A Christmas Carol is the story of a mean, selfish old man named Ebenezer Scrooge who is visited by a series of ghosts come to show him how his behaviour has affected others. At one point of this supernatural education, Scrooge is led to the home of his ill-treated employee, Bob Cratchit, and, looking through the front window, observes something powerful and foreign. He sees a family marked by contentment and generosity in spite of poverty, by joy and love in spite of hardship. Looking through that window, Scrooge sees what a family can and should look like. 

The closing verses of Colossians have a similar tone. As Paul extends his greetings and says his farewells, it’s as though readers are being brought to the front window of his ministry, looking in on a snapshot of the life he enjoyed. And as believers peer inside they see what a family can and should look like, that is, a church family.