Colossians 3:15
15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.

Here, Paul is addressing the members of the fledgling church at Colosse, which had been falling slowly into Gnostic practices and beliefs since the gospel of Jesus had been brought to them. Though pseudo-Christian on the surface, Gnosticism put a lot more importance on both Jewish ceremony/tradition and mystical elements, like ancient knowledge, angel worship, and asceticism. In so doing, they devalued Christ as the Messiah who brought salvation, instead putting primary importance on following ceremonies to the letter, only consuming certain foods and drinks, and having “secret faith knowledge” which could provide salvation, among other things.

The people who believed the gospel of Jesus and the people who believed in the Gnostic practices were understandably at odds, then, and there was quite a lot of confusion and hostility between the two groups. Thus, Paul writes this letter to the Colossians, putting the gospel of Jesus in plain, straightforward words and correcting the false teachings that were getting spread around. This verse encouraged the Colossians to come back together as one body of Christ, to put aside the things that were distracting them from worship and belief.

We need this verse today as much as the Colossians did, though for slightly different reasons. Too often we let all-too-human negativity creep into our worship time, tainting how we relate to other believers; soon enough we’re mentally regarding each other with spite and even hate, while presenting fake smiles to each other on Sunday mornings. (For example: letting local or national politics into the church building at all, which is a recipe for disaster.) Paul’s words in Colossians 3:15 remind us that church is about being a family of God, about being the body of Christ, and not about petty spats or jockeying for more powerful positions. When we remember that and allow God to work, wonderful things happen for which we can truly be thankful!