but I preferred to do nothing without your consent in order that your good deed might be voluntary and not something forced 

(Philemon 1:14)

In Les Miserables the central character, has a hard choice to make. He s a convict who skipped his parole and went on the run. He became mayor of a small French town and important factory owner. One day he learns that a man has been arrested in the belief that he is him. He could stay silent and would finally be truly free but that would mean an innocent man being sent to prison

in his place. Or he could reveal himself to the police and go back to prison himself. In the musical this is framed in the song, “Who am I?”

Choice is part of life. We all make choices all the time. Sometimes they’re easy choices like ‘what do I want for dinner? Sometimes they’re harder and sometimes the choices we make tell us something about who we are and what’s really important to us in life. Our text this morning is from Paul’s letter to Philemon. A man called Onesimus, a slave, has escaped from his master Philemon and gone to Paul. Mindful of the law Paul sends him back with this letter. A letter that offers Philemon a choice: keep Onesimus or send him back to Paul; continue to enslave him or set hm free. But he frames that choice in these terms: remember, Onesimus is your brother in Christ. It forces Philemon to ask the question, if Onesimus is my brother, who am I? 

In our reading from Deuteronomy God offers the Israelites a choice: accept the Covenant or don’t. It’s got blessings if they keep the covenant and curses if they don’t and that’s typical of written bargains and treaties at the time but it forces the Israelites to ask themselves, who are we? Are we the people of God, or not? In our gospel reading Jesus makes it clear that if we choose to follow him there will be hard choices sometimes; choices that challenge us with the question, who are we? Are we followers of Christ or not?

Choices. We all have to make them sometimes in our lives. Sometimes they’re apparently small ones like if you use the self-checkouts at Tesco and it asks if you want to round up the price and donate 15p to charity. It may not seem a lot, but the choice we make says something about who we are. When we go to vote an election, how do we vote? In self-interest or the interest of our communities? It’s just an X in a box but the box we choose to put it in tells us something about who we are. And yes, it’s a secret ballot. And yes no one will know which button we press at the checkout. No one?.

As Christians we profess to follow Christ but in a sense every day is like a letter to Philemon; we are offered choices. Now there is an idea in physics that reckons that whenever we make a choice the universe splits and in a sense we choose both options. I don’t believe that. And it doesn’t matter because the me that’s standing here knows only the options that I chose; that answered the question, who am I?

We are followers of Christ. That means making the hard choice rather than the easy choice sometimes. Usually not as hard as deciding to get fed to the lions in a Roman arena or separating ourselves from our families but still. Suppose we have a choice at work: stand beside a colleague who’s being bullied or sexually harassed by the boss, or keep our heads down because we want to keep our jobs? Which is the Christlike choice? Suppose we have a choice in how we deal with refugees being put up in a hotel. Do we stand with those howling hatred at the hotel or do we offer support and protection to people fleeing war and famine? Which is the Christlike choice?

Every day God sends us may be letter to Philemon. A day that offers us a choice; a choice that demands an answer to the question, who am I? Sometimes we will take the easy option, the selfish option, the option that promotes our desires while causing harm to others or which appeals to our prejudices rather than our recognition that every other human being - whatever their race, religion, sexuality or political creed - is our brother and sister and loved by our father as we are loved. But that love, through the cross of Christ, also brings forgiveness and the chance to do better tomorrow.

Every day God sends us may be letter to Philemon. A day that offers us a choice; a choice that demands an answer to the question, who am I? Sometimes those choices will be hard ones to make but Christ calls us to make the right ones and to rely on him, to lean on him, to be strengthened by the one who wept blood in the Garden of Gethsemane and prayed “If it is possible may this cup be taken from me. But your will, not mine.” before choosing the way of the Cross.

Every day God sends us may be letter to Philemon. A day that offers us a choice; a choice that demands an answer to the question, who am I? A day that offers the chance to answer boldly and confidently that we are children of God, made in the image of God. We are light to the world and we are salt to the earth. We can be truth in the face of falsehood. We can be love in the face of hatred. We can be kindness in the face of harshness. We can stand with our brothers and sisters in need and proclaim the love of God for humanity. We can answer the question, who am I with I am a follower of Christ. I am a child of God

Lord you give us days that are letters to Philemon. Days where we have to choose and make choices that make us ask, who am I. May we answer boldly, I am a follower of your son. And may we choose accordigly

Preached At Baxter Hall Eastriggs and Annan Old Parish Church

Complete Service