Colossians 1:13-20
A Sequence of Firsts

He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers--all things have been created through him and for him. He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.

New Revised Standard Version

As we celebrate the birth of the baby Jesus, we marvel at the miracle of the infinite God taking on temporal form and being born as a helpless baby boy. We treasure the wisdom and teachings God gave us through His human voice. We grieve for His sacrificial death, we celebrate His victory over sin and death, and we long for the day when we, like Him, will be taken up into Heaven.

Paul looked far beyond Jesus' earthly existence as he wrote this passage. He describes Jesus as the first of God's creations, even before time began, and he tells us that all of creation came about through Jesus. Paul wanted us to have no doubt that Jesus was Lord of All even before He came to earth in human form. The work of redemption evidenced in that Bethlehem manger was accomplished solely by the power of God.

Jesus was not only the "firstborn of all creation", He was also the "firstborn from the dead". Paul gives us an incredible assurance of everlasting life with God in drawing this parallel. Everything in creation came about after and because of Jesus, and we can observe and comprehend only a tiny percentage of the majesty of that creation. We will experience the vast Kingdom of God in just the same way, because Jesus first conquered death. All that is the holy Kingdom of God comes about because He again is the firstborn.

However, that creative energy alone is not enough to rebuild what our sin has broken; that alone does not restore our relationship with God. We are pulled by our divine nature to be with the One in whose image we are made, but we are pulled by our sinful nature to reject God's authority and foolishly separate ourselves from God's love. That divine nature in believers throughout history has tried to span that gap back to God, but could not. We cannot be or make or earn our own salvation. The first and only One to bridge that divide between us and God is Jesus--fully God, fully human, and without sin.

We sing of "peace on earth" at Christmas and we are not capable of comprehending just how true those words are! Through the first of all creation, and the first to conquer sin and death, God has restored the bonds that our sin had cut, and there is certain unity in all heaven and earth with God.