Preached at Hallam and Martell UMCs, September 24, 2007.
What is it that you want from church--not God, but from church? Most people want it to be many things: a place where it is safe to be who you really are; a place that makes a difference--a part of a compelling cause, making a lasting difference in the world, meeting urgent needs in our community and beyond. Other answers might include knowing that it is a place where you can make significant relationships with people who care; a place that is growing; or a place that draws me closer to God.
According to George Barna, the greatest draws for younger people are relationships and action—doing good in the community—more so than any other church activity. So... what are YOU doing in the community to communicate that this is a place that is part of a compelling cause? making a lasting difference in the world? meeting urgent needs in the community? that this is a place that is making significant relationships?
The reason I ask is that 70% of first time visitors come from personal invitations from members of the congregation. Very few people simply wander in off the street. Most are invited by YOU.
Last week I talked about balance in our relationships, how we need to take care of ourselves so that we can take care of others. This morning, I want to talk about balance again, and it dovetails with last weeks sermon: we have to take care of ourselves in order to take care of others, but it is hard to tell someone that our church is making difference if YOU are not making a difference. Jesus said to go into the world and make disciples, but it is hard to make a disciple if you are not a disciple. Please don't misunderstand, I'm not saying that the people in this congregation are not disciples, simply that we need to be authentic in our aims, ensuring that our stated desires for what we want from a church match up with our actions in the world. If our personal habits do not speak to our discipleship, why would anyone want to listen to us talk about discipleship? Pointing back to the idea of balance, we have to balance our desire to grow as a church with the habits we have as individuals. If our habits are not attractive to those who are looking for a church home, it won't happen! We have to balance our opportunities with our preparedness.
Look closely at what happened with Paul and Silas. They were put in jail, and because their habits were those of disciples—they were in the habit of praising God—they began to sing. The Bible tells us that all the prisoners were listening. Suddenly, there was an earthquake and all the doors were opened. Now there are a dozen sermons just in that moment, but I want to focus on something different. An opportunity presented itself. The prisoners, including Paul and Silas could have run away. Instead, they stayed to evangelize the jailer – I would suggest that was part of their habit! The jailer's entire family became Christians because of their habits, and I would guess, although scripture doesn't tell us, that much of the jail became Christians as well!
You've heard the Boy scouts motto, “Be prepared.” There are always opportunities to do good, always opportunities to evangelize—to tell what God has done in your life, to share what God has given.
My wife told me a story just this morning--about a woman waiting for her flight in an airport. She had some time to kill, so she bought a book and a small package of cookies. She sat down and opened her book and started reading. A man sat down next to her and the next thing she knew, he opened the box of cookies and was eating one of them! This upset the woman but she did not want to create a scene. She was shocked at his audacity! She took another cookie, and he took another—the nerve of this guy! Every time she took one, he would take one. This continued until there was only one cookie left. The man picked up the final cookie broke it in two and offered it to the woman? She was so furious that she grabbed it out of his hand, took her bag and stormed away. When she got on the plane, she was still fuming. Before she sat down, she reached into her bag to find her book. What she pulled out was the box of cookies which she had bought! The man she was angry with turned out to be the generous one-sharing without being indignant or selfish—what an opportunity!
Now those kinds of opportunities don't happen every day, do they? But how many of you ate out this week? Did you leave a good tip? Waitresses tell me that those who make a show of being Christians are often the worst tippers. What kind of witness is that about trust, thankfulness, and generosity?
Now you might say that the size of the tip depends on the service you get. But what if that waitress has had four tables stiff her already—of course she is in a bad mood. You have an opportunity to not only change her day and attitude, but the service and attitude of every person she serves the rest of the day! Go out to dinner—and tip well!
Paul and Silas were prepared to evangelize the jailer not because they were doing anything special—they were being themselves—they were in the habit of praising God, sharing the Good News with people.
So the question comes back, what can we do to begin to develop these habits? Maximizing our ability to effectively reach out to people includes becoming more alert to opportunities to share what God has done in our lives. Preparing our hearts to do so includes becoming serious discipleship. Balancing our desire for a church that meets our and others' needs as mentioned earlier, and our habits of discipleship means preparing ourselves by doing simple acts of discipleship: come to church regularly, attend Sunday school, go to the Walk to Emmaus, participate in small groups, in Marriage Encounter, bible study whenever it is offered. Become a giver—not just at church, but practice random acts of generosity--watch for opportunities to to be a blessing to others!
Balance in this area of life is critical to who you are, and to how others see you. Our actions and often our circumstances come out of habits we have cultivated. Has anyone here recently received a speeding ticket? Was that the first time you sped, or the first time you got caught? That ticket was most likely result of a habit you have developed.
Make sharing the love of Christ a habit in your life. Make the most of the opportunities that come to you every day.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
A Life in Balance - Relationships
Preached at Hallam and Martell UMCs September 16, 2007
What is Stewardship? The word means little to the average American. Most have no clue what it means. It has come to be used by churches to mean financial management. But that is a very narrow understanding of the term. It is used by the most effective churches in a more global manner. To effective churches, it means management of ALL resources given by God, including relationships, opportunities, and time, as well as material possessions.
One of the strengths of effective churches is their ability to stress the importance of good stewardship. I would take it even further and say that, not only as a church, but as individuals, we can't live life effectively as Christians without it! Good stewardship of these items in our lives calls for clear understanding, careful and prayerful interpretation of divine guidance, and balance in our lives. That last item, balance, will be the focus of my sermons for the next 3 weeks.
Balance is a key concept in stewardship. Without balance, mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually, we can be completely out of God's will for our lives. How do you know you're out of balance? Some of the warning sings are:
Your “to do” list is roughly the size of the Empire State Building.
You feel like you're really busy, but you never seem to accomplish anything.
Your health is not as important as the things you need to do or accomplish.
Your family time gets postponed for things that seem to come up—all the time.
You rely on the advice of friends for direction in your life.
There is never enough time to do the things you want to do.
You feel strangely alone—especially when it comes to spiritual matters.
You respond to others in ways that you regret later.
You get angry quickly.
You blame others for the difficult areas of your life.
You often feel as though you are the only sane person—you are surrounded by idiots!
For Balance in Relationships, our model is Jesus. Jesus shows us how important relationships are by his actions. In Mark 14, a woman anoints Jesus with expensive perfume, and Jesus has to defend her, affirming that relationships—between her and Him—are more important than the value of earthly goods. In John 3, Nicodemus comes to Jesus searching for confirmation that Jesus was from God. Jesus points Nicodemus to a relationship with God through belief in Jesus—stressing to Nicodemus that this relationship is the most important relationship in life. In John 17, Jesus prays for the unity of the relationships of the disciples—that they would be one body, indivisible by the world.
Now most people believe that Jesus' whole life was about selfless living. There is some validity to that assumption. In John 19:26-27 – Jesus cares for his mother, giving care for her to John, EVEN WHILE BEING CRUCIFIED!!! If there was ever a time to focus on yourself, it would be while you were nailed to a cross!
BUT, Jesus also took time to care for himself – Mark 1:35, and Luke 6:12 are just two of the many verses that tell us that Jesus did take time for himself—to cultivate his own spiritual life and relationship with God, as well as perhaps physical care and rest. Jesus shows us that he recognized the importance of self-care – not that HE needed it, but as an example for us.
That is not to say that we should focus solely on ourselves—the key is BALANCE. In our relationships with other people, one of the things required for getting in balance is forgiveness.
When I was ten years old, I had a dog named Peanut. He was a good dog—my brothers teased him and he didn't like them, but he and I got along great. I fed him, cared for him, loved him—and he loved me. But one morning I met him on the front porch and saw a terrible thing. He had found a porcupine, and his face was full of quills. I got a pair of gloves and a pair or pliers, and began to pull the quills from his face and mouth. Most of them came out fairly easily, but there were a few that were very deep in his lips and face. As I tried to pull them out, he bit me—it hurt! But I knew that he was already hurting from the quills stuck in him. It was wrong for him to bite me, but I had to forgive him.
Sometimes the same thing happens in our human relationships. It happened to me just this week. But sometimes, you have to realize that it is not about you, and you have to understand and forgive, even if the person feels completely justified in their actions.
This forgiveness is merely a facet of the greatest part of having relationships in balance, though. Having a relationship truly in balance requires love. This is what Paul talked about in 1 Corinthians 13. He is referring to how the gifts given to each of us through the Holy Spirit work together—how the people of the church are in relationship just as each part of your body is in relationship with the other parts.
Now I could preach a long time on this particular passage, but I'm not going to—I would like you to go home today and pull out your Bibles and read it for yourself. Then look back at your week, and even the past month, and ask yourself if you displayed what Paul describes as love in your interpersonal relationships. Have you shown patience, and kindness; have you been rude to anyone, or kept track of another person's faults? Spend some time in this passage and talk to God about it.
You'll find that as your relationship with God improves, your relationship with others will improve, as well. If the time you spend with God comes into a true and proper balance, the other relationships in your life will come into balance as well.
What is Stewardship? The word means little to the average American. Most have no clue what it means. It has come to be used by churches to mean financial management. But that is a very narrow understanding of the term. It is used by the most effective churches in a more global manner. To effective churches, it means management of ALL resources given by God, including relationships, opportunities, and time, as well as material possessions.
One of the strengths of effective churches is their ability to stress the importance of good stewardship. I would take it even further and say that, not only as a church, but as individuals, we can't live life effectively as Christians without it! Good stewardship of these items in our lives calls for clear understanding, careful and prayerful interpretation of divine guidance, and balance in our lives. That last item, balance, will be the focus of my sermons for the next 3 weeks.
Balance is a key concept in stewardship. Without balance, mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually, we can be completely out of God's will for our lives. How do you know you're out of balance? Some of the warning sings are:
Your “to do” list is roughly the size of the Empire State Building.
You feel like you're really busy, but you never seem to accomplish anything.
Your health is not as important as the things you need to do or accomplish.
Your family time gets postponed for things that seem to come up—all the time.
You rely on the advice of friends for direction in your life.
There is never enough time to do the things you want to do.
You feel strangely alone—especially when it comes to spiritual matters.
You respond to others in ways that you regret later.
You get angry quickly.
You blame others for the difficult areas of your life.
You often feel as though you are the only sane person—you are surrounded by idiots!
For Balance in Relationships, our model is Jesus. Jesus shows us how important relationships are by his actions. In Mark 14, a woman anoints Jesus with expensive perfume, and Jesus has to defend her, affirming that relationships—between her and Him—are more important than the value of earthly goods. In John 3, Nicodemus comes to Jesus searching for confirmation that Jesus was from God. Jesus points Nicodemus to a relationship with God through belief in Jesus—stressing to Nicodemus that this relationship is the most important relationship in life. In John 17, Jesus prays for the unity of the relationships of the disciples—that they would be one body, indivisible by the world.
Now most people believe that Jesus' whole life was about selfless living. There is some validity to that assumption. In John 19:26-27 – Jesus cares for his mother, giving care for her to John, EVEN WHILE BEING CRUCIFIED!!! If there was ever a time to focus on yourself, it would be while you were nailed to a cross!
BUT, Jesus also took time to care for himself – Mark 1:35, and Luke 6:12 are just two of the many verses that tell us that Jesus did take time for himself—to cultivate his own spiritual life and relationship with God, as well as perhaps physical care and rest. Jesus shows us that he recognized the importance of self-care – not that HE needed it, but as an example for us.
That is not to say that we should focus solely on ourselves—the key is BALANCE. In our relationships with other people, one of the things required for getting in balance is forgiveness.
When I was ten years old, I had a dog named Peanut. He was a good dog—my brothers teased him and he didn't like them, but he and I got along great. I fed him, cared for him, loved him—and he loved me. But one morning I met him on the front porch and saw a terrible thing. He had found a porcupine, and his face was full of quills. I got a pair of gloves and a pair or pliers, and began to pull the quills from his face and mouth. Most of them came out fairly easily, but there were a few that were very deep in his lips and face. As I tried to pull them out, he bit me—it hurt! But I knew that he was already hurting from the quills stuck in him. It was wrong for him to bite me, but I had to forgive him.
Sometimes the same thing happens in our human relationships. It happened to me just this week. But sometimes, you have to realize that it is not about you, and you have to understand and forgive, even if the person feels completely justified in their actions.
This forgiveness is merely a facet of the greatest part of having relationships in balance, though. Having a relationship truly in balance requires love. This is what Paul talked about in 1 Corinthians 13. He is referring to how the gifts given to each of us through the Holy Spirit work together—how the people of the church are in relationship just as each part of your body is in relationship with the other parts.
Now I could preach a long time on this particular passage, but I'm not going to—I would like you to go home today and pull out your Bibles and read it for yourself. Then look back at your week, and even the past month, and ask yourself if you displayed what Paul describes as love in your interpersonal relationships. Have you shown patience, and kindness; have you been rude to anyone, or kept track of another person's faults? Spend some time in this passage and talk to God about it.
You'll find that as your relationship with God improves, your relationship with others will improve, as well. If the time you spend with God comes into a true and proper balance, the other relationships in your life will come into balance as well.
Finding your Freedom
Preached at Hallam and Martell UMCs September 9, 2007
The aging rabbi stood, his loose-fitting Jewish garb flapping lightly in the breeze that blew through his spacious, Roman-style living quarters.
His back was turned toward the dark-haired man who sat at the desk, reed pen in hand, poised, ready to write. Several feet from the silent rabbi stood a Roman soldier, joined to him by the length of a long chain . . . And, on the edge of a rectangular Roman couch opposite the desk, sat the youngest in the quartet of men, a runaway slave named Onesimus, who months ago had used money stolen from his master Philemon to escape to Rome, putting half the civilized world between them in his quest for freedom.
Finally, after a lengthy silence, the rabbi turned, nodded to the man at the desk and, as he saw the scribe dip his pen in the ink, began the letter he’d been pondering.
[Clear throat]
“Paul, an apostle---”
He stopped suddenly, shook his head. “No,” he said, waving his hand at his young scribe.
“Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and,” he continued, smiling at the scribe, “Timothy our brother,
To Philemon our dear friend and fellow worker, to Apphia our sister, to Archippus our fellow soldier and to the church that meets in your home.”
The man sitting on the couch stared at the floor, his thoughts going back to that home,
half a world away in Colosse . . . To Philemon, the gray-haired man of means whose slave Onesimus had been . . . a fair man, a good man, even . . . though Onesimus had never had time to notice his master’s good qualities--he had been too filled with hatred, too busy cursing his fate in life, unable to accept being any man’s slave.
And there was Apphia, the lovely lady of the house, and Archippus, Philemon’s son, who had become a sort of pastor of the Colossian church. The young man’s reminiscing had occupied only a few moments, long enough for Paul to dictate his customary greeting: “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
And then, Onesimus watched as Paul, fixing his eyes at a point in the ceiling, began speaking again:
“I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, because I hear about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints,” he said, quickly glancing at Onesimus as he emphasized the word “all.”
“I pray,” Paul continued, “that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.” As he spoke the words to the distant man of Colosse, Paul’s mind went back to his first meeting with Philemon, thousands of miles from where he stood now.
He remembered their encounter in--oh, now, where was it? He couldn’t remember, but it was not in Colosse, Paul knew that; he’d never been to that city, and he remembered that Philemon had been traveling away from home. But the Apostle recalled that Philemon had grasped the Gospel
like a drowning man grips a rope.
And he warmly recalled having heard that Philemon had returned to his home and quickly introduced his wife and son to the living Christ. It was on a later journey when Paul finally met Apphia and Archippus, when Philemon had dragged them away from home just to meet the tentmaker who’d told him of Christ.
With a half-smile prompted by these thoughts, Paul turned his head toward the man at the desk
and resumed dictating: “Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints.”
Then, having prepared the soil for the seed about to be sown, the pacing Apostle gave a confident nod to the listening Onesimus, filled his lungs with air, and raised his voice slightly to say, “Therefore, although in Christ I could be bold and order you to do what you ought to do, yet I appeal to you on the basis of love. I then, as Paul-- an old man and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus--”
Onesimus watched, fascinated, thinking he detected a little melodrama in Paul’s voice, but that wouldn’t come across in the letter...“I appeal to you,” Paul said, “for my son Onesimus, who became my son while I was in chains.”
Onesimus noticed that the Apostle moved his foot slightly as he referred to his chains. They really weren’t that noticeable most of the time. Paul seemed to be used to them, having been under house arrest now for some time, as he moved about the simple house with ease, though always with a Roman soldier a few steps away.
Onesimus thought about how HE would have fought those chains a short time ago. He remembered how, the night of his escape, he expected that the moment he made it out of the Lycus Valley, the moment he got a safe distance from Colosse, he’d feel a rush of relief, a sudden peace, the kind that he thought must belong to freemen.
But he’d quickly discovered that he wasn’t really free.
All the way from Colosse to Rome, he waited to be arrested, he searched every face for a sign of recognition, a hint of danger. He learned to walk in the shadows, he learned how to melt into the crowds that thronged the streets of Rome, how to live as a slave to the fear of getting caught.
The young man continued to reminisce as Paul employed a play on words, referring to Onesimus,
whose Greek name meant “useful,” saying, “Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me.”
It was in Rome that Onesimus met Paul, and soon afterward, met Christ. From that point on, all the energy the young slave had previously spent on resisting, rebelling, and running, had been turned to serving God and helping Paul in his ministry. And, as the new convert learned,and grew in grace, he knew that, to fully repent of his sin, he had to return to his master and seek his forgiveness. And so Paul was helping him do just that, as he dictated to Timothy, “I am sending him--who is my very heart- back to you.”
Of course, Onesimus and Paul both knew what that might mean. They knew that a slave was not a person in that day and age; he was a living tool. They knew that, according to law and custom, a runaway slave could be beaten with a rod or whipped until his back was like raw meat; he could be branded on the forehead with a hot iron, or even crucified.
Every man in that room knew the stakes, the danger. So, with a diplomacy that had been polished with years of practice, in Jerusalem, in Philippi, in Ephesus, Paul continued, “I would have liked to keep him with me so that he could take your place in helping me while I am in chains for the gospel. But I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that any favor you do will be spontaneous and not forced. Perhaps the reason he was separated from you for a little while--”
Paul felt he had to choose his words carefully while referring to Onesimus’s escape--“was that you might have him back for good-- no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother. He is very dear to me but even dearer to you, both as a man and as a brother in the Lord.”
Paul paused for a moment and cleared his throat. After gazing at Onesimus for some time, he raised his eyebrows, and with one hand stroking his beard, asked,“What do you think?”
Onesimus smiled weakly, but his fear was evident in his eyes. Paul smiled back, then whirled, pointed at the parchment over Timothy’s shoulder, and continued, a little louder still: “So,” he said, “if you consider me a partner, welcome him as you would welcome me. If he has done you any wrong or owes you anything, charge it to me.”
And then, as Timothy finished writing Paul’s words in careful Greek, the Apostle shouldered the young scribe aside and, with emphatic strokes, wrote as he spoke aloud, “I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand. I will pay it back--not to mention that you owe me your very self.”
He stopped writing as abruptly as he had begun as, with tears in his eyes, he surrendered the pen to Timothy and said, softly, “I do wish, brother, that I may have some . . . benefit--” he said, employing the root of the word from which Onesimus’s name was formed-- “some benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ. Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I ask.”
Paul turned his gaze toward the ceiling again, and stroked his mustache and beard for a long, silent pause.
Finally, he turned to Timothy and asked what his last words had been. Timothy read them and Paul, apparently satisfied, spoke so rapidly that Timothy had to race to keep up.
“And one thing more: Prepare a guest room for me, because I hope to be restored to you in answer to your prayers. Epaphras, my fellow-prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends you greetings. And so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas and Luke, my fellow workers. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.”
Paul looked at Onesimus when he finished. . . Onesimus looked at Paul. And Paul, as if reading the slave’s mind, said, “He will forgive. He will forgive.” Paul embraced his young disciple, and, after the custom of that time and place, kissed him. When he released his embrace, there were tears in his eyes again, and his voice quivered slightly when he said, “Greet Philemon, your brother in Christ, for me.”
(--illustration by Bob Hostetler)
Bondage. It is a word that has many meanings and inferences. You can be in bondage to creditors, to your work, to fear, to someone or to something. In its simplest sense it simply means slavery—being held against your will. But one thing is sure--in a spiritual sense, it can lead to our destruction.
Whatever form bondage takes, it is clear that it is not God's intent for us. Too often, the good that God works in our lives is perverted by our fallen human nature. God made us to be servants, but not slaves.
And so we come to Philemon—a letter written by Paul on behalf of a runaway slave named Onesimus. It is the Magna Carta of Freedom. You see, Onesimus ran away to Rome to disappear—to blend in with the vast crowds of people—no longer a slave to Philemon, but living in constant fear—in bondage to that fear. Philemon, on the other hand, despite the law, and the loss Onesimus had inflicted, was at the same time in bondage to his own anger as well well his honor. At the same time, Paul was imprisoned in Rome—in chains, but freer than either of these men.
Let's take a close look at this passage. It begins and ends with grace, for this is what forgiveness and freedom is. Paul appeals to Philemon on the basis of their partnership, their friendship. But the thing I want to stress most to you is his Christlike attitude: “If he has done you any wrong or owes you anything, charge it to me.”
In the movie, The Last Emperor, there’s a scene in which the young child who has been anointed as the last emperor is asked, “What happens when you do wrong?” “When I do wrong,” the boy emperor replies, “someone else is punished.”
You know what? That’s you.
That’s me.
That’s Paul.
That’s Philemon.
Someone ELSE was punished for our wrongs . . .
That’s grace.
And yet we so often insist that other people pay--and pay dearly-- for the wrongs they’ve done us. We ought instead to follow Paul’s example--which is Jesus’ example--and be willing to model the kind of grace that we ourselves have received.
Paul reminds Philemon that he is a refresher of people's hearts, that Onesimus is his heart, and that he should refresh his heart. Philemon is asked bluntly to forgive—to release Onesimus, to extend grace far beyond culture allows, and to love Onesimus as a brother.
Does he? If he didn't, we probably wouldn't have this letter. The ancient historian Eusebius tells us that there was a bishop at the church in Ephesus named ...Onesimus. If Philemon did receive Onesimus
and forgive him, he not only would have refreshed Paul’s heart, but God’s--and his own, as a matter of fact.
So how can we have this freedom—this grace—this refreshment—in our lives? I want to invite you this morning to experience firsthand the grace of God. Paul began and ended this letter with reference to the grace of God, and I would say to you, if you haven’t experienced the grace of God through Jesus Christ in your life, call out to God in prayer this morning. Simply ask that God give you that grace through Jesus Christ and place your trust in his grace.
Secondly, extend grace to others. Paul urged Philemon to accept Onesimus as “no longer a slave, but . . . as a dear brother.” I want all of us here, as individuals and as a church, to treat each other with grace, and not judgment or condemnation. Let’s extend grace to each other. If someone has hurt you, forgive them. If someone isn’t quite meeting your expectations, forget your expectations, and extend grace.
So, experience God’s grace, extend grace to others, and finally, expect the refreshing and freedom that grace brings. Just as Paul said to Philemon, “I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I ask” so you and I, when we begin to walk in the grace of God, and grace toward other people, we should keep our eyes wide open for opportunities to extend God's grace, because when we do, our hearts will be refreshed. Our relationships will change, our spiritual, physical, and emotional health will be restored. Be refreshed in the Grace God gives – rejoice in finding the freedom that grace brings.
The aging rabbi stood, his loose-fitting Jewish garb flapping lightly in the breeze that blew through his spacious, Roman-style living quarters.
His back was turned toward the dark-haired man who sat at the desk, reed pen in hand, poised, ready to write. Several feet from the silent rabbi stood a Roman soldier, joined to him by the length of a long chain . . . And, on the edge of a rectangular Roman couch opposite the desk, sat the youngest in the quartet of men, a runaway slave named Onesimus, who months ago had used money stolen from his master Philemon to escape to Rome, putting half the civilized world between them in his quest for freedom.
Finally, after a lengthy silence, the rabbi turned, nodded to the man at the desk and, as he saw the scribe dip his pen in the ink, began the letter he’d been pondering.
[Clear throat]
“Paul, an apostle---”
He stopped suddenly, shook his head. “No,” he said, waving his hand at his young scribe.
“Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and,” he continued, smiling at the scribe, “Timothy our brother,
To Philemon our dear friend and fellow worker, to Apphia our sister, to Archippus our fellow soldier and to the church that meets in your home.”
The man sitting on the couch stared at the floor, his thoughts going back to that home,
half a world away in Colosse . . . To Philemon, the gray-haired man of means whose slave Onesimus had been . . . a fair man, a good man, even . . . though Onesimus had never had time to notice his master’s good qualities--he had been too filled with hatred, too busy cursing his fate in life, unable to accept being any man’s slave.
And there was Apphia, the lovely lady of the house, and Archippus, Philemon’s son, who had become a sort of pastor of the Colossian church. The young man’s reminiscing had occupied only a few moments, long enough for Paul to dictate his customary greeting: “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
And then, Onesimus watched as Paul, fixing his eyes at a point in the ceiling, began speaking again:
“I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, because I hear about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints,” he said, quickly glancing at Onesimus as he emphasized the word “all.”
“I pray,” Paul continued, “that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.” As he spoke the words to the distant man of Colosse, Paul’s mind went back to his first meeting with Philemon, thousands of miles from where he stood now.
He remembered their encounter in--oh, now, where was it? He couldn’t remember, but it was not in Colosse, Paul knew that; he’d never been to that city, and he remembered that Philemon had been traveling away from home. But the Apostle recalled that Philemon had grasped the Gospel
like a drowning man grips a rope.
And he warmly recalled having heard that Philemon had returned to his home and quickly introduced his wife and son to the living Christ. It was on a later journey when Paul finally met Apphia and Archippus, when Philemon had dragged them away from home just to meet the tentmaker who’d told him of Christ.
With a half-smile prompted by these thoughts, Paul turned his head toward the man at the desk
and resumed dictating: “Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints.”
Then, having prepared the soil for the seed about to be sown, the pacing Apostle gave a confident nod to the listening Onesimus, filled his lungs with air, and raised his voice slightly to say, “Therefore, although in Christ I could be bold and order you to do what you ought to do, yet I appeal to you on the basis of love. I then, as Paul-- an old man and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus--”
Onesimus watched, fascinated, thinking he detected a little melodrama in Paul’s voice, but that wouldn’t come across in the letter...“I appeal to you,” Paul said, “for my son Onesimus, who became my son while I was in chains.”
Onesimus noticed that the Apostle moved his foot slightly as he referred to his chains. They really weren’t that noticeable most of the time. Paul seemed to be used to them, having been under house arrest now for some time, as he moved about the simple house with ease, though always with a Roman soldier a few steps away.
Onesimus thought about how HE would have fought those chains a short time ago. He remembered how, the night of his escape, he expected that the moment he made it out of the Lycus Valley, the moment he got a safe distance from Colosse, he’d feel a rush of relief, a sudden peace, the kind that he thought must belong to freemen.
But he’d quickly discovered that he wasn’t really free.
All the way from Colosse to Rome, he waited to be arrested, he searched every face for a sign of recognition, a hint of danger. He learned to walk in the shadows, he learned how to melt into the crowds that thronged the streets of Rome, how to live as a slave to the fear of getting caught.
The young man continued to reminisce as Paul employed a play on words, referring to Onesimus,
whose Greek name meant “useful,” saying, “Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me.”
It was in Rome that Onesimus met Paul, and soon afterward, met Christ. From that point on, all the energy the young slave had previously spent on resisting, rebelling, and running, had been turned to serving God and helping Paul in his ministry. And, as the new convert learned,and grew in grace, he knew that, to fully repent of his sin, he had to return to his master and seek his forgiveness. And so Paul was helping him do just that, as he dictated to Timothy, “I am sending him--who is my very heart- back to you.”
Of course, Onesimus and Paul both knew what that might mean. They knew that a slave was not a person in that day and age; he was a living tool. They knew that, according to law and custom, a runaway slave could be beaten with a rod or whipped until his back was like raw meat; he could be branded on the forehead with a hot iron, or even crucified.
Every man in that room knew the stakes, the danger. So, with a diplomacy that had been polished with years of practice, in Jerusalem, in Philippi, in Ephesus, Paul continued, “I would have liked to keep him with me so that he could take your place in helping me while I am in chains for the gospel. But I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that any favor you do will be spontaneous and not forced. Perhaps the reason he was separated from you for a little while--”
Paul felt he had to choose his words carefully while referring to Onesimus’s escape--“was that you might have him back for good-- no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother. He is very dear to me but even dearer to you, both as a man and as a brother in the Lord.”
Paul paused for a moment and cleared his throat. After gazing at Onesimus for some time, he raised his eyebrows, and with one hand stroking his beard, asked,“What do you think?”
Onesimus smiled weakly, but his fear was evident in his eyes. Paul smiled back, then whirled, pointed at the parchment over Timothy’s shoulder, and continued, a little louder still: “So,” he said, “if you consider me a partner, welcome him as you would welcome me. If he has done you any wrong or owes you anything, charge it to me.”
And then, as Timothy finished writing Paul’s words in careful Greek, the Apostle shouldered the young scribe aside and, with emphatic strokes, wrote as he spoke aloud, “I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand. I will pay it back--not to mention that you owe me your very self.”
He stopped writing as abruptly as he had begun as, with tears in his eyes, he surrendered the pen to Timothy and said, softly, “I do wish, brother, that I may have some . . . benefit--” he said, employing the root of the word from which Onesimus’s name was formed-- “some benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ. Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I ask.”
Paul turned his gaze toward the ceiling again, and stroked his mustache and beard for a long, silent pause.
Finally, he turned to Timothy and asked what his last words had been. Timothy read them and Paul, apparently satisfied, spoke so rapidly that Timothy had to race to keep up.
“And one thing more: Prepare a guest room for me, because I hope to be restored to you in answer to your prayers. Epaphras, my fellow-prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends you greetings. And so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas and Luke, my fellow workers. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.”
Paul looked at Onesimus when he finished. . . Onesimus looked at Paul. And Paul, as if reading the slave’s mind, said, “He will forgive. He will forgive.” Paul embraced his young disciple, and, after the custom of that time and place, kissed him. When he released his embrace, there were tears in his eyes again, and his voice quivered slightly when he said, “Greet Philemon, your brother in Christ, for me.”
(--illustration by Bob Hostetler)
Bondage. It is a word that has many meanings and inferences. You can be in bondage to creditors, to your work, to fear, to someone or to something. In its simplest sense it simply means slavery—being held against your will. But one thing is sure--in a spiritual sense, it can lead to our destruction.
Whatever form bondage takes, it is clear that it is not God's intent for us. Too often, the good that God works in our lives is perverted by our fallen human nature. God made us to be servants, but not slaves.
And so we come to Philemon—a letter written by Paul on behalf of a runaway slave named Onesimus. It is the Magna Carta of Freedom. You see, Onesimus ran away to Rome to disappear—to blend in with the vast crowds of people—no longer a slave to Philemon, but living in constant fear—in bondage to that fear. Philemon, on the other hand, despite the law, and the loss Onesimus had inflicted, was at the same time in bondage to his own anger as well well his honor. At the same time, Paul was imprisoned in Rome—in chains, but freer than either of these men.
Let's take a close look at this passage. It begins and ends with grace, for this is what forgiveness and freedom is. Paul appeals to Philemon on the basis of their partnership, their friendship. But the thing I want to stress most to you is his Christlike attitude: “If he has done you any wrong or owes you anything, charge it to me.”
In the movie, The Last Emperor, there’s a scene in which the young child who has been anointed as the last emperor is asked, “What happens when you do wrong?” “When I do wrong,” the boy emperor replies, “someone else is punished.”
You know what? That’s you.
That’s me.
That’s Paul.
That’s Philemon.
Someone ELSE was punished for our wrongs . . .
That’s grace.
And yet we so often insist that other people pay--and pay dearly-- for the wrongs they’ve done us. We ought instead to follow Paul’s example--which is Jesus’ example--and be willing to model the kind of grace that we ourselves have received.
Paul reminds Philemon that he is a refresher of people's hearts, that Onesimus is his heart, and that he should refresh his heart. Philemon is asked bluntly to forgive—to release Onesimus, to extend grace far beyond culture allows, and to love Onesimus as a brother.
Does he? If he didn't, we probably wouldn't have this letter. The ancient historian Eusebius tells us that there was a bishop at the church in Ephesus named ...Onesimus. If Philemon did receive Onesimus
and forgive him, he not only would have refreshed Paul’s heart, but God’s--and his own, as a matter of fact.
So how can we have this freedom—this grace—this refreshment—in our lives? I want to invite you this morning to experience firsthand the grace of God. Paul began and ended this letter with reference to the grace of God, and I would say to you, if you haven’t experienced the grace of God through Jesus Christ in your life, call out to God in prayer this morning. Simply ask that God give you that grace through Jesus Christ and place your trust in his grace.
Secondly, extend grace to others. Paul urged Philemon to accept Onesimus as “no longer a slave, but . . . as a dear brother.” I want all of us here, as individuals and as a church, to treat each other with grace, and not judgment or condemnation. Let’s extend grace to each other. If someone has hurt you, forgive them. If someone isn’t quite meeting your expectations, forget your expectations, and extend grace.
So, experience God’s grace, extend grace to others, and finally, expect the refreshing and freedom that grace brings. Just as Paul said to Philemon, “I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I ask” so you and I, when we begin to walk in the grace of God, and grace toward other people, we should keep our eyes wide open for opportunities to extend God's grace, because when we do, our hearts will be refreshed. Our relationships will change, our spiritual, physical, and emotional health will be restored. Be refreshed in the Grace God gives – rejoice in finding the freedom that grace brings.
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Head and Heart
Preached at Hallam and Martell UMCs, September 2, 2007.
Yesterday, I was a little bit worried. I was watching the football game and it looked like Nebraska had their hands full with Nevada. Nevada was moving the ball, had put together a pretty good scoring drive, and Nebraska seemed to be just...struggling a little. It was like they knew what they were supposed to do, but just weren't able to put it together. Or maybe it was just the other way around. Either way, it was obvious they needed to get fired up, and they needed to get their heads in the game.
Isn't it like that in worship sometimes? In some churches, the people raise their hands and sing with all abandon, eyes closed, tears running down their face. And there is something special in that. I have worshiped in churches where the worship music at the beginning of the service takes 40 minutes, and it begins with pumping, jumping music that make s you want to dance (and most people do), and ends with hands raised worshipful musical prayers. Te worship seems loose and free. Having your heart in worship is powerful.
Now, on the other hand, I have heard complaints from people who say that modern worship songs are sort of empty—without meaning. One of the most popular from recent years is “Lord I lift your name on high.” It goes something like, “Lord, I lift your name on high. I love to sing your praises, I'm so glad you're in my life, I'm so glad you came to save us. You came from heaven to earth to show the way, from the earth to the cross, my debt to pay, from the cross to the grave, from the grave to the sky, Lord I lift your name on high.” Now I apologize if you happen to like that song, but to me, it seems a little simplistic and shallow. A real praise song is like any Charles Wesley hymn! There is praise, but there is still depth of meaning!
But you can take that too far, as well. In some churches, the worship begins with a classical prelude and everything is very polished and smooth and practiced. There is a choir, dressed in robes, who with the choir director leads the congregation in great hymns of the faith. Everyone knows their place and everything seems to be very closely directed. Having your head in worship is powerful as well.
There are battles that go on in churches over which way their worship should be. Should it be contemporary or traditional? Loud or contemplative? heart or head?
Whichever is more comfortable for us is where we seem to worship though, isn't it? If we don't like the hands raised high, swaying to the music, we tend to gravitate toward the other end. And if you prefer that style of worship, you feel worship is empty without it.
Doesn't it seem more appropriate to ask God—the object of worship—what kind of worship he prefers? Turn with me to Psalm 95.
It seems like the first few verses point to praise, maybe even shouting, and the next stanza calls for us to worship and bow down. There is a tension there, isn't there? Perhaps what David is describing is less tension, and more balance. Perhaps what God wants is not swinging from the chandeliers nor icy, somber worship. Let's go back to the passage from last week in John 4.
Jesus tells the woman at the well that God desires his people to worship in spirit and in truth. Let's put that in context of the conversation. The woman asked Jesus which place was correct for worship, Gerazim or Moriah. What's the difference? The Samaritans rejected most of the Old Testament, and had their own version of the Pentateuch, the first five books. You could say that their knowledge of God was deficient, because they didn't have the whole thing and what they did have was their own version. But the worship on Gerazim was passionate. It has been described as enthusiastic heresy—Plenty of spirit, but no truth.
On the other hand, on Moriah, the Jews worshiped with a barren, lifeless orthodoxy. They had truth, but no spirit. What Jesus was saying was that the location didn't matter, what mattered was the balance of worship.
When Jesus refers to worship in spirit, he is talking about the inner person, affirming that worship involves the emotions. You can go to church, wear the right clothes, say the right words, sing the right songs, stand, kneel, and sit at the right time—and still not worship. That's because worship is not on the outside action, but what flows from the inside spirit—it springs from the heart.
When Jesus refers to worship in truth, we need to know that we are worshiping in accordance with what the Bible says. True worship is not our version, but is grounded in, based upon, and is an expression of God's truth.
John Piper writes, “Truth without emotion produces dead orthodoxy, and a church of artificial admirers..but emotion without truth produces empty frenzy and cultivates shallow people who refuse the discipline of rigorous thought. True worship comes from people who are deeply emotional AND who love deep and sound doctrine.”
My challenge for you this morning is to ask yourself where you are in worship. Do you limit your emotions—worshiping without life or heart or spirit? Or are you on the other extreme, not grounded in scripture, with little interest in what the Bible has to tell us about Truth? Christ calls for us to worship in spirit AND in truth—not one or the other. At the same time, notice that Christ calls us to have both in our lives, for it is possible to exist without either—but we can't call it worship. Worship MUST have spirit and truth, expressed in heart and head, and it will bear fruit in our daily lives—our hands.
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