First Presbyterian Church of LaGrange Texas

Every time I read Philemon, it reminds me of finding letters written long ago by my grandparents. This letter is the single piece of Paul's personal correspondence to make it into the Bible. Both formal and highly intimate, it gives a glimpse of the personal relationships that Paul cultivated everywhere he went. He appeals to Philemon on behalf of the runaway slave Onesimus. Paul does not demand reconciliation, but instead appeals to Philemon in the language of love—that Onesimus be welcomed back into the household, not as the slave he once was, but as a brother in Christ—beloved and free. And I wonder.. How do we experience welcome, and who awaits our claim of kinship in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ?