Daily Readings - Thu Nov 10 2022
Philemon
7For we have great joy and consolation in thy love, because the bowels of the saints are refreshed by thee, brother.8Wherefore, though I might be much bold in Christ to enjoin thee that which is convenient,9Yet for love's sake I rather beseech thee, being such an one as Paul the aged, and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ.10I beseech thee for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my bonds:11Which in time past was to thee unprofitable, but now profitable to thee and to me:12Whom I have sent again: thou therefore receive him, that is, mine own bowels:13Whom I would have retained with me, that in thy stead he might have ministered unto me in the bonds of the gospel:14But without thy mind would I do nothing; that thy benefit should not be as it were of necessity, but willingly.15For perhaps he therefore departed for a season, that thou shouldest receive him for ever;16Not now as a servant, but above a servant, a brother beloved, specially to me, but how much more unto thee, both in the flesh, and in the Lord?17If thou count me therefore a partner, receive him as myself.18If he hath wronged thee, or oweth thee ought, put that on mine account;19I Paul have written it with mine own hand, I will repay it: albeit I do not say to thee how thou owest unto me even thine own self besides.20Yea, brother, let me have joy of thee in the Lord: refresh my bowels in the Lord.
Luke
20And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:21Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.22And he said unto the disciples, The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it.23And they shall say to you, See here; or, see there: go not after them, nor follow them.24For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day.25But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation.
Sermon
In today’s readings, we encounter two powerful messages about transformation and the presence of God in our lives. The first reading from Philemon reveals the transformative power of faith and love. Paul, writing from prison, appeals to Philemon on behalf of Onesimus, a former slave who has become a brother in Christ. Paul emphasizes that Onesimus, once useless to Philemon, is now useful both to him and to Paul. This letter is not just about reconciliation but about seeing others through the eyes of Christ, recognizing that our relationships are transformed when we encounter God.
The Gospel from Luke shifts our focus to the nature of the kingdom of God. Jesus tells the Pharisees that the kingdom does not arrive with grandeur or fanfare; it is already within us. He warns against chasing after signs or false appearances of the kingdom, reminding us that the Son of Man will come like lightning, illuminating the whole sky. Jesus also reminds us that before his day, he must suffer and be rejected. This teaches us that the kingdom is not something we find by looking outward but by turning inward, where God’s presence dwells in our hearts.
These readings invite us to reflect on how we see God and others. Like Philemon, we are called to recognize the transformative power of Christ in those around us, even in unexpected places. Like the disciples, we are reminded that the kingdom is not something we find by chasing external signs but by nurturing its presence within us. May we, like Paul, have the courage to see others as brothers and sisters in Christ, and may we, like the disciples, remain steadfast in our faith, knowing that the kingdom is already at work in our lives.