Scripture
Your love has given me much joy and comfort, my brother, for your kindness has often refreshed the hearts of God's people.

Observation
Paul writes to Philemon concerning his slave Onesimus. Philemon is a generous and kind-hearted person, and Paul hopes that he will treat Onesimus in this way.

Onesimus, a slave, has run away from Philemon and since become a christian under Paul's ministry. Now Paul is sending Oneismus back with a letter asking that Philemon treat Onesimus as a fellow christian rather than a runaway slave.

Application
This week our Prime Minister, a professing christian, made the astonishing claim that the Bible treats slavery as a natural human attribute of humanity. To appeal to Biblical authority on homosexual “marriage” is tantamount to reinstituting slavery for the same reason.

While the Bible accepts the reality of slavery, it also appeals for slaves to be treated humanely and with respect.

Here we see Paul taking a fairly radical approach, appealing to Philemon to see his slave as a brother and not a possession.

Right through the Bible there is this theme of caring for the people who are most vulnerable and most exploited- orphans, widows and foreigners.

In our context, Christ is calling for us to see those on the edge as people for whom He died- refugees, drug addicts, sex workers, homeless people. We need to see the person and not just the situation.

Prayer
Father please help me to see all people as precious creations, regardless of their ethnicity or social class. Give me your love for them. Amen.