This past Sunday, our Epistle reading was almost the entirety of St. Paul’s Letter to Philemon. It’s rare when we get to read so much of a book of the Bible in the context of one service!
But even though the Letter to Philemon is small by biblical standards, its message is incredibly poignant and potent. At issue is nothing less than how being one in Christ Jesus alters the way we are to relate to one another in the secular world. If you haven’t read this book before, or you need a quick refresher on its contents, you can find a text version here.
Paul is writing a presumably wealthy slave-owning Christian named Philemon, who lives in Colossae and has come to faith in Christ because of Paul’s missionary efforts. Paul has continued his travels and is most likely imprisoned in Ephesus during a notably difficult time for him spiritually. Paul writes because Onesimus, a former slave of Philemon, has run away and sought out Paul for sanctuary and support. Will Philemon exercise his rights to punish and return Onesimus to slavery, or will Paul’s argument that Philemon should receive Onesimus not as a slave but as a brother prevail?
I love that our patron apostle is writing this appeal from a prison, and that it was his free choice to follow Jesus Christ that put him there. Paul is asking Philemon to make a free choice to follow the ethics of Jesus’ reign instead of Caesar’s, and he is also asking Onesimus to make a free choice to go back to Philemon and trust that his old master’s going to do the right thing. What an extraordinary amount of faith Paul is placing in the Holy Spirit and in these members of the fledgling Jesus movement!
We don’t know what happened at that first encounter between Onesimus and Philemon following the sending of this letter. As I imagine it, the fear and wariness of both parties gave way to the realization that because of what God had done in both raising Jesus from the dead and turning a violent Saul into the apostle Paul, they too could chart a new reconciled course for relationship. A new way of being with one another that brought resurrection to them both and allowed them to jointly proclaim its reality as members of the church. Such forms of witness are what transformed the ancient world and can yet transform our world today.
I encourage you to use the freedom you have in Christ for the healing of our churches, our neighborhoods, our nations, and our world this week. Give yourselves over to trusting that God can yet reconcile former enemies and draw us into deeper community in order to proclaim the good news together. And may we always have the strength and courage to orient our lives according to the ethics of God’s reign—no matter the cost.
Yours in Christ,
Austin
The Greater Family
Jesus … calls us each today to follow where he leads—down the difficult way of love and sacrifice that will pit us against those who have vested interest in the world staying unchanged.
The Fourteenth Sunday After Pentecost September 11th, 2022, 10.30 am
Masks recommended inside (available at the entrance if necessary)
Last Call for Nominations for the Convocation Convention
This is a final reminder that those wishing to propose their candidacy for one of the positions open for election at this year’s Convocation Convention in Clermont-Ferrand must submit their nominations and biographies using exclusively the online form below by September 10.
Past that date, as per the Special Rule of Order approved by Convention last year, those wishing to be nominated from the floor must submit written notification of their candidacy to the Secretary of Convention at least one week before Convention. Please note that clergy candidates must be canonically resident in the Convocation.
The positions open are the following:
Safeguarding Officer (elect one for three years)
Disciplinary Board (elect one in the lay order and two in the clergy order for three years)
Secretary of Convention (elect one lay or clergy for three years)
Council of Advice (elect two each in the lay and clergy orders for two years)
2024 General Convention of The Episcopal Church Deputation (elect four deputies and one alternate each in the lay and clergy orders)
This Summer: Connect & Commit
We are always happy to have new faces help serve the church with greeting, recording, altar serving, and reading the lessons/prayers! If you are interested in serving, click here to join the WhatsApp group of volunteers. Or, click here to be in touch with Andrea about your availability.
Lastly, the end of the summer is a good time to check back in on your pledge and commitment to St. Paul’s for 2022. If you would like to update your giving profile, click here to email Simonetta our Finance Officer.