Kingdom Building

Kingdom Building

September 6, 2019

Scripture Reading: Philemon 1:1-21

For this reason, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do your duty, yet I would rather appeal to you on the basis of love—and I, Paul, do this as an old man, and now also as a prisoner of Christ Jesus. I am appealing to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I have become during my imprisonment. Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful both to you and to me. I am sending him, that is, my own heart, back to you. I wanted to keep him with me, so that he might be of service to me in your place during my imprisonment for the gospel; but I preferred to do nothing without your consent, in order that your good deed might be voluntary and not something forced. Perhaps this is the reason he was separated from you for a while, so that you might have him back for ever, no longer as a slave but as more than a slave, a beloved brother—especially to me but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord. –Philemon 1:8-16

One of my favorite C.S. Lewis stories tells of a neighbor who regularly got on his nerves*. He tried to avoid her most of the time but there were occasions when that was impossible. He considered his relationship with her when studying about the need to love one’s neighbor as one loves oneself. He determined that he could not make himself love her, but he could treat her as if he loved her by being gracious to her and not trying to avoid her. One day after an encounter with her as he walked away, he realized he had come to love her, to want the best for her.

Paul speaks of his ability to command Philemon to do his duty toward Onesimus. I presume he takes that stance as the leader of the church but says he would prefer that Philemon do what is right out of love. Perhaps doing what is right leads to love. At least I think that is what C.S. Lewis was saying in his story.

The greatest challenge facing us today is discerning what is right, what is just. We tend to do that antagonistically defining right within the limitations of laws.  Jesus discusses this idea of discerning what is right at length in his Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew 5-7. He particularly encourages his followers to go the second mile even when forced to go the first mile. (Matthew 5:41) When I was in college, I was a member of a club called The Second Mile Club. Its whole purpose was to do something for others that went beyond meeting basic needs. We volunteered at the local institution for persons with Development Disabilities and worked with the elderly at a nursing home that was once the poor farm in the town and still served the poorest of the poor. There are no boundaries in doing what is right in God’s world. We might all be surprised what a wonderful world we have, if we practiced going that second mile. Paul was calling on both Onesimus and Philemon to go the second mile.

Prayer: Lord, help us build not just a just world but a world that exceeds justice. Amen.

*I think that story comes from Lewis’ book The Four Loves, but I cannot promise that is correct.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.