Hi
Trying to figure out how to turn a potentially explosive human nature situation around? There might be a godly solution and today’s Holy Nougat just might be speaking to you directly.
“I am also sending Onesimus, a faithful and beloved brother, one of your own people. He and Tychicus will tell you everything that’s happening here.” Colossians 4:9 NLT
Just think – Onesimus was that runaway slave who had a God-encounter through Paul, and there he is, a valued asset to the Pauline ministry international. It is a bit ironic that Paul was sending him to his ‘own’ as a missionary-evangelist. And yet, it also is instructive.
In some churches, affirming the gifts of our own, especially the youth, is a rarity. Jesus commented on it on one of the many times His credentials and witness were being questioned – “a prophet is not without honor,” he said, “except in one’s own country”. Or, in 21st century lay person parlance, “staff recommendations have no value until packaged by a consultant.”
Of course, that’s one aspect of the Onesimus narrative. The other, possibly more strategic and sticky, aspect of the story is connected to his former status. As a former slave who ‘negotiated’ his emancipation; the penalty was severe. And, though this may not have been his first time back (see the dramatic unfolding of his story in Philemon), being sent as Paul’s emmisary to the Colossian Church came with interesting possibilities. Was Paul forcing the hand of slave holders by sending a runaway slave back to his hometown; or was it a coincidence? I suspect the former. For sometimes as Christians, we can hammer home a point far more subtly and effectively if we allowed our actions to speak.
So, how do we tackle the hard issues in our contexts? You know, crime, violence, abuse, racism, xenophobia, classism, etc? The tried and true method of demonstrating is not always effective. But, with God’s guidance, there may be an Onesimus or a situation which affords us the opportunity to get involved beyond the normal. We must be strategic and effective in our lived faith. We need to offer an alternative. And affirming the transformation in another may be where God is encouraging you to begin.
Finally, you might be the Onesimus in your faith community. Is it possible that you are being called back to that place like Hagar, Moses, Paul and so many others who faced their ‘wrong’ and were used mightily by God thereafter? Please prayerfully consider how your ‘runaway season’ may be the turning point in another’s life.
Good morning
In Christ’s love and grace
