin.
And so we can draw near to God
in confidence.
We can draw near to God
in confidence
that the throne of God
is no longer
a throne of judgment,
but a throne of grace.
And because Jesus
is seated there,
we will receive mercy
and find grace to help
in our time of need.
So there's a beginning.
But you know,
these three short observations,
they just scratch the surface,
don't they,
of the glory of Christ?
How else might you be
setting your mind
on the ascended Lord Jesus?
What else
of the glories
and beauties
and wonders of Jesus
full of mercy,
love,
and power
can we be
setting our minds on today
and throughout this week?
It reminds me of a song
we sing here at Trinity
from time to time.
The second verse
goes like this.
It says,
Could we with ink
the ocean fill
and were the skies
of parchment made,
were every stock
on earth
a quill
and every man
a scribe by trade
to write the love
of God above
would drain the ocean dry,
nor could the scroll
contain the whole
though stretched
from sky to sky.
On and on
we could go
reflecting on Christ,
our crucified,
risen,
and ascended Lord.
But for now,
we have to go
to our next point
because eventually
we have to take
the Lord's Supper
this morning.
So let's keep going.
Our next point,
we move from the what
of setting our minds
on Christ ascended
to the why.
Why on earth
should we be doing that?
Why can we
be spiritually raised
to new life in Him?
The difference
between a person
in Christ,
a genuine Christian believer,
and a person
not in Christ,
someone who has
no saving faith
in Jesus,
is as big
and broad
as the difference
between life
and death,
friends.
Apart from Christ,
we remain
spiritually dead
to God
and captive
to sin
and guilt
and death.
But through faith
in Christ,
we become a new creation.
The old has passed away
and the new has come.
We're alive to God
and free from sin
and guilt
and death.
And what's true
of Christ our Savior
is now true of us.
He has been raised,
therefore we have been
raised with Him
spiritually now
and bodily
in the day to come.
And Paul says,
if you've been raised,
then you can set
your mind on things above.
You're no longer
captive to the old ways
of seeking
and thinking
and setting your mind.
Now that raises
two important points
for us, I think.
The first is this.
Friend,
where do you stand
with Jesus Christ?
You see,
apart from Him
and our own
spiritual effort
and our own
moral performance,
we remain lifeless
to God,
spiritually dead.
Now that's a pretty
stark claim.
I realize that.
It's not an easy one
to come to terms with
at first.
But you see,
that's the very reason
why Jesus died
and rose again.
Christ came in love
to enter into the death
of all those
deserving death
so that in His resurrection
they might come alive
to God.
And the free offer
of the gospel
is that when we admit
that we're spiritually dead
apart from Christ
and when we place
our trust in Him alone
to give us life,
He does just that.
He breathes new life
into our hearts,
He forgives all our sins,
and He reconciles us
to God.
So friends,
where do you stand
with Christ today?
Today,
place your trust in Him
and come and know
what it's like
to have real spiritual life.
The second point is this.
If you have been raised
with Christ,
then you are now able
to set your minds
on things above.
In other words,
your thought life
need not be controlled
or dominated
by your old self.
Those old things
you used to tell yourself
about yourself.
the old ways
you used to describe
and define yourself,
whether they were
self-exalting
or self-debasing,
whether those things
used to make much
of yourself
or whether they used
to make little of yourself,
whether they were thoughts
full of pride
or full of despair.
I'm the best.
I'm the worst.
I'm good enough.
I'm smart enough.
And gosh darn it,
people like me.
Or I'm terrible
and I'm not worthy of love.
The truth is
those things
need no longer be
where you set your mind.
The truth is
you've been raised
with Christ.
There's a new power
of life in you
that has overcome death
and now
you can set your mind
on things above.
You have the power
to do that now,
to have a whole new mindset,
a whole new focus,
to silence
and still
the old voices
and to set your mind
on what's really real
and really true
about you.
So we've been raised
with Christ.
That's why we can set
our minds
on things above,
but why ought we?
Why should we?
Paul answers that question
in verses 3-4.
Look there again.
Why should we set
our minds
on things above?
He says,
For you have died
and your life
is hidden
with Christ and God.
When Christ
who is your life
appears,
then you also
will appear
with him
in glory.
So why should we
set our minds
on things above?
Paul says here,
because Christ
is our life.
Our life
is hidden
with Christ
and God.
Hidden
in the sense
of safe
and secure,
but also hidden
in the sense
of waiting
to be fully
revealed
for what it is.
As verse 4 says,
when Christ returns,
then we will appear
with him
in glory.
Even if our lives
right now
from an earthly
perspective
seem less
than glorious,
maybe you think
your life
feels kind of boring.
Maybe it's even
somewhat embarrassing
to you at times
and to others.
Paul's saying
that's not really
your life.
Your life
is hidden
with Christ
and God
and one day
your real glory,
glory received
from the Son
of God himself
will be displayed
before all creation.
That's who you
really are.
And so we ought
to daily
and deliberately
set our minds
on things above
because we so often
forget
that Christ
is our life.
Our hearts
are so forgetful,
aren't they?
How easily
do our jobs
become our life?
How quickly
does our marital
status
become our life?
How naturally
do our hearts
drift into believing
that our kids
are our life
or our financial
well-being
is our life
or our physical
appearance
or our physical
ability
is our life?
Friends,
when any of these
things become
our life,
that is when they
become the
determiner of our
joy and happiness,
when they become
the driving motivator
of our thoughts
and actions,
then we've allowed
our minds to be set,
as Paul says,
on earthly things.
You see,
when Paul says,
don't set your minds
on things that are
on the earth,
in verse 2,
here,
earthly things
doesn't have to
exclusively mean
overtly sinful things,
like lust or anger
or greed.
Those things certainly
count as earthly things,
but we can also be
setting our minds
on earthly things
when we take something
that's good and right
in its own place
and elevate it
and make it our life.
when you set your mind
on a certain job
or set your mind
on having a spouse,
when you place your hopes
and affections
and joy in that thing,
whatever it is,
then it's become
your life.
And friend,
when a created thing
becomes your life,
we are doomed
for disappointment.
None of those things
can hold the weight
of your life.
your job,
whether it's wonderful
or miserable,
is not your life.
And your marital status,
whether it's one
that you want
or one that you don't want,
it's not your life.
Christ is your life.
And when you set your mind
on things above,
you're remembering
what and who
your life really is.
So that when temptation comes,
the temptation to despair
because work isn't
what you want it to be
or your dating life
isn't what you want it to be,
the temptation to act out
in anger or jealousy,
when temptation comes
on account of those things
that have become
your temporary life,
you can say,
wait, wait, wait.
No, that's not my life.
Christ is my life.
He's the one who loves me
and gave himself for me.
He's the one who sits
at God's right hand
and will return one day
and unveil a glory in me
so weighty and so real
that creation will tremble
with awe at the sight of us.
He's my life.
Not this thing,
not that thing,
not the other thing.
The Lord of the universe,
the one seated
at God's right hand,
the one perfect
in beauty and power
and love,
Christ is our life, friends.
I am his
and he is mine.
Can you say that?
That's why we have to daily
and deliberately
set our minds
on things above
because Christ is your life
and you must not forget.
So then this principle,
this duty of a Christian,
this first call for us
as believers in Christ
is to daily
and deliberately
set our minds
on things above.
If we ask
what we're to set
our minds on,
the answer ultimately
is Christ
ascended and seated
at God's right hand
soon to return in glory.
And if we ask
why we're to set
our minds on him,
it's because
that's our true life
above everything
and anything else.
In conclusion then,
let's end
by asking how.
If setting our minds
on things above
is the critical component
to living this new life
in Christ,
how should we go
about doing it?
And there's a lot
that we could say here
and I want to end
with just three practical helps,
three things
to get us started
to maybe prime the pump
along these directions
and maybe
after the service
downstairs over coffee
or over lunch,
you can talk about
more ways
that you've found
that are helpful to you
to continually
set your mind
on things above,
to set your mind
on Christ.
But three things
as we close.
First,
consider the very word
set your mind.
In our technological age,
we specialize
in easy
and fast,
don't we?
With a simple
tap of a screen
on my phone,
I can find information
from practically
anywhere in the world.
Right?
If I'm bored,
I can entertain myself.
If I'm curious,
I can find an answer.
We have gadgets
and machines
that can do anything
from make our coffee
to make a 3D computer
model of the solar system.
Writer Andy Crouch
calls our time
the easy everywhere age.
So what Paul is telling us
to do here
is very countercultural,
is it not?
He's telling us
to slow down
and set our minds.
The word Paul uses here
combines both
our thinking faculties
and our faculties
of desire.
He's saying,
set your mind,
but mind here in the Bible
isn't just what you think about,
it's what you long for
in love.
Set your heart's desire
on the things above.
Make it your treasure
and your longing.
Make it your daily bread
and your food.
It's as if Paul is saying,
slow down
and think about Christ
and the realities of Christ
long enough
so that your heart
starts to warm at the fire.
When I was a kid,
we used to play
with those little green army men.
Do you remember those?
And one day we found out
that we could take
a magnifying glass
and if we held it
still long enough,
we could actually
melt their faces off.
Oh man,
that was like hours of fun
watching them bubble
and melt away.
Don't read too much
into that.
But here's the thing.
Like a magnifying glass
held out to the sun,
Paul's saying
that you have to hold
the truths of Christ
in your mind
long enough
until the pointed rays
of his love
and beauty
start to melt
your cold heart.
That's what he's saying here.
Set your mind on it.
And that brings me
to the second practical help.
You know,
oftentimes we sit down
to read the Bible
and pray
and it's a very
lifeless experience,
is it not?
Perhaps you've tried it.
You know,
a trusted Christian friend
or mentor
has suggested
that you take
the first moments
of your day
to spend time with God
reading his word
and praying
and that is
wonderful advice.
But after reading
a chapter
and then turning to prayer,
your mind quickly runs off
to your daily tasks,
your upcoming meetings,
the conflict you're having
with a family member,
whatever it is.
In other words,
you try to set your mind
but your mind races off.
And your morning time
of prayer and communion
with God
seems pretty fruitless.
You know,
one person
who had the exact
same experience
was a guy
named George Mueller.
Mueller is famous
actually for starting
orphanages in England
in the 19th century.
His autobiography
is an incredible
story of faith.
And for years,
this great man of God
struggled
in the exact same way
as you or I do.
This is what he writes.
He said,
I often spent
a quarter of an hour
or half an hour
or even an hour
on my knees
before being conscious
to myself
of having derived
any comfort,
encouragement,
or humbling of soul.
And often,
after having suffered
much from wandering
of mind
for the first ten minutes
or a quarter of an hour
or even half an hour,
I only then began
really to pray.
We can relate to that,
can't we?
We kneel to pray
and our mind wanders
fifteen minutes,
thirty minutes,
and then, uh-oh,
time's up
and we're off to work.
So how do we remedy this?
Mueller writes
that after ten years
of frustration
in prayer,
he stuck at it
for ten years,
he had a breakthrough.
He said,
Now,
I saw that the most
important thing
I had to do
in the morning
before God
was to give myself
to the reading
of the Word of God
and to meditation on it.
That thus,
my heart might be
comforted,
encouraged,
warned,
et cetera,
and that thus,
while meditating,
my heart
might be brought
into experiential
communion with the Lord.
I began, therefore,
to meditate
on the New Testament
from the beginning
early in the morning.
You see the change.
Mueller goes on
to say that his aim
in this sort of
just biblical meditation
was not to prepare
to teach
or to prepare
to minister
or to have something
useful to say
when he showed up
at work,
but simply to get
food for his soul.
And then what he found,
when he focused
on meditating
on the New Testament
just to get food
for his soul,
he found that prayer
would come,
that communion
with God
would come.
You see,
instead of just
reading through a chapter
really quickly
and then jumping
into his prayer list,
Mueller slowed
way down
and said,
let me just rest
before God
and sink my mind
into what he's showing
me of himself here.
And that biblical meditation
opened up
a rich walk with God.
Mueller's example
is that we meditate
on the word of God.
And he clarifies
what meditation means.
He says,
it's not the simple
reading of the word
of God
so that it passes
through our minds
just as water
passes through a pipe.
You ever had that experience?
You wake up in the morning,
it's however early
you wake up,
6.30,
7.30,
9.30 if you're in college,
whatever,
you know,
and you're like,
okay,
I gotta do my Bible reading.
You read three chapters
and you can't remember
even the book
that you were reading,
let alone any of the content.
I've had that happen
to me too.
Mueller says,
it's not just the simple
reading of the word of God
so that it passes
through our minds
just as water
runs through a pipe,
but it's considering
what we read
and pondering over it
and applying it
to our hearts.
Biblical meditation,
you see,
is not emptying the mind
like Eastern religions,
but it's filling our minds,
steeping our minds
in the word of God.
Like a good tea,
we let the word of God
steep in the water
of our minds
and our hearts
until the whole pot
is flavored
and ready to drink.
So if we're gonna set
our minds on things above,
practically,
we have to slow down
and think
until our hearts grow warm
and we have to come
to Scripture
as food for our souls.
You know,
better to choose
a short passage
and really soak in it,
meditate on it,
asking God to reveal
the glory of Christ in it
than to simply read quickly
like water passing
through a pipe.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
recommended to young pastors
in training
that in their personal devotions
that we confine ourselves,
he said.
We confine ourselves
to a brief selected text
which possibly may not be changed
for a whole week.
Do you hear Bonhoeffer's advice there?
Take one passage
and meditate on it
for a whole week.
Now perhaps you want
more variety than that.
Fair enough.
But the point remains.
If you have 15 or 20 minutes
in the morning, friends,
rather than read
three chapters quickly
and then try to eke out
some prayer,
read one paragraph
slowly.
Really set your mind
to what's there
and you'll find
it's a very,
very different experience.
Third practice
that I'll mention this morning.
Not only must we slow down
and think
until our hearts grow warm,
not only must we meditate
on Scripture
rather than simply read it,
friends,
we have to engage
in spiritual things together.
The exhortation
of Colossians 3,
1 through 4
is given
not just to individuals
but to the church.
This isn't a solo act.
That's why we gather
every Sunday
to hear God's word preached
and to partake in baptism
in the Lord's Supper.
Together
we hear God's word afresh.
Together
we take the bread
and the cup
and have our minds
and hearts recalibrated
to our living Lord,
to Christ
who is our life.
So do you take
a few minutes
on Saturday evening
before bed perhaps
and pray
that our gatherings
on Sunday
would be full
of God's spirit
and power?
Do you pray
that your heart
would be open
to receive his word
and grace afresh
together with your church family?
Do you pray the same
that the hearts
of your fellow members
would also be open
to God's word
and to God's grace?
I guess what I'm trying
to say here is,
friends,
make the most
of your Sundays.
Take a break
from your regularly
scheduled
busyness
if you can
and devote time
to your church family,
to thinking
and reading
and listening
to things
that will lift
your thoughts
and heart
to Christ ascended.
You know,
I actually see
a lot of this happening
here at Trinity
in our church family
and it's so encouraging.
Invitations to lunch,
hearty conversations
over coffee downstairs,
exchanging books,
trading encouragements
after the service,
praying for one another.
Church family
abound in this
more and more.
Seek to season
your conversations
with the salt
of the gospel.
Come ready
with something
that God has spoken
to you out of the sermon
or this week.
Come ready
to share a concern
of the week ahead.
Sundays are a gift
to enjoy.
Set them apart
for spiritual fellowship
and conversation,
for reading good Christian books
when you get home,
friends,
for slowing down
and setting your mind
on things above.
So then what we see here
in Colossians 3
is that the first
and principle
and undergirding duty
of all Christian growth
and change
of living this new life
in Christ
is to seek the things
that are above
where Christ is,
seated at the right hand
of God.
So friends,
let us set our minds
on Him.
Let us do it
deliberately
and daily,
intentionally,
and constantly
because at the end
of the day,
Christ is our life
and one day
He will return
and we will appear
with Him in glory.
Amen?
Let's pray.
Oh Lord,
we confess
that we need
so much help
in this matter.
God,
our minds
are easily distracted.
Our time
is so easily
gobbled up
by the concerns
of our callings
and our day.
Lord,
we confess
to You
that our hearts
have been so cold
in setting our minds
on things above
and yet,
Father,
this morning
we are grateful
that You are
a gracious God
and that You
continue to reveal
Yourself to us
and open Your arms
to us
and say,
come,
feast Your mind
and heart
on me.
So help us
to do that
when we gather
on Sundays,
when we go forth
this week,
when we open
the Word
in our own
private devotions
daily.
Oh God,
by Your Holy Spirit
would You come
and would You
help us
to set our minds
on things above.
Help us to remember
that Christ
is our life
and in so doing
would we live
this new life
that You've given us.
In Jesus' name,
Amen.