Sermon for Proper 18

In the name Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Let us pray, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.” Psalm 19:14

Amazing Grace is a favorite hymn of mine to both play and sing. I love the message it carries--of God’s amazing grace looking past all my faults, all of my failures, and hearing God still loves me. The words are very touching and speak well of our faith but how the song was written is just as equally touching. The song was written by man named John Newton. He was the captain of a slave ship in England. One night his ship was caught in a horrible storm. Many of the men on his ship were killed. As the waves were crashing over the ship, Newton knelt down and prayed for help. Newton made it through the night and his ship safely arrived in port. After this experience, Newton promised to changed his life. He eventually left the slave trade industry to pursue the life of an ordained pastor. He later teamed up William Wilberforce, who was a member of the British Parliament and who lead the fight to end slavery in Great Britain. Newton experienced the Grace of God first hand. Newton felt the strong and comforting touch of God’s grace. In a way, we saw the light and left the safety of the darkness to find something better--God’s love.

Now If we were keeping score it would be God:Infinity and humanity:negative infinity. It is quiet a large debt we owe God. Newton, who sold God’s creation--God’s own children--into slavery felt forgiveness. Newton felt grace. Newton had a debt he could never repay, just as we all have a debt we cannot pay, but that did not stop God from turning leaving Newton behind.

We don’t always have a perfect storm experience like Newton felt in order to feel God’s grace. We all have felt God’s grace in one form or another. For most of us. We experience God’s grace every time we hold out our hands and receive the bread at communion or when we open our mouths to receive the wine. You see that is grace. In the words, “The body of Christ, given for you” or the “the blood of Christ shed for your sins” we hear how unworthy we are to receive Christ Jesus. But yet, we still receive him. We are still able to hold out our hands or open our mouth and have them filled. That, my friends, is grace. It is because of God’s Grace alone we are able to reap the rewards of God’s love. Nothing else but simply God’s grace.

It is this grace that Paul is reminding Philemon about today. Philemon is an interesting fellow. We do not know to much about him. He is not mentioned anywhere else in scripture. According to the letter, Paul and Philemon are friends--close friends. It is probably safe to assume that Paul convert Philemon to Christianity. What we do know comes from a sociological study of the letter. We know Philemon owned a house--a house big enough to hold a church. Owning a house conveys a certain economic level--the bigger the house the better off you are. Owning slaves also conveys an even high economic level and we know he did own at least one slave name Onesimus.

Here in lies the problem. Onesimus is a slave of Philemon. More importantly, Onesimus is a runaway slave of Philemon. This is a problem. For Philemon, it is like his car ran away. Roman cultural saw a slave as property--not a person. Not the flesh and blood that Onesimus was. Onesimus set off running for freedom only to find Paul--A friend of his former owner. And you thought you had bad luck.

Onesimus becomes a convert of Christianity all while Paul is in prison. But then Paul tells Onesimus he has to go back to Philemon. Imagine the look on his face. I call it, “What ya talking about Willis?” It is crazy for a runaway slave to go back to his master but Paul tells Oneismus to trust him because Paul has a unique

In the introduction of Paul’s Letter, Paul reminds Philemon of their relationship. Particularly, the Christian Relationship they have. Paul and Philemon are on the same level not because both are wealthy (and Paul was not wealthy. Remember, he sold tents for a living and moved from city to city. That is how Paul was able to turn down financial support from the congregations he served). Rather Paul and Philemon are equal because they are both Christian.

It all goes back to baptism. Baptism is how we become a part of the community. In Baptism, we are literally clothed with Christ so that we are all the same. When we look in the mirror we do not see different faces or different races or different size bank accounts but rather, we see simply Christ.

Oneismus was changed in his baptism the same way we were all changed in our baptism. We are literally clothed, change with Christ--Change by Christ out of love.

This is what Paul is appealing to. Paul knows Philemon is mad with Oneismus but Paul appeals to Philemon out of love. It is this Agape love, the sacrificial love that all Christians share with each other, that Paul is appealing to Philemon with. Philemon had the law on his side. Onesimus is a runaway slave, property of Philemon, and therefore could be killed for running away. But Paul is appealing to Philemon to forget the law of Rome and find the law of God. Onesimus is now a Christian, one of us, and therefore equal to Philemon just as Paul and Philemon are equals. “I am appealing to you for my Child, Onesimus, whose father I have become during my imprisonment” I appeal to you, Philemon, out of love for my son--your brother. Love him as I have loved him and as I have loved you. Paul is appealing on the bases of the relationship he has established with Onesimus. Paul calls Onesimus a son.

Essentially, he raises Onesimus status. Peter T. O’Brien writes,”this was the first news Philemon had of his slave since he ran away and he might be expected to react negatively to the mention of his name. So with delicate tact, Paul first establishes the central fact that Onesimus has become a Christian, converted during Paul’s imprisonment.” Paul is making his appeal out of love and not out of law. Verse 16 tells it all. Oneismus is “no longer as a slave, but more than a slave, as a dear brother. He is especially so to me, and even more so to you now, both humanly speaking and in the Lord. (Phm 1:16 NET)” Think about what Paul is doing. He is challenging “a Christian slave owner to defy the conventions: to forgive and receive back into the household a runaway slave’ to refuse financial reparation when it is offered, mindful of what one owe to christ as proclaimed by Paul’ to go father in generosity by freeing the servant’ and most important of all from a theological view point to recognize in Onesimus a beloved brother and thus acknowledge his Christian transformation.” Paul is not looking to impose his will or ideas onto Philemon but is looking for Philemon to do the right thing.

Paul is asking him to receive Onesimus as he would receive Paul--as a dear brother (FAMILY).By saying charge everything to him, Paul cancels out Onesimus’ debts to Philemon because Philemon owes Paul his life. We all have a debt that can never be paid. We all owe God more than we can ever afford. But Jesus paid this debt and revealed to us God’s love and grace for the world. The cross revealed to us God’s grace and God’s love for the world--the same love that Philemon has shared with his congregation. This love changed the people of Philemon’s church. This love continues to change us. It changed a slave owner so that a runaway slave could return home and not suffer the consequences. It changed a Slave Ship Captain and Abolitionists to see how wrong slavery was. Love changes people because in Love we see God’s grace. Go, therefore, and share it.

In the name Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.