Living "Christianly" (Deacon Chris)

Just a quick word as I begin this morning. As you may have read in the bulletin, due to a clergy scheduling constraint I am preaching today on last week’s Second Reading, Philemon, which is what you just heard. You do not have the lesson in front of you right now so hear this verse and as I speak try to keep it in mind.
 
Paul said, “I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective when you perceive all the good that we may do for Christ.”

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
 
Have you ever wondered how others might know that someone is a Christian without asking? Perhaps in an earlier time a clue might be the wearing of a cross or keeping a Bible on one’s desk or coffee table. Even with those types of physical clues, might someone have an idea because of the behavior of another? To make it personal, how might others know that you are a Christian? Is there a difference in how you act or how you speak that would let others know you are a believer in Jesus Christ?

I will share one brief personal example. It has to do with driving. I admit to you that I can get very annoyed with other drivers, especially when they have done something I believe to be unsafe. And, a time or two, I admit, I have let the other driver know my displeasure, either by something I have yelled or gestured, or honked. Now on a day when I was in collar I realized that I could not, or should not, or would not respond to poor driving in a way that might reflect poorly on being a follower of Christ. There is a responsibility that comes with wearing the collar and with conscious thought, when in collar, my actions and words changed. After that realization I decided I would remember that I wore an invisible collar all the time. My actions and words reflected poorly on all Christians if I did not watch myself. Others notice what we do, what we say and how we say it. Our sharing of our faith begins with how we treat others. 

ow granted most of us here this morning don’t wear a collar but another way to think about this might be to remember that all Christians have an unseen cross on our foreheads placed at our baptism. There is a responsibility that comes with that symbol also. How might others perceive that we are Christians without us being asked? The sharing of our faith often comes without words. Hear St. Paul again, “I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective when you perceive all the good that we may do for Christ.”
 
For several reasons, today I want to take a look at the book of Philemon, this morning’s transferred second reading. One reason is we don’t often hear or read Philemon. It is the shortest book in the Bible, only 25 verses in total and it comes up in the lectionary only once in a three year cycle. And yet, Bishop NT Wright, prominent modern Anglican theologian, said that in this letter Paul is teaching Philemon how to think “Christianly”. Wright uses the word “Christianly” to mean modeling behavior that is based in the reconciling love of God that Christ has given us. In fact NT Wright has gone further to say this about Philemon, “If there were no other document remaining from early Christianity we could deduce what the gospel is by reading this short book.”

Another reason to look at this powerful message is that this letter is different than others that Paul wrote. Perhaps one might say he is acting more in a pastoral way than in some of his other directives for the young churches on certain theological points. Also, I think, it is easy to see Paul as a master of rhetoric in this letter. He chose his words very carefully.

So, it is a less-well known passage for us. It shows us a different side of Paul. And it has a lot to tell us about my opening question, “How does our behavior reflect that we are Christians?”  Or, as NT Wright put it, how do we think Christianly, modeling our speech and actions after Christ?

There is a fourth reason why I want to focus on this reading today. That is because in the history of our country prior to the Civil War, Philemon was often used as a Biblical defense of slavery. In our collective past this was one of the texts used to justify slavery and segregation, topics that were simply taken for granted by many of our faith predecessors. This was a gross misreading of the letter we will see, as we look at it more closely. And while legal slavery in this country ceased some 150 years ago, remnants of the ideas that allowed it to exist, still plague our society today. Racism and white privilege and white supremacy are all present in our current world and specifically on this topic I think St. Paul gives us ways to both think and act as a follower of Jesus Christ.

So, let’s begin with a little background of the book. Philemon is both a public and private letter written by Paul when he was in prison. We aren’t told where he was in prison at the time he wrote this; scholars differ on the possibilities of Rome or Ephesus. Certainly Paul spent the longest time in prison in Rome but Ephesus was closer in distance to Colossae which is where this letter was sent. What we do know is that Paul was imprisoned because of his work spreading the message of Jesus Christ.

The letter’s primary recipient is Philemon, a wealthy man from Colossae whom Paul had converted to Christianity some years before. As was the custom at that time churches met in the homes of the wealthy converts and Philemon’s house was one such church. We have another letter written to the Colossians that survived from the first century that deals with doctrinal issues and “false teachers”, while this letter to Philemon is more personal in nature.

Paul begins the letter addressing the group of believers, naming some other names, which ensured that it would be read publicly to this house church. This is one of Paul’s deliberate maneuvers to achieve his purpose without publicly condemning Philemon. Paul’s aim would allow Philemon the chance to save face, to be a better person, and to choose to demonstrate how a Christian lives.

Slavery in the ancient Roman world was different in some ways than in our country. Most, though not all, Roman slaves were indentured to work off debt or some other obligation. Rules varied and some did eventually become free, though many did not. Another difference is that those who were slaves in the Roman kingdom were not easily identified from outward appearances so if they did run away they could blend in with those around them. However, if a runaway were caught and returned to their owner they could be beaten or even killed.

Onesimus, whose name meant useful, is one such runaway. He was Philemon’s slave but had fled and during that time on the run had met Paul who converted him to be a Christian.  Paul is in somewhat of a dilemma here. He also knew Philemon and most definitely knew Roman law regarding slaves. It was Paul’s civic responsibility to return Onesimus to his rightful owner. And yet, Paul had had a transformation in his personal relationship with Onesimus. No longer was he a piece of property or someone of no worth, Paul could see the man, the human being whom he now loved as a fellow brother in Christ. Paul even calls Onesimus his child, and making a play on his name, tells Philemon that now he is useful to them both.

While Paul could have ordered Philemon to take Onesimus back as a freeman, he instead prefers to appeal to him on the basis of love. Paul wishes Philemon to do the right thing, not because of some rule or law or order but instead as a choice he would make because he, Philemon, was a follower of Christ. The reconciliation of these two men, Philemon and Onesimus, would be one follower of Christ, accepting another follower of Christ, as a beloved sibling. The usefulness is then of both men, as they would work together for the furthering of God’s kingdom. Paul knew that these two could become a powerful example of what it means to act Christianly as NT Wright would say. Because of Philemon and Onesimus mutual love of Christ, they must love each other as equals.

Paul’s purpose was not to change human society or culture or laws. He truly did not have time for that. His purpose was the furthering of God’s kingdom. In this particular pastoral situation Paul knew that Philemon must accept Onesimus as his equal if he truly understood what it was to be a Christian. This was Paul’s radical message in so many of his letters. Once a person is a follower of Christ that is their primary identity, and to bring others to know and experience Christ’s love is their primary responsibility.
 
Paul said, “I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective when you perceive all the good that we may do for Christ.”
 
When we live as Christ, loving our neighbor and our God, the sharing of our faith is effective. When we do not live a Christly life the sharing of our faith is null.

 How do others know that we are Christians?
           
I commend the letter to Philemon to you. Go home and read its 25 verses. The story it tells won’t take long but then you will think about it over and over. While the smallest of books of the Bible, it packs a powerful punch. Its message is both straight forward and yet life changing. How we deal with others in all our actions and words lets others know what we believe. We follow a loving God and there is much that we each may do for Christ. Our work for Christ begins by treating all as beloved fellow children of God, by respecting all as equals in God’s eyes. We are no better than anyone else, regardless of our skin color, our economic status, or our personal background. And when we think or perhaps say that we are, it is time for some personal reflection.

God loves his children, of which we each are one, and we are to reflect that love, His love in all we do. We have many brothers and sisters and the possibility of many more. As we go about our daily business be mindful of what we are doing and saying. We can grow as human beings and learn to act as a Christian a bit more each day, often through our interactions with others.

Remember that cross is on our heads.

Today I give thanks for Onesimus and Paul and Philemon and how their examples show us the love of Jesus Christ.
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Amen.