Daily Read

Philemon 1:17-25 (NIV)

As we come to the last passage of the prison letters, we see Paul putting into action so much of what he’s been him writing about. He opens himself up to incur the cost of the unity and justice and peace and reconciliation that comes as the mystery of Christ revealed in a community.

What’s remarkable about this passage is the indirect nature of Paul’s communication. It’s firm, but it is also gentle. He offers a directive to Philemon, but does so in a way that does not shame him into action. Too often, persuasion in our society is full of shaming. Notice how Paul opens the door for Philemon and Onesimus to be unified without making Philemon look foolish or weak, nor compromising the deep needs the Onesimus had.

----------REFLECT----------

1. What word or phrase stood out to you in this passage?

2. Paul’s persuasion is a work of art. What relationship in your life could use your development of this skill?

3. Have you ever had someone do for you what Paul does for Onesimus, telling your debtor to charge whatever you owe to them? Have you ever been in a position to do that for another? Are you in need of that now? Bring this situation before the Lord.

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Philemon 1:8-16 (NIV)

In today’s passage, Paul appeals to Philemon to receive his runaway slave Onesimus back--no longer as a slave, but as a brother. Rather than appealing to his own authority, Paul appeals to Philemon’s love and the inherent value of Onesimus. He gets involved, but he does so in a way that gives agency and ownership to Philemon and Onesimus.

Paul uses a little word play here, Onesimus is a common slave name that means “useful.””And he says that Onesimus was once “useless” to Philemon, but now “useful” to them both. He’s saying that a runaway slave isn’t really any good to his master, but a brother and son is always useful to their kin. He calls these two out of the relationship that the social order of things would have placed them in, and into a kinship based on their identity in Christ.

As you listen to today’s passage, again try to imagine yourself in the scene. Philemon and his household listen as this letter is read. Onesimus might have been standing with the reader. If these people have the love that Paul says they have, they’re all bound to be feeling a lot. See what you feel and what comes to mind as you listen.

----------REFLECT----------

1. What feelings came up for you as you imagined yourself in this scene?

2. These days, especially when it comes to what we think is right or wrong for people to do, there is a fine line between the “way to pushy” strategy, and the “you do you” strategy. But this letter is an example of winsome and loving persuasion, neither pushy nor apathetic. What side of the spectrum do you fall on and how can you lean into the tone of this letter?

3. Paul was asking Philemon to see Onesimus differently than society dictated. Not as a slave, but as a fellow man and brother. Are there relationships where you need the LORD’s help to see people differently than society might dictate? Ask for the LORDs help with that.

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Philemon 1:1-7 (NIV)

Do you remember a time when you were in deep conflict with someone? Maybe  you were the person at fault. Or maybe you were the one who was wronged? Maybe it’s more complicated than that. Maybe there is wrong on both sides, and the situation itself is just hard.

As we open today’s passage, remember, Onesimus could be put to death for fleeing his master. And while we don’t know for sure, Onesimus might have been present for the reading of the letter. Could you imagine Onesimus standing there looking at Philemon as someone begins to read this letter from Paul? And Philemon, flush with emotion, can't take his eyes off of Onesimus as he hears Paul’s opening words begin to replace the pulsing in his ears. What if this was read in front of the entire house church?

As we listen through Philemon in the next few episodes, I want to invite you to imagine yourself in that moment. Allow a conflicted relationship that you’re in to come to mind, or imagine yourself as a fly on the wall where this letter is being read for the first time. How would you experience this moment?

----------REFLECT----------

1. What emotions or feelings come up in you as you imagine yourself in this scene? Bring those to the LORD.

2. If you were Philemon, and hearing this affirmation from Paul, someone whom you love and respect, what is your gut reaction? Would you feel affirmed or might you feel suspicious of manipulation? Would you feel open, or might you begin to close off?

3. Paul is about to ask Philemon to do something that is extremely radical for his position in society, something that would have been seen as unwise and weak. And rather than coming at him full-steam with critique and ire, he offers affirmation and begins by calling out the best in Philemon. How do you approach calling someone to do something that is hard for them socially or politically? How could you lean into this way of persuasion?

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Philemon (NIV)

As we come to the end of the Prison Letters, we turn to Philemon. This is one of the shortest letters in the New Testament, but it can shape us deeply if we will let it.

Unlike the letters that have a broader audience in mind, this letter is addressed specifically to Philemon about a particular issue that Paul wants to talk about. Philemon became a Christian after Epaphras planted the church in Colossae, and a church began to meet in Philemon’s house. As a household patriarch in Colossae, Philemon owned slaves. And one of them was named Onesimus, whom Paul honored in the last chapter of Colossians.

Onesimus wronged Philemon and then fled. He went to Paul in prison to ask for help. There Onesimus became a follower of Jesus, and Paul has to figure out what to do next. To be a slave and to run away was a capital offense. So Paul had to decide: does he let Onesimus continue to flee and risk being caught without a chance to advocate for peace? Or does he use his influence to call Philemon to receive Onesimus with forgiveness.

Paul decides to send Onesimus back to Philemon, asking Philemon to receive Onesimus as a brother. This is really unheard of and really rather risky, but Paul puts all the preaching and writing, and praying in to practice… he goes all in on the power of the gospel to mend even the most tenuous relationships.

As we read Philemon, we see the gospel in action. It’s a little tough to read about a time when slavery was so normal and not want Paul to write more like an abolitionist, but we have to keep in mind that this was as common of a practice as our use of electricity. So his challenge to Philemon is actually extremely radical.

This letter could have immense implications in our society and our communities today. We need to be able to put all our weight on the power of the good news of Jesus, especially when it comes to relationships where we have conflict, strife and division. We stand to learn from Paul as he puts his actions where his faith is and his money where his mouth is.

So since this is a short letter, for our introduction episode, we’ll read it once all the way through and then spend the next handful of episodes going a bit deeper.

Colossians 4:10-18 (NIV)

Today’s passage holds the final words from Paul in his letter to the Colossians. He’s helped them see the larger story they’re living in, a new perspective of his suffering, a way forward through the pressures they face, and a way to live out the message of King Jesus humans being renewed in his image.

He ends by situating himself squarely in the center of the relationships that are shaping his life in that moment. It’s a deep reminder that we are not isolated individuals, but members of a large tapestry of relationships that make us who we are.

As you listen today, think of the relationships that you have with fellow christiands that shape your life. Close friends who comfort you, people you lead who you’re concerned about, communities that you want to bless. And as they come to mind, consider what they mean to you.

----------REFLECT----------

1. What part of this passage particularly stood out?

2. As he’s imprisoned, Paul finds comfort in the fellow Jews who are with him. Who are the people who comfort you during difficult times? Thank the LORD for them?

3. One of the overarching messages in this letter is the invitation for the Colossians to draw deeper into relationship and love with one another. How can you be intentional, especially in this season, to draw closer to the people God has placed in your life?

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Colossians 4:1-9 (NIV)

As Paul wraps up this short letter to the Colossians and begins to write his final greetings he says some remarkable things that we can easily miss. I don’t know about you, but if I was in prison and was asking a church for prayer, I’d ask them to pray for the prison doors to be opened and let me out! But Paul doesn’t do that. Instead he asks them to pray that doors would be open for their message, so they could proclaim the mystery of King Jesus.

And then once more, in a moment when he could have been talking about his own desires for freedom, he tells them to expect Onesimus; who he calls a faithful and dear brother. You see Onesimus was a runaway slave who belonged to Philemon, who along with the Colossians receives a letter directly from Paul regarding Onesimus, who he just said is one of them. Paul's concern for Christ to be known through his own testimony and the testimony of the church at Colossae far exceeds his concerns for his own comfort.

----------REFLECT----------

1. What word or phrase stood out to you in this passage?

2. How does this passage encourage you or your community? Take a moment to rest in the LORD’s encouragement.

3. How does this passage make you aware of your need for Jesus? Ask the LORD to renew you and your community in his image.

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Colossians 3:15-4:1(NIV)

Today’s passage has been misread and misused many times throughout history by the church. It’s been interpreted out of context in order to justify the the abuse and neglect of women, the abuse and neglect of children, and to justify the horrors of slavery. Those with dominance have interpreted this passage in a way that maintains superiority over the vulnerable. Paul’s words have been used to build and defend empires. And this is ironic, because the way Paul encourages the church to order their household and communities is actually a part of what dismantled the Roman Empire in the end.

As you listen today, remember the context of the letter so far. Paul just got done equalizing jew and greek, male and female, slave and free, declaring that they all bear God’s image, so why would he turn around a few verses later and contradict himself? Rather he’s encouraging them to live as a new kind of family, but within the context of empire, refusing to submit to its ways or ignore its very real constraints.

Philosophers in the ancient world commonly developed household codes. And in this passage Paul suggests his own, and they are quite radical in comparison to those of his day. Where wives were once expected to obey regardless of their will, and where husbands were expected to rule… Pauls gives women agency as he encourages them to submit, not to a ruler, but to a husband who loves her. Where children were often beaten and raised harshly… Paul advocates for gentleness. And where slaves often found themselves at the mercy of their masters who could do as they pleased… Paul relativizes the master’s authority and places the slave under the authority of the LORD and tells the masters that now they are accountable to God.

With the LORDs help this passage can go from being a weapon in the hands of the dominant, to being a model of kingdom subversion.

----------REFLECT----------

1. What part of this passage stood out to you? What was your reaction?

2. Let the peace of Christ rule you hearts says Paul. What anxieties are you carrying today? Take a moment to offer these to Jesus, asking for his peace.

3. Whether you hold dominance in our society or are subordinated, this passage is challenging. How do you need the Lord’s help to live out the kind of equity and accountability that Paul suggests in this passage? Ask for that now.

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Colossians 3:1-14 (NIV)

Most of us have had the painful experience of showing up to a place and being one of two things--either way overdressed, or way underdressed. You remember . . . you show up to a friends wedding, and as you pull up you realize that your dress and heels or your suit and tie are just completely out of place with the denim and converse that surround you.

It’s the worst when this happens at church. My wife and I are members at a Black Baptist church here in Alabama. And for anyone who is new to the Black Church, there comes the day where you learn the difference between 1st Sunday and 3rd Sunday, and if you dress on that 1st Sunday like you would on that 3rd Sunday, your khakis are gonna stick out like a sore thumb.

In this passage Paul encourages the Colossians to put on the new self in place of the old, because the old way, the "old clothes of this world" if you will, are simply not appropriate for those of us who are in Christ.

----------REFLECT----------

1. What parts of the old self are you most tempted to keep in your attire? Sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, anger, rage, malice, slander, or filthy language? Name where you struggle and bring it before the LORD who sees you and delights in you.

2. Pauls says that as we put on the new self, we are renewed in God’s Image--where there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free. Some have taken this to mean that we should minimize our differences and be colorblind for instance. However, the groupings that he lists related to one another in that time based on the dominance or subordination their identity dictated. Rather than denying diversity and distinction, he’s denying dominance in how we relate to other image bearers. So, where do you carry dominance in our  society? Race, Gender, Age, Ability, Economic Class, Education level? Ask Jesus to help you see others in His Image.

3. Where do you need the LORDs help to be dressed appropriately for the new life he’s offering you: compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness patience, bearing with each other and forgiving one another, love? Ask the Spirit to come and cloth you with these things.

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Colossians 2:16-23 (NIV)

Today on Daily Read we continue on in our series through the Prison Letters. These are letters that Paul is writing to churches trying to encourage and instruct. Today’s passage, for instance, is challenging the Colossians to resist the people who want to measure their piety or holiness based on what rules or regulations they follow.

Sometimes we can get so focused on the religious activity we perform that we miss what those activities are supposed to point us towards. Pauls sees these activities being used to measure this young church asn he refers to them as shadows. It’s as if he’s telling the church, don’t mistake the shadow on the ground for the solid object that is casting the shadow itself.

Think about the religious activities that fill you week and reflect on why you do them as you listen.

----------REFLECT----------

1. What did you find most challenging about this passage?

2. Is there an area of your life where you have mistaken the shadow for the object itself? Where you have focused on the activity of following Jesus at the cost of focusing on Jesus himself? Bring that before the LORD who sees you and loves you.

3. Paul instead encourages us to stay connected with Jesus, the head of the body. What could this look like? Perhaps you take 5-10 minutes in the next day to simply sit or walk in silence and give Jesus your attention. Ask the LORD how you should respond.

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Colossians 2:8-15 (NIV)

As with all the letters in the New Testament, the historical context is essential to understanding today’s passage. There are two contextual keys that will unlock a lot of meaning for us.

The first is that when Pauls warns the church to not be taken captive, the word he uses there is sylagogon which would have been heard as a not-so- subtle reference to the synagogue, whose leaders were trying to convince the church that Jesus wasn’t enough. He goes on to talk about circumcision and the Law of Moses, which they were advocating for. He compares them to an empty philosophy and urges the church to center themselves on the total authority of Jesus.

The second detail that comes alive with a bit of context is the image of Jesus disarming the powers and authorities and making a public spectacle of them through the cross. This ironic image is a reference to a common practice in the ancient world carried out by the victors of war. Conquerors would come back home with the rulers and authorities of the now-defeated enemy in tow. They would parade them through the town and execute them at the end of the road. Paul says that this is what Jesus was doing as he carried the cross to Golgotha. What looked like his shame was actually him disarming and shaming evil itself.

----------REFLECT----------

1. What part of this passage did you find most encouraging? What part did you find challenging?

2. Paul says clearly that Jesus' death and resurrection is all sufficient for our forgiveness and redemption. In what ways are you most tempted to earn this from God by your own merit or works?

3. If Jesus, through the cross and the resurrection really did disarm the powers and authorities, then how do we square that with the pain that we experience in the world today--with the way we see unjust power wielded against the oppressed? And how would your life look different today if you lived as if the powers and authorities really have been disarmed by Jesus? In what way can you follow the way of the cross?

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Bible Project Video: Colossians >>

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