Keeping the Faith; Never losing Hope; Always Loving

Philemon 16 “He is no longer like a slave to you. He is more than a slave, for he is a beloved brother, especially to me. Now he will mean much more to you, both as a man and as a brother in the Lord!”

Paul writes this little letter to his friend/brother Philemon concerning Philemon’s slave, Onesimus. Paul tells Philemon that Onesimus has come to know the Lord and in that conversion he is no longer a “slave” but considered a brother. Paul appeals to Philemon to view Onesimus in this different light upon his return. Paul makes sure that Philemon knows that Onesimus is a beloved brother in the Lord and should be treated that way. Considering the practice of slavery during Paul’s day this is a radical claim of change in identity through Christ that is at the very heart of the gospel.

Its hard for me to read this text and not become completely frustrated with white Europeans that settled in America who supported their view of slavery through the bible. How in the world could they read the bible so unfaithfully? Easy, the same way we can read it so unfaithfully today. They read it for their own agenda and wanted to use it to shape the world into what they wanted the world to be instead of allowing the bible to shape their lives and the world into what God wanted it to be. You can’t help but hear Galatians 3:28 in the background as Paul writes this letter and know that through Christ God sought to destroy those barriers of class and race through the gospel. I wonder what it would mean for a community of people to not pick and choose which scriptures they read for their life together and which ones they ignore. I wonder what would happen if a community of people decided to allow scripture to form their lives instead of them using scripture to form their own view of their lives…….my hunch is we would get to see Church as God intended.

Lord Jesus, I come to you today asking forgiveness as a white man for what my ancestors did in their treatment of native Americans and African slaves. I pray that you would help other white men (and women for that matter) to see that responsibility and the effects of those decisions that are still present today in the black and native American community. Lord, may you continue to give me and Crossroads the same passion for the least, lost, last, and lonely that Paul has for Onesimus. Strengthen me to raise my children outside of the umbrella of racism and classism; help us to be a family that hears the call of Paul in Philemon in our interaction of the world around us. Free us from the slavery of the world that tries to keep those boundaries of race and class ever so present in our lives. Amen!

There is no longer slaver or free, jew or greek, white or black, male or female, rich or poor…..we are all one in Christ Jesus.

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