Get me a Room

uly 25, 2020

Good afternoon

"I do wish, brother, that I may have some benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ. Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I ask.  And one thing more: Prepare a guest room for me, because I hope to be restored to you in answer to your prayers.  Philemon 20-22

The letter to Philemon is about relationships. At the end of the short letter, Pauls calls Philemon his brother , in faith. He seems to have a deep love for him, at least that is what I am reading between the lines. They must have discussed what it means to follow Jesus Christ, the Risen One. Philemon would have a way of doing things in his life. He was most likely wealthy because he had slaves. Paul, or another evangelist, had invited him to have  a different set of ethics. We all know how hard it is to change the way we act, and what we believe. Philemon seems to be an example of a person who has been changed or converted to a new understanding of the world.  

Right at the end, Paul pushes the slave owner even more. He writes, ' … knowing that you will do even more than I ask ". Paul is confident  in the gifts and understandings of this new believer. As the co-writer, Timothy is learning a lot about leadership. The other people who would read the letter, would have been shocked with most of what Paul was saying. He had been a Pharisee, a teacher of Jewish law, and he is a real game-changer. He invites all of us into a new reality.

And to make the letter about real life, Paul asks the slave owner to prepare a guest room for him. Was it a local  B and B, or was it the Airbnb. Or maybe it was the Hyatt Regency in the big town. Or he might have gone cheaper with a room at Motel Six. If the letter would have been dropped from heaven, there would be no reason to mention getting a guest room ready for a guest. So, why do you think the church selected this letter to be in the Bible ? Why is it so important  ? This is the final piece about Philemon.

Prayer

Thank you Lord for your Word.

for words about slaves, owners, the community

and guest rooms.

Thank you for the love, compassion, and change of heart

that we find in Paul and Philemon.

Make us to be, and to do

even more than you ask.

today, especially today,

and maybe tomorrow.     AMEN

Fred

( Do you have any other portions of Scripture that you would like me to reflect on in the future ? )

Tread on bold new paths !

Fireflies flash the direction

Hope springs eternal           Monica Pieper Landoni 2020

Fred Redekop

Pastor

Poole Mennonite Church