Three Transformed Men

The apostle Paul's letter to his friend Philemon offers a portrait of three transformed men. Paul, a man who once seized Christians, confining them to prison, was now a prisoner himself, and that because he had become a Christian. Onesimus, a runaway slave who was considered useless by his master, Philemon, had become useful to Paul and, Paul assures, useful to Philemon. Philemon was transformed from Onesimus' master to Onesimus' slave. Three men from very different backgrounds, social standing, and life experiences, all transformed from who they were to who they had become. And the transformations that had taken place were not minor tweaks to their behavior or outlook on the world. They were radical metamorphoses that put them at odds with their former selves as well as the world that they inhabited. This sermon explores why and how that had taken place.