First Reading: Acts 16:9-15
9A vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. 11So, setting sail from Troas, we made a direct voyage to Samothrace, and the following day to Neapolis, 12and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city some days. 13And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to the riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down and spoke to the women who had come together. 14One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. 15And after she was baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us.
Psalm 67
1May God be merciful to us and bless us, show us the light of his countenance and come to us. 2Let your ways be known upon earth, your saving health among all nations. 3Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you. 4Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide all the nations upon earth. 5Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you. 6The earth has brought forth her increase; may God, our own God, give us his blessing. 7May God give us his blessing, and may all the ends of the earth stand in awe of him.
Second Reading: Revelation 21:9-14, 21-27
9Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, “Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.” 10And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, 11having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. 12It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed — 13on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. 14And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. 21And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, each of the gates made of a single pearl, and the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass. 22And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. 23And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. 24By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, 25and its gates will never be shut by day — and there will be no night there. 26They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. 27But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
Gospel: John 16:23-33
23{Jesus said to his disciples,} “In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. 24Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full. 25I have said these things to you in figures of speech. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech but will tell you plainly about the Father. 26In that day you will ask in my name, and I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf; 27for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. 28I came from the Father and have come into the world, and now I am leaving the world and going to the Father.” 29His disciples said, “Ah, now you are speaking plainly and not using figurative speech! 30Now we know that you know all things and do not need anyone to question you; this is why we believe that you came from God.” 31Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? 32Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me. 33I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
Always Be Ready to Respond to God’s Call
One of the things that often helps when I’m studying scripture is to look at the background of the story. Our First Reading for this Sunday comes from St. Luke’s second book, Acts. Now for those who have spent time studying Christian history, you know that the book of Acts is a history of the spread of Christianity and covers the years from Jesus’ ascension, or about 30AD, to Paul’s final detention in Rome in about 62 AD. Our story today is recorded during St. Paul’s second missionary journey which took place somewhere mid-point of Paul’s Missionary journeys around 50 AD.
First, it’s important to note that St. Paul was from the city of Tarsus which is part of what we know as the country of Turkey, which was part of Asia Minor. It’s also worth noting that Paul’s missionary activities, to this point, focused in and around Asia Minor which included Paul’s hometown. The reason I bring this up is, that up to this point, Paul’s missionary activities have been in familiar territory, surrounded by a culture he was familiar with, and people he was used to communicating with. Question, isn’t it easier to share your faith with people who share the same values and culture as you? Sure it is.
When we’re going about our day-to-day routines, surrounded by people who speak the same language, follow the same customs, and have the same general values as we do, it’s easy to find a way to share our faith. But how difficult is it to go to a foreign country and share your faith? A country where the language is different? A location where the values aren’t in align with ours? A place where even the diet is different? Here in the US, we’re fortunate because we have a diverse culture. A culture where we have a melding of various cultures and customs. In almost every city of any size you’ll find Mexican food, oriental food, and American food restaurants all withing a mile of each other.
In many of the major cities you have areas like Little Italy, China town, the Jewish sector, and little Russia. People from these heritages band together and form communities where their customs are observed, yet because of the culture we live in, these communities are not isolated. The children attend public schools, marry folks from outside their culture, and business is conducted both within and outside of the community. Ours is a highly mobile society unlike that of the New Testament world. While travel did occur in the first century AD, it was more likely that people spent most of their lives within a few miles of where they were born and raised.
One final point before we focus on our reading from Acts this morning. Outside of a few Jews that were fleeing persecution in Israel, there is no recorded Mission trips to Europe where Macedonia is located. There are sketchy tradition records that indicate that one follower of Jesus, Joseph, who was one of the 70 that Jesus sent out, might have ministered in the area. None of this, however, can be proven. Therefore, it’s quite possible that St. Paul was the first of the Apostles to visit Europe.
As one who has traveled while serving in the military, I can attest to the fact that the people of Europe and the people of the Middle East are vastly different in their culture, diet, and customs. I’ve said all this to make the point that sometimes God calls us out of our comfort zones and into new and different surroundings for the good of God’s kingdom. Moreover, God can, at times, call us in some unusual ways. And we must be open to God’s call, even if it’s in an out of the ordinary way.
Now I don’t know about you, but I’ve never had a vision — at least not the sort of vision that Paul had. And reflecting on what Paul experienced, I’m not sure how I would have reacted to such an occurrence. But it’s clear from the story that whatever Paul felt, he felt it so strongly that he and his companions changed their schedule immediately in response to that vision. Consider the story. Paul is busy in Asia Minor preaching and teaching and one night a man appears to him in a dream and his response it to drop everything and go.
I don’t believe I’ve ever been in a situation where I could have immediately dropped everything I was doing and move hundreds of miles to an unfamiliar location and set up shop as it were. Even when I deployed in support of Desert Storm, we deployed with lots of support and quickly set up the infrastructure we needed to “fly, fight, and win.” Think of the logistics Paul and his companions had to consider.
The voyage across the Aegean Sea takes only a moment to read in the text, but under the best of conditions, it required at least two days to make. Once they arrived, Paul and his companions had to find lodging, employment, and a community in which to minister. Consider also that Paul was a tent maker by trade. How much demand do you think there was for tents in Europe as opposed to the Bedawin culture of the Middle East? All that they knew for certain when going into Macedonia was that Paul had seen in his vision of a man of Macedonia asking him to come.
Just how clear was Paul’s vision? How vividly had he seen that Macedonian man? How did Paul know that the man was from Macedonia? Had Paul seen his face? Did he remember his look, his features, and perhaps even the sound of his voice? Did he have a distinctive accent or speak in a language Paul could readily identify? I wonder, as Paul disembarked the boat there in Neapolis, if he found himself looking for that face and listening for that voice.
Paul and his companions then traveled inland from the port city of Neapolis, to the leading city of Philippi. Upon their arrival, they sought out the local synagogue. While Paul clearly had come to understand his mission as being especially to the Gentiles, as a matter of policy and procedure he always began with the Jews. He was one of them. He shared with them a common heritage, faith in the same God, and confidence in the same scriptures. When he would arrive in a new town, he would find the local synagogue and begin by sharing the gospel with those gathered. When they got to Philippi, however, Paul and his companions discovered that there was no synagogue in that town.
In the tradition of a quorum, a minimal number of Jewish men was required in a place in order to form a synagogue. Evidently, either there weren’t enough Jewish men to establish a synagogue, or the Jewish men in the community had neglected that part of their tradition. This must have been a discouraging discovery for Paul. If Macedonia already seemed foreign, now it seemed more so. The natural point of contact — the customary starting place — wasn’t available.
If Paul was looking for the familiar face from his vision, it surely seemed more distant and elusive now. The apostle had been beckoned to Macedonia to help, but where were the people who wanted his help? In the absence of a formal synagogue, there was a Plan B. Where there was insufficient population to establish and maintain a synagogue, local Jews and God-fearers would designate a “place of prayer.”
A place of prayer had no specific street address or structure. It was just the site where a handful of devout people habitually gathered. In many cases, such a place was by the local body of water. In Philippi’s case, that was the river Gang-Ites. It was here that Paul found a group of women gathered for worship on the Sabbath. Again, think about the situation. Paul, in his vision, saw a man asking him to come. Once he arrived, there was no synagogue when the men gathered. Looking further he searches for a place of prayer and finds a group of women who worshipped God. If Paul had any preconceived notions of what he was going to find, I’m sure at this point all of this was turned on its head. God, at times, calls us out of our comfort zones, out of our preconceived notions in order to minister to people He has been preparing ahead of time.
Perhaps you’ve been in gatherings where someone has asked, “Where is everybody?” In most instances, this is a poorly phrased question; clearly not everybody is missing. Somebody or two is there. Indeed, I’ve been in a few settings where a fairly substantial number of people have been gathered, yet still heard someone asked, “Where is everybody?” Reminds me of Terry’s uncle. Anytime Rudy would come over, he would ask, “Where is everybody?” What he clearly was asking was where is Gene, Terry’s father. Thus, the question reveals that the questioner’s real concern isn’t with everybody but with some select person or persons who happen to be missing. I wonder if Paul and his companions looked at one another that sabbath morning and asked, “Where is everybody?” Not because no one was there at that riverside place of prayer, but because the people they naturally looked for were not there.
Still, like a good golfer, the apostle Paul always shows his willingness and ability to play the ball where it lay. He didn’t find a synagogue. He didn’t find the Macedonian man from his vision. Indeed, he found no men that sabbath day at all. What he did find was a small gathering of earnest women, and he sat down and spoke with them there. We’ve all known churches and movements along the way that survived only because of the dogged determination of a few women. It must have been so there in ancient Philippi. And while biblical passages have sometimes been misused to oppress women, the fact is that the New Testament shines an admiring spotlight on the role of women in God’s work.
It begins most notably with Mary, the mother of Jesus, and continues with the group of women who provided for Jesus and His disciples out of their means. Women were the first witnesses to the resurrection. Women were clearly instrumental in the ministry of St. Paul and the early church. Women were the cornerstone of God’s work in Philippi. And one particular woman has the distinction of being known as the first European convert to Christianity. God doesn’t always work in a way that we would expect, nor does He always call us in ways that are familiar to us, but God is always working in the hearts of people who are open to His call in their lives.
As we see in this story, God was already at work in Macedonia. God was already at work in the life of Lydia, an influential woman of means who could provide for what Paul and his companions needed to get established in that area. What is it that we teach? Luther in the Small Catechism says, “I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Spirit has called me through the Gospel, and enlightened me with His gifts, and sanctified and preserved me in the true faith. In the same way, [the Holy Spirit] calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian church on earth, and preserves it in unity with Jesus Christ in the one true faith.” The thing we need to keep in mind is that if the Holy Spirit isn’t already at work in someone’s life, our evangelistic efforts are in vain. It’s obvious that the Holy Spirit was already at work in Macedonia.
Starting in verse 14, we read that Lydia was a worshiper of God and Lydia was among the women that Paul found gathered down by the riverside. She responded to the message she heard from Paul and his companions that day. And because the Holy Spirit was already at work in her life, she responded and she and all her household were baptized. Furthermore, she followed through on the decision of her heart with the work of her hands; she extended an insistent offer of hospitality to the missionaries during their stay in her town.
But as we read in the verses following our First Reading, at least one of their nights in Philippi wasn’t spent in the comfort of Lydia’s home. At least one of Paul’s nights in Philippi was spent in prison. The beating and confinement were entirely undeserved. And in Paul’s case, as a Roman citizen, they were also unjust. But it came to pass that Paul had attracted the attention of a slave girl, who was demon-possessed. She had followed and hounded Paul for several days, when finally, he turned and ordered the demon out of her. While this was liberty for her, it amounted to constraint of trade for her owner. Evidently, the poor girl’s condition had been exploited and turned into a profitable venture by the man who owned her, and so her deliverance interfered with his bottom line. For this, Paul and Silas were publicly stripped and beaten and then thrown in jail.
As they sat there, chained and bleeding in a foreign prison, I wonder what they felt and thought. Might Paul have revisited that night in Troas when he saw the vision of the man from Macedonia? He still had not found that man. He had shared the gospel with a group of women and received considerable welcome from them. He had set another woman free from her spiritual bondage. We don’t always know why God is calling us out of our comfort zones, but we do know that God always has a reason, that God is already at work, and that God will always supply whatever we need.
Thank God, Paul followed through with what God had called him to do. And true to God’s love and protection, before that night was over, a providential earthquake had broken open their chains and cells. By morning, the jailer and his entire household had been converted and baptized. And within a few years, the church in Philippi had grown into one of Paul’s most cherished and beloved partners in ministry and fellowship with him. But what of the vision?
God had a reason for calling Paul and his companions to Macedonia in the way that He did. God loved the people of Philippi and of Macedonia so much that He sent His only Son. God’s call on our lives may be one that keeps us in familiar territory, or it may be a call that is out of our comfort zone. Either way, we must be open and ready to immediately respond whenever God calls. As our story from Acts clearly shows, when God calls, He is already at work in people’s hearts. Furthermore, God never leaves us wanting; He always provides the things we need.
Amen.