Philemon 1-21; Luke 14.25-33;
Today’s sermon is split into four parts
Introduction to letter to Philemon
Philemon was a Roman citizen in the city of Colossae where bond servants/slaves were common. One of his slaves, Onesimus, ran away and met the disciple of Jesus, Paul, while Paul was in prison in Rome and through Paul’s teaching Onesimus became a follower of Jesus. Paul sends Onesimus back to Philemon, who he knows well, with this covering letter.
Reflection on letter to Philemon
I love the way Paul writes this letter. He writes to this community of believers who he has previously nurtured in their faith, naming the key people - he had a very good memory of names! And he describes how he is remembering them in his prayers and affirms them for the good things he has heard about them as a community who love each other. In emphasising their love for each other he is laying the foundation for his request that Philemon receives Onesimus back not as a slave but as a fellow believer, fellow follower of Jesus, indeed a beloved brother in Christ, one who Paul describes as his own heart. Paul is expressing huge affection, indeed love for Onesimus. When we become a follower of Jesus we are adopted into God’s family and that shifts our relationships with each other. We are kin.
When I was in the army I joined an all ranks fellowship and there was a bond between us that went across the rank structure. We were brothers and sisters that pushed aside the rank structure. We were equals. Paul is saying the same here. Our relationship with God, changes our human relationships, so we are bound in love to Christians across the world, and have an affinity with them whatever their social status or situation. When they hurt, we feel it. When they are in distress we want to comfort them. When they are in prison we want to pray for them. This is a deeper connection than with non Christians. It is a connection through being family.
Feedback from the week of prayer
This last week Emma set up several stations of prayer in this church (Hanwood) and Sue Jones added one which is here at the front of the church in which you are invited to pray for asylum seekers and refugees and write a letter to them. This is so important to do st this time when some people are angrily demonstrating against them. Asylum seekers and refugees have already gone through terrible experiences and any words of encouragement and support we can offer them is a huge boost and comfort to them. So if you have not written a letter then please do before you go home today.
In the extension there are number of other activities still laid out for you to engage with. I have found them really helpful. One I went back to was the colouring of the world map. As I coloured in a country I was able to pray deeply into the issues and problems of that country. I also found the table with blocks really good. This is about unanswered prayer - you think about a prayer you have previously prayed, maybe several times and not seen an answer or response to it and as you pray this prayer over and over, you build a tower of blocks then knock it down as a symbol of God hearing your prayer. Like saying “So be it.”
There is a seed planting table, some colouring which encourages us to focus on Jesus in quietness, then a beautiful selection of shells and other natural objects to look at and touch to marvel at God’s creation. Emma found that one particularly special.
Was this all about just us? No. On Tuesday a man with special needs came in with his carer. They did some of the activities and the carer asked several questions about the Christian faith and I was able to pray for them both - a God anointed meeting - he is definitely searching. Others also came including a Messy Church family.
Our hope is that this has shifted the spiritual atmosphere here in this church and community, and indeed across the Benefice. Do continue to seek God more deeply and to ask for the Holy Spirit to act in this area.
Reflection on the Luke passage
This is uncompromising teaching, yet there is liberation here. The invitation is not to unwilling sacrifice of what we hold dear but to joyful freedom. Think of a time when you gave something up, whether possessions or an attachment to an idea, aspiration or position. It happens in stages, as our grip is loosened. As our ‘treasures’ finally fall from our grasp, so often we wonder what made it so hard.
A nun described going from her community, after a life of study and teaching, to a simple hermitage, divesting herself of books, papers, and the talks she had given. Recognizing how much this represented her achievements and her learning, the tough process brought inner cleansing, new availability and clarity. We rarely engage voluntarily with such stripping back.
Following Jesus will be hard if we can’t travel light. He invites us not to wait until change or circumstance rips our security blankets away. Travel with luggage can be stressful and exhausting, but what do we really need? Sheri Hostetler’s poem ‘Instructions’ invites us to live only with one or two things that will fit ‘lightly in your pocket’.
Sheri is an American poet and pastor in the Mennonite tradition. There is something beautiful about standing so fully and so simply.
Instructions by Sheri Hostetler
Give up the world; give up self; finally, give up God.
Find god in rhododendrons and rocks,
passers-by, your cat.
Pare your beliefs, your absolutes.
Make it simple; make it clean.
No carry-on luggage allowed.
Examine all you have
with a loving and critical eye, then
throw away some more.
Repeat. Repeat.
Keep this and only this:
what your heart beats loudly for
what feels heavy and full in your gut.
There will only be one or two
things you will keep,
and they will fit lightly
in your pocket.
Every spiritual tradition understands the wisdom of non-attachment. Jesus invites his followers to cut the cord that binds us to what is not truly life giving. When we try to hang on to things, people, status, personal ambitions and agendas, following Jesus is constant compromise and struggle. Let it go. Let Jesus be the centre and nothing else. Whatever possessions you have let them always point to Jesus and not pull you away. Those who have moved from a house into one room in a care home know all about this. They have had to learn what are the handful of possession and actions that make them sing. Learn the same.
Amen.