\u00a0<\/p>\n
September 24th\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Tim Schmucker<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Text:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Philemon 1:10-21<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Two years ago Derek became completely captivated with a book that turned out to be the first in a series of 6 books. Then came the sequel series, another 6 books. Upon arriving at the end of each book, it\u2019s been excruciatingly agonizing for Derek to wait for the next one to be published. Part of the problem is that he reads each one in a matter of days, which doesn\u2019t give the author much time to write the next one. Now recently, Christopher has also become mesmerized by them, although I read them to him. Hmmm, to be completely truthful, I ought to say that \u201cwe\u201d have become mesmerized. In the middle of suspense-filled parts, I can hardly resist the desire to continue reading after the nightly bedtime chapter together, and Christopher has gone off to sleep.<\/p>\n You\u2019ll recognize the genre \u2013 juvenile fantasy. Some of the best literature these days is in juvenile fantasy. The title of this series is \u201cWarriors\u201d (no jokes please about a peace activist and educator\u2019s choice of reading!); Erin Hunter is the author. It\u2019s about wild cats that live in close knit clans who are fiercely protective of their territory and who require obedience to their historic warrior code of loyalty, self-sacrifice, and honour. It\u2019s got all the classic themes of Greek mythology. Now, enter the protagonist. He\u2019s an outsider, a \u201ckittypet\u201d, born in a human home, a softy who inexplicably finds himself drawn to the forest outside his \u201ctwoleg\u201d neighbourhood. He is befriended by a young wild cat, and eventually finds himself in the camp of \u201cThunderclan\u201d. After some deliberation, the clan\u2019s wise leader declares that he will be accepted into the clan if he learns the warrior code and proceeds properly through the stages of apprenticeship.<\/p>\n He\u2019s in! Yet, all is not well. Some in the clan do not accept him, due to his non-clan origins. These cats see him only as a soft kittypet. His past is not forgotten or forgiven. Their animosity toward him due to his past is palpable on every page. He is encouraged, however, by the constant support of those who see his potential, those who look beyond his kittypet origins.<\/p>\n This reminds me of another story, coming from one of the Apostle Paul\u2019s lesser known letters, his quite personal letter to Philemon. It\u2019s easy to miss it in the Bible as it\u2019s hardly one page long; a grand total of 25 verses, only 17 verses if you don\u2019t count the standard greetings and closings. Now Philemon was a well-to-do follower of Jesus in Colossae, and the church there met in his home. Colossians, a more familiar letter of Paul, was addressed to this church. Now as was common at that time, Philemon had slaves, and Onesimus was one of the slaves in the house of Philemon. And one ominous day Onesimus the slave of Philemon decided to steal from his owner and run away\u2026.<\/p>\n ********<\/p>\n \u201cI am Onesimus, the ex-slave \u2013 although my master Philemon would say that I\u2019m still a runaway slave. You bet I ran away, with a handsome amount of gold too. Why shouldn\u2019t have I? Philemon\u2019s wealth was based on the labour of us slaves. Sound fair to you? I didn\u2019t think so. Now, mind you, Philemon wasn\u2019t a cruel master \u2013 unlike many other slave owners. In fact, ever since he became a follower of this Jesus, he was quite kind. But, sorry folks, \u201ckind\u201d wasn\u2019t enough. I just couldn\u2019t live as a slave anymore, knowing that he and his family had it made on an easy street built on us slaves\u2019 backs. Most of the other slaves accepted their fate in life, but not me — oh no, not me.<\/p>\n So I split. And ran far far away. All the way to Rome from Colossae \u2013 a trip of over 2000 kms. (Just between you and me, I used some of the gold to bribe a seaman on one of the many commercial ships that sailed the Mediterranean. He kept me hidden and brought me food.) \u2026 Eh, what\u2019s that? Why Rome, you ask. Hey, I had to get far away from Colossae; I\u2019d be recognised\u2026. What? You don\u2019t know? Well, let me tell you what happened to runaway slaves. Roman law gave no protection to them, zero, zilch, nada; the master could do whatever he pleased. And that meant merciless punishment \u2013 at the very least severe whippings, breaking our joints and bones, or branding our forehead with letters forever declaring us runaways. Often it meant crucifixion, or being thrown to wild beasts in the circuses, or even being burnt alive in a cloak soaked in pitch.\u00a0 You got it? That\u2019s why I had to get as far away from Colossae as possible. And where better to hide out and disappear from view than in the capital city of Rome, where there were always lots and lots of foreigners within its walls.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 You know, there was another reason too.\u00a0 This guy Paul was in Rome, in house prison. Now I didn\u2019t really know him; I just heard Philemon and his family talk about him in such glowing terms that \u2026 that \u2026 well, I don\u2019t know what I thought. The idea that maybe just maybe he could help me was I guess in the back of my mind. I didn\u2019t really intend to look for him\u2026. Anyway, I eventually did look for him. He took me in, and after he heard my story, he told me about Jesus. Well, in time I decided to be a follower of Jesus too. Paul became the father I never had. Life was looking great. I was full of joy and hope. And purpose! I was Paul\u2019s assistant! He needed me and appreciated me. What a change in fortunes!<\/p>\n Then the roof fell in. Paul told me I had to return to Philemon. I was stunned, in panic. Paul wanted to send me back to my old life as a slave?!?! And that was best case scenario. Facing hungry lions was more likely, It was like a nightmare that you never wake up from! I begged Paul, implored him, plead with him, but Paul was very persuasive; made it sound like I\u2019d be even happier after I\u2019d returned, like it was a no-brainer as a follower of Jesus, or something like that. What could I do? Paul told me to trust him, that everything would work out. You simply cannot imagine how I felt returning to Colossae. I didn\u2019t sleep for most of the trip; I was in a cold sweat all the time. I don\u2019t even want to remember the gut-wrenching shakes I had walking up the road to Philemon\u2019s house with my heart pounding in my chest, the letter in my dirty hands. Oh, yes, I forgot to mention the letter; Paul sent along a letter to Philemon with me. I actually have a copy of it here\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our dear friend and co-worker \u2026 Though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do your duty, <\/em>9<\/em><\/span>yet I would rather appeal to you on the basis of love\u2014and I, Paul, do this as an old man, and now also as a prisoner of Christ Jesus. <\/em>10<\/em><\/span>I am appealing to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I have become during my imprisonment. <\/em>11<\/em><\/span>Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful both to you and to me. <\/em>12<\/em><\/span>I am sending him, that is, my own heart, back to you. <\/em>13<\/em><\/span>I wanted to keep him with me, so that he might be of service to me in your place during my imprisonment for the gospel; <\/em>14<\/em><\/span>but I preferred to do nothing without your consent, in order that your good deed might be voluntary and not something forced. <\/em>15<\/em><\/span>Perhaps this is the reason he was separated from you for a while, so that you might have him back forever, <\/em>16<\/em><\/span>no longer as a slave but more than a slave, a beloved brother\u2014especially to me but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord. <\/em>17<\/em><\/span>So if you consider me your partner, welcome him as you would welcome me. <\/em>18<\/em><\/span>If he has wronged you in any way, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. <\/em>19<\/em><\/span>I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand: I will repay it. I say nothing about your owing me even your own self. <\/em>20<\/em><\/span>Yes, brother, let me have this benefit from you in the Lord! Refresh my heart in Christ. <\/em>21<\/em><\/span>Confident of your obedience, I am writing to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say.<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 There are 3 intriguing aspects to the letter before we came full circle back to the kittypet who became the leader of a wild cat clan.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 First<\/span> of all, if anyone sent me a letter like this, I would feel quite manipulated and angry! Paul completely boxes poor Philemon in. Philemon hardly has a choice in how to respond, if he doesn\u2019t want to sever his close relationship with Paul. Listen to Paul:<\/p>\n \t<\/span>\u2022\t<\/span>I am sending him, that is, my own heart, back to you.<\/em><\/p>\n \t<\/span>\u2022\t<\/span>I wanted to keep him with me, but I preferred to do nothing without your consent.<\/em><\/p>\n \t<\/span>\u2022\t<\/span>Perhaps this is the reason he was separated from you for a while, so that you might have him back forever, no longer as a slave but as a beloved brother.<\/em><\/p>\n \t<\/span>\u2022\t<\/span>So if you consider me your partner, welcome him as you would welcome me.<\/em><\/p>\n \t<\/span>\u2022\t<\/span>If he has wronged you in any way, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. I say nothing about your owing me even your own self.<\/em><\/p>\n \t<\/span>\u2022\t<\/span>Confident of your obedience, I am writing to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say.<\/p>\n I can\u2019t recommend Paul here as a model of open dialogue or conflict resolution!<\/p>\n Secondly<\/span>, some have severely criticized Paul for not condemning slavery, saying that this letter is another example of Paul\u2019s acceptance of injust secular institutions. While the theme is huge, I\u2019d just say that it seems to me that in this letter to Philemon, Paul \u201csubverts\u201d slavery by totally redefining the relationship between the slave and his owner. Listen:<\/p>\n 15<\/span>Perhaps this is the reason he was separated from you for a while, so that you might have him back forever, 16<\/span>no longer as a slave but more than a slave, a beloved brother\u2026. both in the flesh and in the Lord. 17<\/span>So if you consider me your partner, welcome him as you would welcome me.\u00a0<\/p>\n Paul reframes this human relationship in such a way that the institution of slavery is superseded.<\/p>\n And we see this in the third<\/span> intriguing characteristic of this letter. There\u2019s a play on words here that we must catch to get the full import of Paul\u2019s message to Philemon. The name \u201cOnesimus\u201d in Greek means \u201cuseful\u201d or \u201cbeneficial\u201d.\u00a0 This changes greatly, I think, how we read Paul\u2019s instructions to Philemon. Let\u2019s look at verse 10-11, and 20 again.<\/p>\n 10-11 <\/em><\/span>I am appealing to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I have become during my imprisonment. Formerly he was useless to you (i.e., \u201cformally he was not \u2018Onesimus\u2019 to you\u201d), but now he is indeed useful (now he is indeed \u2018Onesimus\u2019) both to you and to me.<\/em><\/p>\n 20 <\/em><\/span>Yes, brother, let me have this benefit (again, let me have this \u2018Onesimus\u2019) from you in the Lord!<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I think Paul was doing even more than not-so-subtly telling Philemon to forgive Onesimus and set him free; Paul was also instructing Philemon to send Onesimus back to Paul so he could continue being a great help \u2013 as a son \u2013 to Paul in his old age and imprisonment.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Onesimus and the kittypet in the Warrior books were in similar circumstances. You\u2019ll remember that some in the clan rejected the kittypet due to his non-clan origins. His past was his present is their eyes. Others, most importantly the clan leader, saw his potential, saw past his kittypet origins. He eventually became a great leader.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 So too with Onesimus, the runaway slave, and the potential Paul saw in young fugitive. Unfortunately, there is no record of what transpired that stomach-churning day when Onesimus arrived at Philemon\u2019s front door. Yet, some 40 years later, the bishop or overseer of the Church at Ephesus is none other than Onesimus. Now we don\u2019t know for sure that Onesimus the runaway slave and Onesimus the Bishop of Ephesus is the same person. Yet, consider this. Many have wondered why this short letter of Paul\u2019s \u2013 a personal letter to a friend about a very specific situation \u2013 why it is even in the Biblical canon. We find a logical answer in placing Onesimus the runaway slave in the position of bishop. So, let\u2019s assume for a moment that the Bishop Onesimus is indeed the runaway slave. From this influential position of leadership in the early church, Onesimus would have included the letter to Philemon among the other \u201cepistles of Paul\u201d that were circulating among the churches as a personal testimony to the power of God\u2019s grace and forgiveness, and to the power of believing in someone, of giving them another chance, of seeing their potential in spite of their shady origins or past sins. Like the kittypet in the Warriors books, if someone hadn\u2019t looked beyond who he was in the past, and his mistakes, and then given him the opportunity to develop his potential, he never would have become the leader he was.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 How to apply this story to our personal lives is quite straightforward — all we do is look around us to the people in our families, work, and church, and examine our attitudes toward them. While that is quite clear, I\u2019d like to challenge us to examine how we view our own congregation. Do we see our potential, our potential to be a thriving body of Jesus\u2019 followers, seeking God\u2019s kingdom of shalom, living together as a community even though we don\u2019t agree on some significant theological and practical parts of our faith? Do you view TUMC in this way? Or do we view TUMC through the lens of recent years \u2013 our at times painful sexuality discernment process and subsequent loss of members and energy? Is this your perspective of our church?<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Just as Paul saw incredible potential in Onesimus, the runaway slave who became an early church leader, I challenge all of us to see the tremendous potential we have as a congregation, this peculiar body of Christ\u2019s followers that meet here on Queen St. East. Let us strive toward realizing that full potential.<\/p>\n Amen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u00a0 Onesimus: A Runaway Slave\u00a0 September 24th\u00a0 Tim Schmucker \u00a0 Text:\u00a0\u00a0 Philemon 1:10-21 \u00a0 Two years ago Derek became completely captivated with a book that turned out to be the first in a series of 6 books. Then came the sequel series, another 6 books. Upon arriving at the end of each book, it\u2019s been excruciatingly agonizing for Derek to wait for the next one to be published. Part of the problem is that he reads each one in a…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1097","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermons-a-worship-audio"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tumc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1097","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tumc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tumc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tumc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tumc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1097"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.tumc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1097\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tumc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1097"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tumc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1097"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tumc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1097"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}