My two boys are growing up.  They are twelve and nine now.  So they are interested in Bakugan, Transformers, and Legos:  boy things like that.  But years ago their one over-riding passion was none other than Thomas the Tank Engine.  They adored that show and it’s one that really appealed to John and me too.  It’s a quiet, gentle show, with a wonderful array of characters – learning important lessons about friendship, life, and service to others.  When I’m home with the boys at 8 am on a Sunday I’ll turn on the show and try to get them to watch it again.

I miss that show and I always found it fascinating that each engine longed to hear Sir Topham Hatt declare that he was “useful”.  “Thomas, you are a really useful engine!” Sir Topham Hatt would exclaim and Thomas would beam with joy and pride.  Pre-schoolers long to be useful.  They want to stand on a stool and help you cook or paint or clean – whatever it is you’re doing – they want to help.

Of course, as kids grow older it’s harder to get them to help, but eventually we all have to try and figure out a profession, not only to earn a living, but also to satisfy that need to be useful to others and to have some self-respect.  Sometimes it takes us a while to figure out our own niche.  Or in this economy we may need to change careers midway through life.  We ask ourselves again, what can I do to be useful?

Onesimus was decidedly NOT useful to his master, Philemon.  He had been a lazy servant and eventually had run away.  Interestingly, the name “onesimus” has as its root the Greek word meaning “useful”.  But Onesimus proved himself to be useless to Philemon.  Onesimus hadn’t lived up to his name.  Not even close!

But, then through the power of the Holy Spirit, all that changed – once the servant of Philemon met up with the servant of Christ – St. Paul himself.  Onesimus became useful like never before and he worked hard for Paul and for the kingdom of God .

Paul knew that he had to return the servant to his rightful master, Philemon - who was a convert to Christianity through Paul’s own ministry.  Paul does what is right, even though it was difficult.  He sends Onesimus back home with a hand-written letter commending Onesimus for finally being useful!  Philemon owes Paul a debt of gratitude for the Gospel that saves his life and makes us all brothers and sisters in Christ.  His servant is now a Christian too – no longer just a slave, but a brother in the faith.

Onesimus has changed.  Will Philemon accept him back into his household as a worthwhile servant and a fellow believer?  Will Philemon surrender to the unconditional demands of love?  Will he love Onesimus with a love that comes from God?  With a love that always asks more of us than what is expected or required?  Will Philemon follow God’s loving rule or will he punish his runaway slave when he returns to the household?  Will Philemon listen to Paul or to his own will?  Which way will he choose to handle this tricky situation?  Will he handle it according to God’s ways or the ways of the world?

God’s way will lead to life and a restored relationship.  Sinful ways lead only to a death in that relationship and will mean a setback for the kingdom.  The fruit of Philemon’s choice will be revealed in time.  Unfortunately for us, that knowledge has been lost to us.  It’s the open ended Parable of the Prodigal Son all over again.  What will the older son do?  We don’t know the ending of this particular story either.  But we can put ourselves in Philemon’s shoes and walk a mile or more in them because Christ makes a similar request of us in our lives.

Whose ways will we follow?  Who claims our loyalty of love?  Whose household do we choose to belong to?  Which identity do we long to grow into?  Do we choose life?  Do we choose God’s ways? 

This is a choice that God’s people have been confronted with ever since the beginning of salvation history.  Two opposing paths are very clear in Deuteronomy and in the Psalms.  One way leads to prosperity and long life in the Promised Land.  The other pathway will bring adversity and eventual exile far from home.  One’s life either conforms to the Law of the Lord and is lived according to the instructions that God has given – or it doesn’t.  In the Psalms, there is no partial righteousness.  There is no just a little bit sinful.

The Psalmist urges us to read, study, and live according to God’s wisdom as found in the Psalter that follows.  Doing so will bring life that is blessed by God.  You certainly won’t suffer, as long as you follow the will of God.  Huge crowds will follow your every word and deed.  You will be blessed by God.  People will honor you.  You will live a long and prosperous life.  You will be useful to all around you. 

The crowds which followed Jesus knew this Biblical teaching.  They were looking for someone chosen by God to lead them out of their slavery to the Romans and return to them the kingdom of God on earth – like they had when King David and King Solomon ruled over Israel and Judah combined.  The crowds’ expectation had merged into one the ways of God and the ways of the world.  They were following Jesus thinking they understood his ways and his plan for the salvation of Israel .  They knew he was about to do great things for them!  They just knew that he would prove himself to be useful in a way that they could understand. He would do the leading and they would follow him to a new kingdom of God on earth!

The problem was the cross.  The large crowd had no use for that!  They had no idea that Jesus was on a very determined journey to embrace the cross and all of its horrors.  But Jesus knew that only through his self sacrificing love that willingly takes upon itself sin and death, that the defeat of all the powers of hell would be accomplished.

 The cross would become useful to God in a way that man could not anticipate or understand, at least not until after the Resurrection.  The cross is a really useful engine of salvation!  But it’s a hard lesson to learn.  We don’t want to travel that path.  We don’t want to get off at the Island of Sodor if it means taking up Christ’s cross too - just so that Sir Topham Hatt will declare us useful in helping God by what he is accomplishing in us, through us, and for us.

 But that’s what God calls us to do.  Give up everything for him.  Nothing is to take precedence over our loyalty to Christ.  Even if we are asked to shoulder our own cross beam and walk toward our own place of execution.  We are to follow in the Lord’s path that he blazed ahead of us.  And we are to go with joy and confidence too, even though what Jesus asks of us is difficult to do, even when it is unpopular.  The Lord helps us be useful and faithful always.

 He asks us to follow him and to glorify the Father in Heaven through lives that place Christ above all other loves in our hearts.   Sometimes believers face snide jokes about our faith or stories from others designed to prove to us that all Christians are hypocrites.  Some faithful followers are ostracized by their families.  Others are threatened with murder all because they’ve converted to Christianity.  But still we follow Christ. 

 Likewise, even though it’s difficult to raise children in a culture that’s decidedly post-Christian, still we follow Christ and make those hard decisions to chose Christ above all else that the world has to offer.  May the Lord help us to be truly useful for the Kingdom.  He has promised that he would help us.  And he does.  Thanks be to God!

 Amen