Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish on the Fifth Sunday of Easter. Our Church Services this morning are at the usual times of 9.15 at St Agnes' and 11.00 at St Thomas'.
If you are unable to be with us in person, you will find resources below to worship at home.
Our first hymn this morning is "Jesus is Lord, Creation's Voice Proclaims it"
Today's Bible Reading
Acts 16:9-15 The Conversion of Lydia
During the night Paul had a vision: there stood a man of Macedonia pleading with him and saying, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." When he had seen the vision, we immediately tried to cross over to Macedonia, being convinced that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them.
We set sail from Troas and took a straight course to Samothrace, the following day to Neapolis, and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city for some days. 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 worshiper 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.
Reflection
We start this reflection with God giving instruction to Paul to change his plans. Paul had been spreading the Gospel with his companions and intended to carry on this work by going to the Roman province of Asia Minor. He was convinced that his next mission was to preach to the gentiles in that region.
Then he has a vision and that changes everything. God has another plan. Without question Paul changes his plans – “we immediately tried to cross over to Macedonia” I don’t think this would come as a surprise to his fellow disciples as this wasn’t the first time Paul had experienced God making clear that he had plans for Paul’s destiny.
So he sets off by the best route possible to get to Macedonia in the south east of Europe. We are told that he immediately headed for Philippi, ’which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony’.
Philippi was a Roman colony, taking its name in 356 BC from Philip II of Macedon, the father of Alexander the Great.
Being a leading city, he expected to find Jewish gatherings and a synagogue to continue his mission, but there weren’t many Jewish men around now he had crossed into Macedonia.
Instead he found the next best thing - a group of God-fearing women who were worshipping on the Sabbath. These being people who were not Jews but had converted to believe in the God of Abraham.
Amongst them he found Lydia. If we just read the passage as a story we may miss how important she is to the new Christian movement and also miss how God uses her.
She is described as a dealer in purple cloth. Why is this significant? It tells us that she is a woman of significant means. There were no mass produced dyes in dozens of colours in this period and purple cloth was prized above all others. As someone of means she would be respected and people would be likely to listen to her.
The Lord had also ‘opened her heart to listen eagerly to what Paul had to say’. We should always bear in mind that no matter how faithful and evangelical we may want to be, it is always God through the Holy Spirit who opens our hearts to receive Him.
In Acts we hear about the many new Christians that were created as the church expanded, but it was always the Holy Spirit that enabled this, not Paul, or Peter or any of the other disciples. It was their job to spread the word for others to hear – but we can only converted to Christianity through the power of the Spirit.
When we open our hearts to receive Him, He will work though us to do His will and follow His plan.
Lydia was a Godly person – not because she was a successful business woman, but because she had faith in God. She prayed devotedly to God, she was willing and ready to listen to what Paul had to reveal to her and, despite her standing, she was servant hearted, willing to share her hospitality and her house with others. So much so that her house became a meeting place for the new Christians and became the first church in Europe. She wanted to be part of the fledgling movement of life in Christ. She was baptized and persuaded Paul and the others to go to her home. A Church was born.
These are the qualities that we know Jesus told us that will help to build God’s kingdom on earth. No matter what our personal wealth or circumstances are, these godly qualities that Lydia demonstrates are within the reach of all of us.
The one exceptional message about Lydia is that she wanted to hear God, and actively listened for His voice even before Paul arrived in Philippi. It wasn’t a case that she happened to be in the right place at the right time, she was listening eagerly. When we make the time to listen for God, sooner or later we will hear Him – it’s not about being in the right place, because God is everywhere listening to us; and He will share His plan for us when it is His time. Paul
Our Prayers
Father God,
We pray that we will follow Lydia’s example.
Help us to listen eagerly for your voice.
Open our hearts to receive Jesus,
and share the gospel message with confidence
as we continue to build your church.
Amen
Today's final hymn is "Bless the Lord, O my Soul"
Notices
It is with great sadness that we advise you of the death of Brian Hayes. Brian has served as a bellringer at St Thomas’ Church for over 65 years, and Tower Captain from 1979, in addition to faithfully winding up the church clock every week.
When we celebrated the 150th Anniversary of the clock and bells, Brian published a book, ‘Song of the Bells’, which is still available to view at St Thomas’ Church.
Brian’s other passion was walking, and he is pictured here with Kingsley and Kelvin Wood on a Leesfield Parish Boundary Walk. Brian will be greatly missed, not only here in our parish, but amongst the wider community of bellringers.
We will let you know of the funeral arrangements as soon as they are available.
