Trinity Lutheran Church

Lesson for the day: Acts 16:11-15

Let us Pray: May the Words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts be acceptable unto you O Lord Our Rock and Our Redeemer. Amen.

Recently the Washington Post had an editorial called the Holy Boldness of Women. The article focused on the important role women have played in the life of faith and society. The author of the article interviewed a Benedictine Nun, Sister Joan Chittster, who said, “Women are the boldest and most unmanageable of revolutionaries.” Sister Joan chairs the Global Peace Initiative for Women, which works to bring peace to women and countries all over the world. Sister Joan went on to say that as a Benedictine nun they take a vow of stability, not chastity or poverty. Therefore they have a lifelong commitment to a particular community in a particular place. That sense of community is how these nuns see themselves and their social and civic responsibilities. This idea of responsibility to others goes beyond just the Benedictine nuns, and extends to a variety of religious people from Buddhist to Protestants to Hindus.

Today we start a month long focus on women in the Bible who we do not always get to hear about or sometimes forget. We will focus on women who have been bold women of the faith, willing to step outside of societal rules and be champions of the faith. These women have all stood out to the early writers and followers of the faith as someone who had something important to say about the faith and about our lives as disciples. This morning we will start by studying one of those bold women of the faith, Lydia.

Lydia, was one of the two women who held a prominent position in the life and ministry of Paul. Paul and his traveling companions arrived in Phillippi on the Sabbath. Instead of going to the synagogue or another sacred place, Paul and his companions arrived first to the river to find Lydia and a few other women who were no Jewish, but were interested in the faith. We know Lydia was not from Phillippi and she was a seller of purple cloth. We do not know if she was a widower or in fact had never been married. We also know she was open to hearing what Pau l had to say.

After she and her companions heard the words and preaching of Paul, she and her whole family were baptized. After their baptism Lydia invited Paul and his friends into her house to stay with her and her family. This is probably the most notable trait of Lydia, her hospitality. We do not know much about Paul’s stay with Lydia and her household, but what we know is that Lydia did not hesitate for a minute to invite them in. She opened her house to a rabbi and his friends, people who others may have hesitated to take into their homes and with their families.

A few weeks ago we heard from Pastor Foltz how important hospitality is to others and to our own faith. Pastor Foltz highlighted how being hospitable to others means serving others in their time of need, walking alongside them, and welcoming them into tour communities and into our homes.  Today our story focuses on the importance of welcoming others into our communities and our homes, our willingness to be evangelists.

All too often we are afraid to bring others into our communities. We do not invite our friends with us to worship or even share our faith with those with those we see on a daily basis and those we meet. We do not evangelize, because for whatever reason that word frightens us. We are afraid that if we have to share our faith with others it means we have to know everything we ever need to know about being Lutheran or a Christian. If we say we are Christian are we ready to possibly get into debates about beliefs and church practices? And then sometimes we may feel as though, shouldn’t people be willing to see our faith by our actions? Shouldn’t we walk the walk as much as we talk the talk? My summer as a camp counselor, this was one of the hardest things for me, and it can still be challenging for me now as a Pastor. That summer I was concerned what would happen if I did not say the right thing, or if I did not explain it well enough, or if it was not Lutheran. I was scared that I did not know enough about my faith to tell it to someone else or to even help them in their own faith journey. I thought that Pastors were the only ones who really knew what it meant to be Lutheran and that I could ever never explain faith and Christianity as well as them, therefore I had nothing to offer others.

What I have learned over the years, not knowing all the answers, is ok. In fact it is better than ok, it is good. What counts is how we are willing to share the love of Christ with those around us. Lydia welcomed Paul and his companions into her house after hearing the Good News about Jesus Christ. For Lydia she was so moved by the Holy Spirit that she was baptized and started practicing her faith immediately. There was never a second guess as to how she was being called to live or how she could proclaim the Good News to those around her. She did not question what God would have wanted her to do, instead she put what she had heard into practice.

We sometimes get tripped up in trying to figure out how to best express our faith to those around us that we end up doing nothing at all. We get too wrapped up in thinking we cannot do anything or that we do not know anything and because of those self doubts we end up do more damage than good. If we would just have a little more confidence in our faith then think of the change we could do in this world.

If we truly believed not having all the answers and going out and acting boldly is ok, we could share the Good News of Jesus Christ with all of those around us. If we believed strongly enough in our faith than asking friends to join us at church would not be something to fear, but instead we would be excited to invite everyone we see to join us every Sunday. If we are fearless in our faith, then going where God calls each and everyone of us would no longer be terrifying, but joyful. If we acted boldly in our faith, we would be willing to love and serve our neighbors, even those we might not particularly like. If we faithfully believed that we are loved, beyond our wildness imaginations think of how freeing life would be for us and how willingly we would be to share the love of God with those around us. If we truly believe we are forgiven, and there is nothing we can do, but only by the grace of God are our sins forgiven, we will be liberated to not beat ourselves up for those sins, but live a life where we forgive those around us and work to help care for those who cannot see past their own mistakes.

When we stop worrying about we think we cannot do or what we think we do not know, we are freed to live as Christ has called us to live. This month we are focusing on women who were willing to act boldly and faithfully, not knowing where they are being lead, but only that they are called to live a different life. In living this different way they trusted God would provide for them and be with them on their journey. They were willing to be bold women, sometimes going against what was expected of them. In doing so, they have become known as champions of the faith. During the month we will explore what these women teach us about our faith and about God. Today we heard the story of Lydia, a businesswoman and someone who was open to hearing the Good News of God. She teaches us to not be afraid of what we do not know or understand, but instead to trust in God and be willing and open to new experiences and new changes. This month I challenge all of you to listen to the stories of these women and of the women around you, women who are faithful in their calling and live bold and faithful lives. You may be surprised by their holy boldness. Amen.

Holy Boldness of Women- http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/29/georgetownon-faith-holy-b_n_629353.html