Tara Sandlin - November 16, 2025
Tricky Texts
In this sermon, Tara dives into the letter to Philemon with honesty, humor, and a clear-eyed look at how scripture has been used both to heal and to harm. She traces the wildly different interpretations Christians have taken across history, wrestles with what we do when the Bible is weaponized, and invites us to reclaim these texts through the lens of love.
Scripture References: Philemon 1:1-25
From Series: "Philemon: Reconciliation in Christ"
Two people have a history between them that is painful and unresolved, and Paul writes right into that tension. He does not scold, and he does not command, but he calls everyone involved to remember who they really are in Christ and what love looks like when it is costly. This little letter shows how faith is not just belief but a way of treating one another when forgiveness feels impossible. It asks us to imagine a community where no one is written off and no one is treated as less than family. Over these two weeks we will explore what happens when love grows a spine and decides to do something bold. This is reconciliation with teeth.
