Whole-Hearted For Christ
Sermon
I first saw the Children's Charter when my own children were quite small, so it's been around for a good few years. I was so impressed by it that I pinned a copy onto the kitchen wall to remind me, especially when I was at the end of my tether, to treat my children well! The Children's Charter says this:
A child who lives with criticism, learns to condemn
A child who lives with hostility, learns to fight
A child who lives with ridicule, learns to be shy
A child who lives with shame, learns to feel guilty
A child who lives with tolerance, learns to be patient
A child who lives with encouragement, learns confidence
A child who lives with praise, learns to appreciate
A child who lives with fairness, learns justice
A child who lives with security, learns to have faith
A child who lives with approval, learns to like himself or herself
A child who lives with acceptance and friendship learns how to love in the world.
There's a lot of truth in it, and I think it applies not only to children, but to every human being, child or adult. People who are often encouraged usually respond and blossom. Those who are constantly ridiculed or despised soon learn to despise themselves, and become angry with everyone else into the bargain.
Perhaps Philemon had treated his slave Onesimus badly. Or perhaps he'd just treated him as everyone treated a slave - as a possession with no rights or feelings, who existed simply to work for his master in any way the master demanded. Perhaps if Onesimus didn't respond quickly enough, or made mistakes, Philemon had often told him that he was useless. People who are constantly treated as if they're useless soon become useless. People who have low self esteem are often unable to do anything and so become even more useless. It soon becomes a vicious circle, from which there's little hope of escape.
But Onesimus had escaped, in more ways than one. He'd run away from Philemon and slavery, although no doubt he was aware of the terrible penalties paid by runaway slaves, if they were caught and returned to their masters. He'd also escaped by becoming a Christian. Suddenly, there was hope for him. Suddenly he wasn't just an object, a possession, a head of cattle, but was a real person in his own right. As a Christian he was a human being, immensely valuable to God, and clearly treated like a human being by the Christian community, since he'd run away to Paul and was treated by Paul like his own son.
Philemon, the slave owner, hadn't learned what being a Christian really means, in terms of his slave. It may be that when Philemon was converted to Christianity, his whole community was then considered to be Christian whether they liked it or not. We're told in the book of Acts that Cornelius and his whole household were baptised, so it seems probable that once the master became a Christian, everyone else automatically followed suit. In the story of Cornelius (Acts 10:1-48), the Holy Spirit fell upon everyone who heard Peter speak. It may be that the Holy Spirit fell upon Philemon's household too, so that his slave Onesimus knew Jesus just as Philemon knew Jesus.
But from the tone of Paul's letter, Philemon hadn't yet learned that Christianity made both himself and Onesimus his slave equal in God's eyes. Paul doesn't come quite out into the open and condemn slavery, but he does make it clear that Philemon's whole attitude needs to change. Paul makes the outrageous suggestion that when Onesimus returns, Philemon should treat him not only as an equal, but as a beloved brother. Paul says, "Perhaps this is the reason he was separated from you for a while, so that you might have him back forever, no longer as a slave but more than a slave, a beloved brother.... both in the flesh and in the Lord."
The word "Onesimus" actually means useful, as St Paul knew. Presumably Philemon had named his slave, since owners had the right to name their slaves, and presumably Philemon hoped Onesimus would be useful to him. But Onesimus hadn't be useful to him, he'd been a useless slave who had stolen from his master and run away. Paul expected Philemon to swallow his pride by not only taking back a slave he regarded as useless, but also by treating him as an equal, and not punishing him in any way.
I wonder how Philemon felt about this completely new concept? After all, he was the one who had been wronged, yet here was Paul treating Onesimus not like the run-away thief he actually was, but as if he was as precious as bone china. And expecting Philemon not only to forgive Onesimus, but to take him into his own family as a brother. I suspect Paul's attitude and his letter might have been strongly resisted, just as the calls for the abolition of slavery were strongly resisted by religious people and important people in the 17th century.
And I wonder how Onesimus felt? He'd run away to Paul expecting sanctuary, but Paul was sending him straight back, with no guarantee that Onesimus wouldn't be beaten or even executed on his return. Some of the punishments meted out to runaway slaves were unbelieveably vicious.
Philemon had to learn that commitment to Christ meant regarding everyone as valuable, even slaves who seemed to him to have no value. This must have been a real crisis point in Philemon's faith, for it called into question his whole way of life as a slave owner. Being whole-hearted for Christ meant taking that on board, and it must have been incredibly uncomfortable for him, affecting his whole way of life and his standing in society. He would probably have been outcast by his peers if he gave all his slaves their freedom and brought them into his own family. And his family might not have been entirely ecstatic about the idea, either!
Onesimus had to learn that commitment to Christ meant going back and facing his fears and the awfulness of the life from which he had run away. No matter what terrors returning to Philemon held for Onesimus, he had to do it. For him, being whole-hearted for Christ meant taking the risk that Philemon would take one look at Paul's letter, tear it into tiny shreds, and then flog and kill Onesimus. Onesimus also had to learn that God wasn't going to answer his prayers in exactly the way he wished. Onesimus had run away to Paul for sanctuary, but Paul as God's representative on earth, was sending him back into the hell from which he had escaped.
But Paul didn't just send Onesimus back. By paying Philemon for Onesimus, Paul paved the way making it possible for Philemon to take Onesimus back without losing too much face, and enabling Onesimus to actually brave the wrath of his master. And in so doing, Paul gave Onesimus value. In a way Paul did for Onesimus what Jesus did on the cross for every human being. Jesus paid for our sins in full, making it possible for us God to take us back. And in so doing, Jesus gave us value.
As both Philemon and Onesimus discovered, whole-hearted commitment to Christ is costly. And as Jesus said in today's reading from Luke's gospel, we must count that cost before deciding to follow him. For some people, like Philemon it might demand a complete change in lifestyle. For our generation that change might mean giving up a well-paid job with no prospect of finding another job. People with highly paid jobs in for instance, the tobacco industry, might want to consider their lifestyle before committing themselves to Christ, for commitment to Christ might call into question the ethics of being involved in the tobacco industry. And whole-hearted commitment to Christ might call into question many other ethical considerations, like tax evasion, or industries which cause damage to the environment, or jobs which invove some level of dishonesty.
For others, like Onesimus whole-hearted commitment to Christ might mean going back and facing their terrors, whatever those terrors might be. And taking the risk that it might not turn out all right. It might mean returning to a broken relationship and facing the strain and pain of trying to make it work. Or it might mean apologising to someone to whom not a word has been spoken for years, and being prepared to lose face in the process. Or it might mean making the hard decision to increase self-esteem, thus becoming someone who takes responsibility for his or her own condition, health and status in life.
There may be a bit of Philemon and Onesimus in most of us. It isn't easy to apologise or to lose face or to forgive with no strings attached. And it isn't easy to face our own fears, whatever they might be. But Jesus enabled both Philemon and Onesimus to do what they had to do, and that meant a damaged relationship was not only restored, but soared to new heights.
And that's always the way. Whole-hearted commitment to Christ is tough and difficult and painful - just like crucifixion - but the rewards are out of this world. Just like resurrection.
A child who lives with criticism, learns to condemn
A child who lives with hostility, learns to fight
A child who lives with ridicule, learns to be shy
A child who lives with shame, learns to feel guilty
A child who lives with tolerance, learns to be patient
A child who lives with encouragement, learns confidence
A child who lives with praise, learns to appreciate
A child who lives with fairness, learns justice
A child who lives with security, learns to have faith
A child who lives with approval, learns to like himself or herself
A child who lives with acceptance and friendship learns how to love in the world.
There's a lot of truth in it, and I think it applies not only to children, but to every human being, child or adult. People who are often encouraged usually respond and blossom. Those who are constantly ridiculed or despised soon learn to despise themselves, and become angry with everyone else into the bargain.
Perhaps Philemon had treated his slave Onesimus badly. Or perhaps he'd just treated him as everyone treated a slave - as a possession with no rights or feelings, who existed simply to work for his master in any way the master demanded. Perhaps if Onesimus didn't respond quickly enough, or made mistakes, Philemon had often told him that he was useless. People who are constantly treated as if they're useless soon become useless. People who have low self esteem are often unable to do anything and so become even more useless. It soon becomes a vicious circle, from which there's little hope of escape.
But Onesimus had escaped, in more ways than one. He'd run away from Philemon and slavery, although no doubt he was aware of the terrible penalties paid by runaway slaves, if they were caught and returned to their masters. He'd also escaped by becoming a Christian. Suddenly, there was hope for him. Suddenly he wasn't just an object, a possession, a head of cattle, but was a real person in his own right. As a Christian he was a human being, immensely valuable to God, and clearly treated like a human being by the Christian community, since he'd run away to Paul and was treated by Paul like his own son.
Philemon, the slave owner, hadn't learned what being a Christian really means, in terms of his slave. It may be that when Philemon was converted to Christianity, his whole community was then considered to be Christian whether they liked it or not. We're told in the book of Acts that Cornelius and his whole household were baptised, so it seems probable that once the master became a Christian, everyone else automatically followed suit. In the story of Cornelius (Acts 10:1-48), the Holy Spirit fell upon everyone who heard Peter speak. It may be that the Holy Spirit fell upon Philemon's household too, so that his slave Onesimus knew Jesus just as Philemon knew Jesus.
But from the tone of Paul's letter, Philemon hadn't yet learned that Christianity made both himself and Onesimus his slave equal in God's eyes. Paul doesn't come quite out into the open and condemn slavery, but he does make it clear that Philemon's whole attitude needs to change. Paul makes the outrageous suggestion that when Onesimus returns, Philemon should treat him not only as an equal, but as a beloved brother. Paul says, "Perhaps this is the reason he was separated from you for a while, so that you might have him back forever, no longer as a slave but more than a slave, a beloved brother.... both in the flesh and in the Lord."
The word "Onesimus" actually means useful, as St Paul knew. Presumably Philemon had named his slave, since owners had the right to name their slaves, and presumably Philemon hoped Onesimus would be useful to him. But Onesimus hadn't be useful to him, he'd been a useless slave who had stolen from his master and run away. Paul expected Philemon to swallow his pride by not only taking back a slave he regarded as useless, but also by treating him as an equal, and not punishing him in any way.
I wonder how Philemon felt about this completely new concept? After all, he was the one who had been wronged, yet here was Paul treating Onesimus not like the run-away thief he actually was, but as if he was as precious as bone china. And expecting Philemon not only to forgive Onesimus, but to take him into his own family as a brother. I suspect Paul's attitude and his letter might have been strongly resisted, just as the calls for the abolition of slavery were strongly resisted by religious people and important people in the 17th century.
And I wonder how Onesimus felt? He'd run away to Paul expecting sanctuary, but Paul was sending him straight back, with no guarantee that Onesimus wouldn't be beaten or even executed on his return. Some of the punishments meted out to runaway slaves were unbelieveably vicious.
Philemon had to learn that commitment to Christ meant regarding everyone as valuable, even slaves who seemed to him to have no value. This must have been a real crisis point in Philemon's faith, for it called into question his whole way of life as a slave owner. Being whole-hearted for Christ meant taking that on board, and it must have been incredibly uncomfortable for him, affecting his whole way of life and his standing in society. He would probably have been outcast by his peers if he gave all his slaves their freedom and brought them into his own family. And his family might not have been entirely ecstatic about the idea, either!
Onesimus had to learn that commitment to Christ meant going back and facing his fears and the awfulness of the life from which he had run away. No matter what terrors returning to Philemon held for Onesimus, he had to do it. For him, being whole-hearted for Christ meant taking the risk that Philemon would take one look at Paul's letter, tear it into tiny shreds, and then flog and kill Onesimus. Onesimus also had to learn that God wasn't going to answer his prayers in exactly the way he wished. Onesimus had run away to Paul for sanctuary, but Paul as God's representative on earth, was sending him back into the hell from which he had escaped.
But Paul didn't just send Onesimus back. By paying Philemon for Onesimus, Paul paved the way making it possible for Philemon to take Onesimus back without losing too much face, and enabling Onesimus to actually brave the wrath of his master. And in so doing, Paul gave Onesimus value. In a way Paul did for Onesimus what Jesus did on the cross for every human being. Jesus paid for our sins in full, making it possible for us God to take us back. And in so doing, Jesus gave us value.
As both Philemon and Onesimus discovered, whole-hearted commitment to Christ is costly. And as Jesus said in today's reading from Luke's gospel, we must count that cost before deciding to follow him. For some people, like Philemon it might demand a complete change in lifestyle. For our generation that change might mean giving up a well-paid job with no prospect of finding another job. People with highly paid jobs in for instance, the tobacco industry, might want to consider their lifestyle before committing themselves to Christ, for commitment to Christ might call into question the ethics of being involved in the tobacco industry. And whole-hearted commitment to Christ might call into question many other ethical considerations, like tax evasion, or industries which cause damage to the environment, or jobs which invove some level of dishonesty.
For others, like Onesimus whole-hearted commitment to Christ might mean going back and facing their terrors, whatever those terrors might be. And taking the risk that it might not turn out all right. It might mean returning to a broken relationship and facing the strain and pain of trying to make it work. Or it might mean apologising to someone to whom not a word has been spoken for years, and being prepared to lose face in the process. Or it might mean making the hard decision to increase self-esteem, thus becoming someone who takes responsibility for his or her own condition, health and status in life.
There may be a bit of Philemon and Onesimus in most of us. It isn't easy to apologise or to lose face or to forgive with no strings attached. And it isn't easy to face our own fears, whatever they might be. But Jesus enabled both Philemon and Onesimus to do what they had to do, and that meant a damaged relationship was not only restored, but soared to new heights.
And that's always the way. Whole-hearted commitment to Christ is tough and difficult and painful - just like crucifixion - but the rewards are out of this world. Just like resurrection.
