DECEMBER 15 – Reading 349

by Chris Rainey | December 15

“DO NOT DESPISE THE DAY OF SMALL CONVERSATIONS”
(Colossians 1:1 – 4:18; Philemon 1-25)

Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends greetings to you, and so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers. – Philemon 1:23-34

“If we avoid small talk, we abandon the very field in which we have been assigned to work. Humility means staying close to the ground (humus), to people, to everyday life, to what is happening with all its down-to-earthness.” —Eugene Peterson

I remember a co-worker at UPS got a promotion and moved from the Northeast to the South. I saw her back up North some time after, and she said one of the strange things about living down South was how often people would strike up conversations with her out in public, such as at the grocery store, and often asked her where she went to church. (She was Jewish and not religious.) I silently thought to myself that God has his people everywhere. 

One of the things that stand out to me in this reading is the final greetings in Philemon 1:23-24 and in Colossians 4:7-18. Notice how many people Paul mentions by name in the church or who were his traveling companions. Paul must have embraced small talk to get to know people, find out their names, listen to their stories, and tell them about the gospel. Look at the list: Paul mentions runaway slave Onesimus, who has now become a Christian and for whom Paul would appeal on his behalf to his master, Philemon (4:10). Paul mentions Mark, apparently now reconciled with Paul after the earlier falling out with Barnabas over the flighty young man (4:10, cf. Acts 15:37, 39). Epaphras, the resident prayer warrior, struggles in prayer for his fellow Christians (4:12). Demas, who would soon forsake his faith to pursue the world, is in good stead at this time and sends a greeting (4:14). Nympha the willing host is commended along with the church that meets in her house (4:15). Archippus is given a big nudge by Paul to fulfill the ministry calling he has received (4:17). To me, this looks like real people with real problems who had made real connections with Paul.

Don’t miss the field around you of everyday people that you are assigned to work in. It may not seem like a big thing, but it is the thing.

Application:
Small talk about everyday things like our families, work, the weather, and where we live can lead to other more significant conversations. Learn to initiate small talk so that you can have a list of people you know like Paul did.

Reflection:
A lifestyle evangelist named Tom Richardson used to say that the reason we don’t love people is that we don’t know them well enough. Consider this advice for those you struggle to love, or that you ignore.

Closing Prayer:
O God, thank you for the example of Paul, who did not overlook the everyday people around him. We confess that we often rush through life, neglecting the field of people you have assigned us to work in. Forgive us for avoiding the “small talk” that can open the door to deeper connections and gospel conversations. Stir up in us a desire to initiate conversation, to make real connections, and to fulfill the ministry calling you have given to each of us. May our lives be a reflection of your love, drawing others into the family of faith. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.