Acts: Acts 16:9-15
Gospel: John 14:23-29 or John 5:1-9
Epistle: Revelation 21:10, 22-22:5
Epistle: Revelation 21:10, 22-22:5
Our verses from Acts 16 this week concern the first converts on the European continent. Paul received a vision from a Macedonian man asking him to come to them and preach the Gospel. The group had intended to continue traveling and ministering in Asia Minor, but instead got on a boat and headed towards Greece. Their first stop was Philippi and an interesting thing occurred, rather than going to a synagogue on the Sabbath, as was their custom in other cities, they went outside the city by a river. In Paul's other stops their first visit was always the local synagogue. He wasn't always well received by the Jews, but he did try to persuade them to follow Jesus. Indeed, at one stop on his first missionary journey at Pisidian Antioch, his first Saturday at the synagogue was meet with enthusiasm by the Jews and they invited Paul to speak the following week. But the next week a large group of Gentiles showed up as well, and out of jealousy, the Jews chased Paul and his companions away and were no longer receptive to his message.
At Philippi apparently, there weren't enough Jews to warrant the presence of a synagogue, so that is most likely why they went outside the city gate to the river. This was a common practice according to my Bible's notes, and I can see how going outside the gentile city might be a symbolic and even ritualistic way to separate the Jews from the pagan and unclean Gentiles. But what most interests me is the fact that they meet a bunch of women there. Where were the men and children? It's not like in this day women did a lot of things without men, especially Jewish women in a foreign country. But at any rate, the women in this city were apparently well-off and able to run their own business. The first convert to Christianity was a women named Lydia who was a seller of purple fabrics.
There are a lot of questions we could ask about the city, the women, and especially Lydia. (For example, why wasn't Lydia mentioned later in Paul' letter to the Philippians.) But think about this, the first group of Christians in Europe was founded by, and left in the hands of, a group of Jewish women. This is pretty crazy and so radically different then what the church became in just a few generations. I feel like I keep harping on the issue of women in ministry and leadership, but perhaps the textual choices are purposefully drawing us to this very point. The fact is, across the pages of the New Testament, women were in leadership and ministry and at least in Acts ch. 16, the founding members and leaders in the church at Philippi.
We have to remember that Philippi was not just some church that Paul founded and then left mostly alone. One of Paul's letters to them was canonized and he visited them more than once. Philippi seemed to be one of Paul's favorite churches and the one he had the least critiques for in his letters. Philippians is called the "Letter of Joy" after all. He said of them, "You yourselves also know, Philippians, that at the first preaching of the gospel, after I left Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving but you alone." (Phil. 4:15) So the church at Philippi was the even the most giving!
I think the point is clear: If St. Paul didn't have a problem leaving a church in the hands of a group of women, then neither should we.
I hope you are reading the passage from Revelation and the other 2 scriptures each week. I think this week all the three other passages in tandem offer us a picture of the hope we have in this life and in the age to come in Christ. Christ is King, and he has come to bring us peace for all eternity! (Ps. 67: 7, John 14:27, Rev. 22:5) This week may we seek to live in the peace that Christ brings us and by doing so, bring it to the world around us.
Grace and Peace.
At Philippi apparently, there weren't enough Jews to warrant the presence of a synagogue, so that is most likely why they went outside the city gate to the river. This was a common practice according to my Bible's notes, and I can see how going outside the gentile city might be a symbolic and even ritualistic way to separate the Jews from the pagan and unclean Gentiles. But what most interests me is the fact that they meet a bunch of women there. Where were the men and children? It's not like in this day women did a lot of things without men, especially Jewish women in a foreign country. But at any rate, the women in this city were apparently well-off and able to run their own business. The first convert to Christianity was a women named Lydia who was a seller of purple fabrics.
There are a lot of questions we could ask about the city, the women, and especially Lydia. (For example, why wasn't Lydia mentioned later in Paul' letter to the Philippians.) But think about this, the first group of Christians in Europe was founded by, and left in the hands of, a group of Jewish women. This is pretty crazy and so radically different then what the church became in just a few generations. I feel like I keep harping on the issue of women in ministry and leadership, but perhaps the textual choices are purposefully drawing us to this very point. The fact is, across the pages of the New Testament, women were in leadership and ministry and at least in Acts ch. 16, the founding members and leaders in the church at Philippi.
We have to remember that Philippi was not just some church that Paul founded and then left mostly alone. One of Paul's letters to them was canonized and he visited them more than once. Philippi seemed to be one of Paul's favorite churches and the one he had the least critiques for in his letters. Philippians is called the "Letter of Joy" after all. He said of them, "You yourselves also know, Philippians, that at the first preaching of the gospel, after I left Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving but you alone." (Phil. 4:15) So the church at Philippi was the even the most giving!
I think the point is clear: If St. Paul didn't have a problem leaving a church in the hands of a group of women, then neither should we.
I hope you are reading the passage from Revelation and the other 2 scriptures each week. I think this week all the three other passages in tandem offer us a picture of the hope we have in this life and in the age to come in Christ. Christ is King, and he has come to bring us peace for all eternity! (Ps. 67: 7, John 14:27, Rev. 22:5) This week may we seek to live in the peace that Christ brings us and by doing so, bring it to the world around us.
Grace and Peace.
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