Eastertide
April 26, 2016

Scripture Reading: Acts 16:9-15

On the sabbath day we went outside the gate by the river, where we supposed there was a place of prayer; and we sat down and spoke to the women who had gathered there. A certain woman named Lydia, a worshipper of God, was listening to us; she was from the city of Thyatira and a dealer in purple cloth. The Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul. When she and her household were baptized, she urged us, saying, ‘If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay at my home.’ And she prevailed upon us. –Acts 16:13-15

I grew up on a farm in central Oklahoma and attended church and school in a very small town located about six miles from my home. The town’s population in 2013 was 158. I am not sure there are any businesses left there. There are still a couple of churches. It was probably twice that size during my childhood. It served a much wider community of farmers and ranchers in every direction. There were three gasoline stations, two grocery stores, one cafe, a farm implement company, and a lumber yard during the 1950’s that I remember.

The lumber yard was owned and operated by a man and wife and her name was Lydia. This Lydia has always served as my image of the Lydia who heard God’s call through Paul’s preaching in our scripture today. I remember her as a short round person, plain-dressed like most of us; more apt to sell purple than wear it. I think she ran the business side and her husband handled the warehouse of wood and other building materials. She was normally the person who took your order and received the payments. This couple was also very active members of my church. Served in many capacities, were always willing to help, and worked to keep the church going in good times and in bad. Her parents picked a prophetic name for her.

Described here as a worshipper of God, Lydia was most likely a gentile who followed the Jewish way, although she did not convert. Paul’s teachings must have provided insights for her that she needed. She became a follower of Christ and still serves as a role model for us today.

What kind of role model are we for the children in our world? Are we spreading the love of Christ to all?

Prayer: Lord, we thank you for our ancestors in the faith who laid a smooth path for us to follow. Help us do the same for our descendants in the faith. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.