Daily Readings - Thu Nov 14 2024

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

Chapter 17

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 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.