Father Christopher, the priest at Holy Trinity Orthodox Church outside Clayton, Wi. challenged the congregation to choose a word of Christ to dwell in them in 2017.

Colossians 3:16, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.”

The preceding verses gives us a place to start. Col 3:12-15 “Put on then as chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another…forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you…put on love which binds everything together in perfect harmony…let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts…And be thankful.”

Most of us would have read I Cor. 1:1-9 as the epistle lesson.  Paul also includes words that we might dwell in us.  Grace of God, enriched in Christ, call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, give thanks to God for others,

From the Gospel Lesson, John 1:29-42a we have even more words which might dwell in us as we dwell upon them.  Lamb of God.  Come and see, stay with Him.

Next Sunday from Matthew 4:12-25, you might garner, “repent,” “follow,”

Of course, Matthew 5:1-12 contains a host of words we might adopt as our own, as Jesus teaches the crowd, about mourning and comfort, meekness, hungering and thirsting for righteousness, mercy, purity, peacemakers.

How does one let a word of Christ dwell in us?  I like the old prayer which tells us to read, mark, learn and inwardly digest.  Let it become a daily part of our life while it seeps into our hearts, minds and actions.