I've read that one flight attendant needed 18 stitches, after an abusive passenger smashed her in the head with a vodka bottle he'd brought on board. In 1998, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, pursued 142 cases of alleged passenger interference in U.S. air space. In some instances, emergency landings even had to be made, to deal with problem passengers. And consider golf, which has had the reputation of being a very civil game. On golf courses, balls intentionally hit into slower moving parties up ahead, have caused heated verbal exchanges and near fist fights.
People have angry feelings.
But then, all too often, instead of trying to restrain and manage those feelings, they just unleash them on others. Our second scripture reading this morning is from the book of Colossians. It's one of my favorite passages. It's a favorite, because I believe it gives one of the best prescriptions for living as a Christian which can be found in the Bible. Within this passage from Colossians, I see at least three different aspects of our calling as Christians which relate to anger.