Real people and real activism

It is as none other than Paul—an old man and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus—that I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, who became my son while I was in chains.
- Philemon 9b-10
 
Paul is going to appeal to Philemon to pursue a different kind of relationship with Onesimus: from master and slave to fellow man and brother in the Lord. We’ll look at this tomorrow.
 
Today, we want to pause for a beat to see this little thing Paul does as he makes that turn. It’s small enough that you might read past it on a quick read-through of the entire letter (like we did on Monday). We probably won’t open it up in our sermons on Sunday. But it’s beautiful. And this is one of the reasons we love the Connect Devotional. We get to share with you these tiny observations that mean so much to us!
 
Before engaging the issue of slavery, Paul puts human faces on the conversation. He reminds Philemon that this is Paul, an old man, writing to him. You can almost hear the rasp in Paul’s voice, stretched from decades of preaching and debate. You can almost feel his papery skin as he places a hand on your shoulder. You can almost see the wisdom and gentleness welling up in his eyes.
 
Paul is a prisoner. He’s a prisoner of Rome but also, more importantly for Paul, “of Christ Jesus.” He wears iron manacles in his jail cell, but it’s the fetters of Christ’s grace (to quote the old hymn) which hold him tightest. Paul doesn’t write to Philemon from an ivory tower but from the messy mission field.
 
And Onesimus … Paul puts a face on him too. Onesimus isn’t just a “useless, thieving escaped slave.” He’s a son. Paul’s son. Adopted into Paul’s spiritual family despite (or because of) Paul’s imprisonment. He’s loved.
 
The prisoner appeals on the behalf of the slave. Paul reaches out to Philemon on behalf of Onesimus, whom he loves as a son. Can you see the real people?
 
We move beyond charity cold activism when we connect with real people. In his recent book Executing Grace, Shane Claiborne makes the case that this human connection is an essential element for Christian social engagement. It’s what makes Christian social engagement distinctly Christian. We love real people. That’s what we do.
 
You also are a real person. We feel foolish mentioning this to you. You probably know this about yourself (although if you read this early enough in the morning, this truth about you may not feeltrue). Life may not always deal with you like you’re a real person. People may not always deal with you on these terms either. But isn’t it wonderful when they do?
 
What can you do today to connect in a real way with the real people around you? 

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