Refreshed Saints

June 18, 2008

Philemon 1:4-7

“When I remember you in my prayers, I always thank my God because I hear of your love for all of the saints and your faith toward the Lord Jesus. I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective when you perceive all the good that we may do for Christ. I have indeed received much joy and encouragement from your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, my brother.”

When I was coming along, my youth leaders would take us on retreats and they would post sheets of construction paper all around the room. Each person’s name was on one of those sheets that became known as IALAC cards. IALAC stood for I Am Lovable And Capable. During the course of the weekend, each person was to go around the room and write something on the cards of other people that demonstrated to them the person was lovable and capable. At the conclusion of the weekend, people would go home with their cards and on a sad day they could pull the cards out and get a lift!

In some ways this is like Paul’s IALAC card to Philemon. At first, we are led to believe that Paul and Philemon don’t know each other very well but as the scripture goes on we find that Paul has been instrumental in Philemon’s faith. At this point, it is as if Paul is buttering Philemon up for something that he wants to ask him to do later.

When I read these words several questions come to mind for me that I would pose to you today. Paul is beginning to call Philemon to an active example of his friend’s faith. This begs the question, how do our actions demonstrate our faith? If people in the car next to us look over at us, can they see a person of faith? What is it that we think that they see? What is that we want others to see? What justifications do we make for ourselves as we are striving to live a Christian life?

As we think about the fact that Philemon is a slave-owner and a Christian, we know that Paul is about to call him to a radical life change. So our challenge this week, may well be to identify the ways in which we are called to radical life change within our own hearts. What does that look like for you? Whatever it looks like, may we be found as those who have the “hearts of the saints” and may others be “refreshed through” us. Amen.