1 Colossians 3:12-17 (NRSV)

As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord[a] has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Video Reflection on 1 Colossians 3:12-17




Kevin Driedger Reflects on the Process of Making a Prayerful Video

As we began the first gathering of Living With the Word: a Month Praying with Scripture, I knew I wanted to create a video as part of my process to engage a text. I wasn’t exactly sure what the purpose of the video would be but creating contemplative videos is a burgeoning spiritual discipline for me and this retreat was a prime opportunity to explore this practice.

The process of creating the video provided an important experience of pondering and embodying the text I had chosen for the month. It was a process of planning as well as opening myself to discover. I knew I initially needed to find the rhythm, both thematic and poetic, of my text in order to feel like I could fully receive it. Once I had a feeling for the rhythm I had to figure out what the text might look like visually in the form of a contemplative video.

The Colossians 3 text begins with the instruction to “clothe yourselves with compassion…” provided a dressing image to start with but I wasn’t sure where to go from there. The rest of the visuals and audio developed in the process of looking and listening.

Engaging with the text in this embodied, audio-visual manner helped me fully receive the text as wholly part of me. I continue to embody these words each day when I recite them each morning as I get dressed.






Kevin Driedger serves as co-director of the Hermitage Community, a contemplative Christian retreat center in southwest Michigan. During mid-life, he felt the Spirit's nudge to leave his career as a librarian and to (with his wife) join the staff and resident community of the retreat center. He is often his most engaged self when he is busy creating, whether on guitar, with a camera, or editing videos. Learn more about Kevin at his website.