December 6/7, 2014
Philemon
Of all Paul’s letters, the letter to Philemon is nearest and dearest to my heart.
About thirty-five years ago, I began work on a musical based on Philemon. I entitled it, “Onesimus: A Slave in Search of a Master,” and first performed it with youth and adults from Grace United Methodist church in Lake Bluff, Illinois. Six or so years later, after finishing seminary, we produced it again with a cast of predominantly clergy-types and their spouses. This production we had the privilege of presenting at Annual Conference around 1988. The last time we did “Onesimus” was as a dinner theater production at Niedringhaus United Methodist Church in Granite City, Illinois. By this time, the musical had gone through a couple of re-writes, with added songs, and our sons and one (future) daughter-in-law were both old enough to be in the cast.
Why do I love the story behind Philemon so much? Why did I think it worthy of the stage?
Just imagine. A runaway slave, having escaped his master in Asia Minor, finds his way to Rome, where he meets the Apostle Paul, hears the gospel and accepts Christ as his Savior. Somehow, Paul discovers that Onesimus is a “runaway,” and what’s more, a runaway from a master that Paul himself had also led to faith in Christ! Paul takes the dangerous step of sending Onesimus back to his master, Philemon. Most slave owners would put a runaway to death, or punish him severely. What would Philemon do? Paul wrote the letter that bears his name to re-introduce the runaway slave to his master, in the hopes that Philemon would receive him back as a brother, rather than a slave.
Read Philemon. How do you think the story ends?
Monday, we begin the book of Hebrews!
Your fellow traveler through the New Testament,
Pastor Gary
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