Proper 18C Rally Day

Many of you have heard of the 1800's theologian Soren Kierkegaard.

He was a philosopher theologian in the country of Denmark

where the designated national church, the Lutheran Church,

was like many other national churches. 

Everyone belonged and claimed it,

but only a small percentage really went to church.

Going to Church in Denmark at the time was seen as a social obligation

and in many ways Kierkegaard criticized the church because 

the national church attitude kept people from

fully converting to be real followers of Jesus.

Kierkegaard used to regularly walk the streets, 

talking to strangers and neighbors alike

arguing with whomever would start a conversation with him.

One of his ideas was that you should be able to tell who is a Christian

just by the way they walk down the street.

Perhaps the idea that you could tell a Christian 

by the way they walk down the street is a little extreme,

but I can understand his thought process.

Being a Christian should change the way you behave, in public and in private.

It's not often that we read a whole book of the Bible in church on a Sunday morning.

Indeed, there are not many books of the Bible that would take less than ten minutes to read aloud.

However, we hear the entire letter from Paul to Philemon this morning.

Paul, being the direct, no nonsense, man he was,

he spares no words,

minces no meanings.

While Jesus may have taught in parables, 

Paul didn't have time for that.

Paul's letter to Philemon is short and concise,

He says, we shouldn't act or react the way the world would, 

we should ground our actions in our lives in Christ, 

acting as Christ would. 

The whole letter focuses around one man.

Onesimus, a former slave of Philemon's.

Paul knows Onesimus messed up, 

but he has since become a Christian and repented

and now Paul wants Philemon to do what was almost unheard of in the ancient Roman world

he wants him to accept Onesimus,

even to go further

To FREE him!

after he stole from him and ran away!

To free him and send him back to Paul,

because he is being helpful to Paul.

Onesimus, whose name means "useful" or "beneficial"

is carrying this letter to the church Philemon is a part of,

which means, it wasn't just going to be read by Philemon

or heard by Philemon,

his whole church community was going to hear what Paul thought he should do.

Talk about using the power of persuasion and peer pressure!

But it also would have been a shock to everyone in the community.

Paul wanted him to do what?

Doesn't he know that when your slave steals from you, 

you are allowed to hand them over to prison or have them put to death?

Most middle class and upper class Roman citizens owned slaves.

It was very common really.

But what Paul is suggesting... asking...

that was not common at all!

Acting in faith in Jesus was going to be a huge change 

for these Roman members of the early church.

Perhaps nowadays we don't own slaves

However, sometimes acting in faith in Jesus as a Christian in this world

can be just as challenging

and contrary to the world system.

Acting out of the life of faith

is a life filled with 

Forgiveness and generosity

with love and mercy

and compassion.

None of which are the guiding principles 

of our secular society.

Being a Christian should change our behavior.

Life in Christ changes our hearts and minds

which comes out in our actions, reactions, and behaviors.

A real change.

Noticeable by everyone.

We never find out how this episode in the early church turns out.

We don't know if Philemon forgives Onesimus or frees him or he ever gets back to Paul.

Honestly we don't even really know what happened with Onesimus or Philemon to begin with.

All we have is this letter

but it is clear that Paul expects his behavior to be different now because he is part of the church.

Sadly over the centuries, Christians have given themselves a bad name 

by acting in ways totally against the beliefs and actions of Jesus.

You all remember the WWJD - what would Jesus do? fad from the 1990's?

We don't need a resurgence of that fad,

however the idea of asking ourselves in every situation

what Jesus would do, what Jesus is calling us to do,

is a good spiritual practice. 

Paul expects that Philemon understands that being a Christian is going to change his behavior.

He is expected to act differently than he might have used to.

Sometimes it seems that kind of expectation is gone now.

People say they have changed, or that they believe,

but that doesn't always mean they change how they behave.

Jesus is speaking along those lines when he speaks of hating one's family,

as in the gospel passage from Luke today.

The gospel passage is supposed to shock the hearers.

In the first century, the family unit was the most important thing in life.

Who you were depended on who your family was.

Yet, Jesus is suggesting that for Christians,

the family is not the most important thing,

God is.

Moving from being family-oriented, to God-oriented

is a change in attitude and behavior.

A major change.

Putting Jesus, putting God first

can mean that we are not always on the side of our families

or our communities

sometimes putting God first requires standing out and making a different choice.

Paul certainly knew something about how much Jesus could change the course of life.

He went from a steadfast and zealous Jew, persecuting the new followers of Jesus,

to one of the biggest missionaries for the cause.

He had to change his thinking, his behavior, his friends, his entire purpose and mission in life.

All because he met Jesus on the road to Damascus.

He knew how much of a change being a Christian could take

and he probably knew how hard it could be to act in a new way.

Yet, despite this, he is firm about the fact that being a Christian does require a change.

Does change our thoughts, our feelings, our behavior.

Paul is suggesting Philemon do something rather shocking in Roman society,

but he is certain it is the right thing to do as a follower of Jesus.

If Paul were to show up here in Franklin,

on his missionary tour visiting churches,

what would he say about what we need to do?

What are we overlooking? 

Who aren't we seeing in our wider community?

How can we live more fully into the life of Christ

so that everyone who sees us walking down the street knows that we are Christians?

As we go out into the world this week,

think about the ways you act, react, and behave

everywhere you go.

Are you showing the light of Christ through your actions?

Are you sharing the love of God?

If you are, then well done good and faithful servant,

please continue.

If you aren't, perhaps say a prayer 

and start again.

Jesus will walk with you every step of the way,

opening up our hearts, minds, and souls

to the goodness of God.

Amen.