A Fresh Start

September is finally here. I always view September as being a natural starting point; a time to get re-committed, readjusted, and re-focused with different areas of my life. As my kids are starting school, I hope to provide for them a balanced breakfast each morning and make sure their homework is done by 5:00pm. We all need these natural “starting over” points.

I remember when I was leading my first Youth Ministry mission trip many years ago. On our return home we spent the weekend in Atlanta, capping off the mission trip with a day at Six Flags Over Georgia. This was in the days before GPS units, so I had my MapQuest directions all sorted out. The trip was easy from the church in Atlanta to Six Flags…I-20 straight there, not too far away, right off the highway. As the first of our two 15 passenger vans pulled out of the church parking lot, I double-checked to make sure I had everyone in my van. Then we were on our way. I was driving along, singing with some of the students, getting into deep conversations with others. All of sudden, someone in the back says, “Jim, did that sign say ‘Welcome to Alabama?’” I looked off to the side, and there it was, “You are now entering a new time zone.” We pulled over into the Welcome Center and got maps and license plates, some students where taking pictures. We made the best of it, but the other group was not happy because we had the tickets to get into the park. Sometimes we all feel like we just need to start over, like we’ve gotten off track – our family, ourselves, our careers.

Have you ever read much out of Philemon from the New Testament? It’s this great letter about Onesimus, a slave of Philemon, who has run away to Rome and has been spending time with Paul. Onesimus has gotten off track, and he needs to start over. The letter does not specifically say what Onesimus did to cause him to get off track and to runaway, and maybe that’s for a good reason. Why we’ve gotten off track isn’t important. How we refocus is. Here’s what the letter does tell us. God transformed Philemon’s life through Paul, God transformed Onesimus’s life through Paul, and now God was using Paul to renew and reconcile Philemon and Onesimus’ relationship. He was refocusing Onesimus. Here’s Paul, known for his strict teaching, writing this short and simple letter, knowing that the church in Corinth will read it and will be watching Philemon’s response.

Paul’s plea for Philemon to give Onesiums a fresh start is beyond being about forgiveness, it’s transformative. Paul is asking Philemon to redefine their relationship from slave and master to brothers. Paul’s request is pushing Philemon beyond the societal standard. We never find out if Philemon and Onesimus reconcile, but being as though the letter survived through the ages and is read today as part of the New Testament tells us that most likely they did. Most likely they started over, and were an example to others as to the transformative power of forgiveness found in the Lord.

So do you have that same need within you? Are you in need of a “redo” or need to reorient your life, your career, or your values? Have you been missing the signs saying, “Six Flags is the other way”? Paul writes, “Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you have refreshed the hearts of the Lord’s people.” May we experience the same thing this September. May our hearts be refreshed and refocused towards the Lord, the One who makes all things new. Amen