I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, because I hear about your love for all his holy people and your faith in the Lord Jesus. – Philemon 1:4-5

Today's Scripture Reading (April 20, 2021): Philemon 1

In her novel "Baby, don't Go," Romance author Susan Anderson writes, "If you can't say anything nice, at least have the decency to be vague." I get that we don't do criticism well, not even me. I am sometimes haunted by the criticisms people have voiced over me. I used to participate in a group designed to evaluate the public teachings we had recently delivered. Early on in the process, we decided to adopt the "sandwich method of criticism," which argues that you start with a compliment and then give the criticism before you end with a second compliment. It is an excellent method, except that you know what is coming; there will always be two compliments and one criticism, and sometimes it seemed that the criticisms came quickly, but the compliments were hard to find.

Paul is writing to a slave owner named Philemon. And he starts by telling Philemon that he prays for him because he has heard of his love for all the holy people; the Christian church. There is no doubt that Paul values Philemon as a partner in the faith in Colossae. This man was likely a financial pillar of the Colossian church. Philemon is vital to expanding the church in Colossae and throughout Asia Minor, and Paul's gratitude is genuine.

But the words are also part of Paul's "sandwich method of communication." He is genuinely thankful for Philemon's love for the church, but he is also about to make a big ask on behalf of one of the members of that Christian church. Philemon's slave, Onesimus, had gotten caught up in a conflict with his master and had run away. Ironically, Onesimus means useful, but that was the last thing that Onesimus had been to Philemon recently. There were many reasons for Philemon to be upset, and among them was that he had made an economic investment in Onesimus that had not paid off. (Maybe it is important here to recognize that slavery in the ancient world was very different from the slavery that was abolished in more recent history. In more recent times, slavery involved people who were stolen from their homes to be sold to masters. It was not just their lives but the lives of their children and grandchildren that were lost. In ancient times, slavery usually had a beginning and an end date, and often slavery was entered into to pay off a debt or for some other financial consideration.)

Onesimus found his way to Rome and then to Paul. Philemon's slave had become useful to Paul, and Paul wished that he could keep Onesimus in Rome with him. But he knew that the right thing was to send Onesimus back to Philemon so that the relationship could be mended. Paul's ask started with, "I know how much you love and protect the people of your church, and I want to remind you that Onesimus is part of that church. Yes, he is your slave, but he is also your brother in Christ, and your relationship in Christ is the more important relationship. I know you love the church, so I am assured that you will love Onesimus, who I am sending back to you."

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: 1 Timothy 1 & 2