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I have some confessions to make. I wish I could: teach like Rob Bell; preach like Barbara Brown Taylor; sing like Sara Groves; and write like Sally Howell Johnson. You may not recognize any of those names but that doesn't really matter. What matters is that every time I think about wishing I had the gifts of someone else-I am devaluing who God created me to be. This isn't a good thing-in fact, it's called sin. I know this with my head but that doesn't seem to keep me from falling into the habit of thinking about how much more impressive I could be if only I had the gifts of some of these people who so impress me. There's something attractive about being impressive.
It's a common human phenomenon. We need to be needed. We like to be important. We want to be noticed. But when we focus on all that others have or are capable of we fail to see the gifts with which God blesses us. And when we experience how vast the world is-and the possibilities that lie within-we become aware of how very small we are-just one person in this world of billions. What difference does one person make? What difference can one person make? And isn't that what we ultimately want-to make a difference? We long to feel an inner sense of worth and well-being but too often we go about it in all the wrong ways. We compete. We compare. And neither is helpful in discovering the unique person God creates us to be.
We are in our third week of a sermon series here at Bethlehem-lifting up heroes of the faith. We are focusing on some particular people in scripture who teach us something about God and something about what life looks like for people who put their faith in God. The goal of this series is not for us to be like these heroes. The goal in sharing these faith stories is to discover what we can learn from them.
The first week we focused on Rahab's story. Rahab was a very unlikely hero through whom we learn that God doesn't wait for us to get our act together or to be at a certain level of faith maturity before working through us to accomplish his purpose. Last week (our former intern) Ben retold parts of Jonah's story. Through Jonah we learn that God is gracious, merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love-a love that knows no limits or boundaries-a love that changes the way we see and experience the world. Today we'll focus on Lydia's story.
Back up to some earlier verses in the 16th chapter of Acts from which we read earlier and Luke is telling the story of the Apostle Paul's second missionary journey. It was Paul's plan to travel with Silas and Timothy to preach in the Province of Asia (the western part of what we know as Turkey today). But verse 6 reads that the Holy Spirit did not let them preach the word in the Province of Asia. We don't know how the Holy Spirit prevented them-Luke leaves those details to our imaginations. What we do know is that Paul responded by changing his plans. They would go north. But again, the Spirit of Jesus stopped them in their tracks. So the travelers, made their way down to the coastal town of Troas and wondered what it was the Lord had in mind for them next.
That night Paul had a vision of a Macedonian man begging him to come over-to cross the Agean Sea-to help them. And so they went. Paul, Silas, Timothy and Luke boarded a ship the very next day which eventually took them to the port city of Neapolis. From there they traveled north to Philippi, an important city and a Roman colony of Macedonia at the time. After they had been in Philippi for a few days, it was the Sabbath but there was no synagogue to be found in town. Evidently, Philippi didn't have enough numbers in their community to meet the required quorum of 10 men to form a synagogue. So Paul, Silas, Timothy and Luke went outside the town gate thinking they would find some believers gathered by the river to pray. When they found a group of women praying they sat down and spoke with them. This is where we meet Lydia. She was among the women who prayed.
We don't know much about her. She came from the city of Thyatira in Asia Minor and was now in Philippi. We're not sure why-more details that Luke leaves to our imaginations. What we do know is that she was a businesswoman who was a dealer of expensive purple cloth. The text also tells us she was a worshipper of God. She was a Gentile who spent the Sabbath seeking the presence of God. And there on the banks of the river, the Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to Paul.
Luke tells us only a little more about Lydia. After listening to Paul, she and her family are baptized. After they are baptized she opens her home to Paul and his friends. She urges the travelers to stay in her home. It is the simple gift of hospitality she offers. But that small, simple gesture made all the difference in the world. Lydia has the honor of being considered the first convert to Christianity in Europe. An impressive title to be sure, but it all stems from a rather ordinary act: she opened her home; she invited the travelers to stay. Her baptism into the Christian faith changed her. Her response to the gift of baptism made a significant difference for the future of the church.
Paul, Silas, Timothy and Luke had nothing. They were homeless on a mission to spread the good news of Jesus Christ to all the world. Lydia was a successful business woman inspired to share the resources she had. Paul and the others needed food, shelter and a safe place to rest. They needed a place to be able to prepare for their coming journey. Lydia had space and support to offer-and so she did. The Lord had opened her heart to hear the good news of Jesus Christ through Paul and so she in turn, opened her home to support and encourage others to continue in the work the Lord had called them to do. This is what we learn from Lydia: a person's mission isn't about what they do in life. A person's mission is about what they do with life.
And so it is with us. Your mission is not what you do in life but what you do with life. So take some time right now. Think about where you're at. Don't look around. Don't compare. Don't compete. Think about where you live ....what you do....how you spend your time...and with whom you live. Start there. Start right where you are and look for good. And then may God open your heart so that you hear his word wherever you're at.
Listen to the words of Jesus we heard in the Gospel today: "You are the salt of the earth! You are the light of the world". This is God's word to us through Jesus. Jesus is describing those who follow him. We are salt. We are light. Seemingly ordinary, very common kinds of things but Jesus knows their value. Those who follow him have the same significance. Salt-is a common thing-an almost insignificant substance-until you try to live without it. And light-something we often take for granted-until we find ourselves lost in the dark. Salt and light-this is who God sees you to be. Doesn't matter how old, how young, how strong, how weak. It doesn't matter how small or ordinary you feel-- in God's eyes you are salt and light. Salt and light, common things-present almost everywhere we go. It's easy to think they are ordinary things but that would be ignoring the significant difference they make in the world.
Years ago I had a conversation with a pastor who had served the inner city for over 20 years. He was reminiscing about how his attitude had changed over the years. He began his ministry wanting to be more impressive than anyone else. He would reach every young person in the neighborhood. Get them off the street. Involve them at church. Grow a large, vibrant youth group that would bring even more kids in from all over-a ministry that would get the city talking. That was before he burned out. He was not a charismatic, dynamic kind of guy. It took everything he had to speak in front of large groups. But he was a compassionate man. He had a calming presence, a listening ear and a gift for helping young people see the good in their life. "Now", he said, "my prayer is that in my lifetime I might be blessed to point one young person to Christ and that I'm open to God working through me. For if I've pointed one person to Christ who could argue that I have not made a difference in this world?"
You are a child of God. You are salt of the earth. You are light of the world. You are significant. Not because of anything you do. Your significance is not determined by you. Neither is it dependent on you. You are significant because of who God is. God has claimed you and you belong to him. God loves you and has chosen you to sprinkle the world with his grace and to reflect his deep love for all people. Give some thought to who you are. No need to compare. No need to compete. God has blessed you with certain unique gifts. What might they be? Reflect on these things. If you need help, ask others what strengths they see in you. Embrace these gifts and use them--use them for God's glory and God will be honored, you will be fulfilled and the world will be blessed. Amen.