Daily Readings - Thu Nov 14 2024

⁷For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you.⁸Accordingly, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do what is required,⁹yet for love's sake I prefer to appeal to you--I, Paul, an old man and now a prisoner also for Christ Jesus--¹⁰I appeal to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I became in my imprisonment.¹¹(Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you and to me.)¹²I am sending him back to you, sending my very heart.¹³I would have been glad to keep him with me, in order that he might serve me on your behalf during my imprisonment for the gospel,¹⁴but I preferred to do nothing without your consent in order that your goodness might not be by compulsion but of your own free will.¹⁵For this perhaps is why he was parted from you for a while, that you might have him back forever,¹⁶no longer as a slave but more than a slave, as a beloved brother--especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.¹⁷So if you consider me your partner, receive him as you would receive me.¹⁸If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account.¹⁹I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it--to say nothing of your owing me even your own self.²⁰Yes, brother, I want some benefit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ.

Luke

Chapter 17

²⁰Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, "The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed,²¹nor will they say, 'Look, here it is!' or 'There!' for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you."²²And he said to the disciples, "The days are coming when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it.²³And they will say to you, 'Look, there!' or 'Look, here!' Do not go out or follow them.²⁴For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day.²⁵But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.

Sermon

In today’s readings, we encounter powerful messages about relationships, forgiveness, and the presence of God. The letter to Philemon, one of Paul’s most personal and shortest epistles, tells the story of Onesimus, a slave who found faith and became a brother in Christ. Paul appeals to Philemon to welcome Onesimus back, not as a servant, but as a beloved brother, emphasizing the transformative power of faith. This letter highlights the early Christian community's emphasis on unity and reconciliation, urging Philemon to act with compassion and grace. The Gospel from Luke presents Jesus discussing the Kingdom of God, which He describes as already present among us. Jesus warns against chasing after signs or false claims of the Kingdom’s arrival, likening it to lightning that illuminates the entire sky. This teaching invites us to recognize God’s presence in our midst, not in grand gestures but in the quiet, everyday moments. The Kingdom is within us, a reality that transforms our hearts and minds. Together, these readings remind us that our faith is lived out in our relationships and in our inner lives. Like Philemon, we are called to forgive and see the divine in others, treating them with the same love we would offer to Christ. From the Gospel, we learn to cultivate an inner awareness of God’s presence, recognizing that the Kingdom is already here, shaping how we live and interact with the world. May we embrace this transformative power, allowing it to guide us in our daily lives and relationships, and may we always seek to see God’s presence within and around us.