A sermon shared with First Presbyterian Church, Spring
City, TN on 2017 07 09
Our passage in Acts today tells part of the
story of the formation of the second major congregation at Philippi. There are
several important themes in this passage. One of them has appeared repeatedly; the
Holy Spirit empowered the growth of the body of believers (“the church”) by
moving persons to proclaim and to believe. A second is the role of women in
forming the church in Acts 16:9-15. It
is a good illumination of how the Christian congregations founded by Paul grew.
A good book on this growth is Rodney Stark’s Cities
of God. I commend it to you.
There
are several important themes in this passage from Acts. One of them has
appeared repeatedly; the Holy Spirit empowered the growth of the body of
believers (“the church”) by moving persons to proclaim and to believe. A second
is the role of women in forming the church.
This
account of the action of the Holy Spirit on Lydia and Paul contradicts an idea
most of us hold dear, the validity of freedom of action.
I
find three certain women as central actors in the Philippians’ community
involving two recurring themes, how (1)the Holy Spirit empowered a woman in
Philippi (Lydia) to proclaim and (2) believe thereby becoming a stalwart for the
congregation. These verses in Acts invite me to read ahead into the letter
from Paul to the Philippians to find his concerns for that early congregation. (Acts
was written by Luke, the letters are Paul’s own account.)
Paul
addresses concerns in the congregation at Philippi that are a message for us
today.
A
word about Paul’s epistles (letters). We usually read Paul’s thirteen letters
mistakenly as expositions of theological belief. We do not appreciate that
Paul’s travel in the Mediterranean over 30-35 years was extensive. He would
found a congregation(usually in a city with synagogues) and almost immediately
feel the call to move to the next city. As a result, local
leadership in the congregation was essential. He used his friends to visit,
encourage and keep up with them. When he heard of conflict, dissent, or adopting religious practices he disapproved,
he wrote letters to them about the issues. We say that Paul’s letters were
written for an occasion.
As
a result, we ought to read his letters as we might read a letter from a parent
or good friend, or a letter we picked up by accident. They are snapshots of
life in early Christian congregations. The things we read are about real
problems and people.
Let’s
look at the passage I read. Philippi was a Roman colony that enjoyed special
status in the empire. It was a strategic, cosmopolitan port city famous for its
gold and silver mint. Philippi enjoyed special favor the city from the Caesar
Augustus as a home for veteran soldiers. It had a remarkable freedom
of self-rule in the Roman Empire. It was a city of wealth, poverty, freed
slaves and veteran soldiers.
Paul’s
vision, a message from the Holy Spirit, to go to Philippi in Macedonia is a
good example that we are not in control of the power of the Holy Spirit. Paul
was restrained from going to Macedonia until the Holy Spirit let him.
In
America, we treasure freedom of action to the point we believe we have the
freedom to pursue anything we desire if it does not restrain another’s freedom.
Some would argue that we have a culture of free pursuit of desire. Citizens are
self-interested customers seeking more and more “things.” That freedom to
pursue happiness morphs into a driven need for both parents to hold the 40+
hour per week job either to survive in a consumer-driven society, or, to get
enough money to afford the luxury of programs of child enrichment for our
children, cars, electronics and better houses. Students expect straight A’s to get
into college, or to get into the best graduate school, and then to get the best
job afterwards. It seems we equate the freedom of “getting things” with the
respect of our neighbors for our accomplishments.
We
all say we have great freedom of choice. For example, now women are free to
choose to smoke tobacco with the result that the incidence of lung cancer and
heart disease in women now approaches that of men! What kind of freedom is
that?
What freedom did Christians enjoy In Philippi? As people became ardent Christians,
they stopped going to the silversmiths to buy and worship idols. This wrecked the
local economy. This disruption of the trade in silver idols created hostility
between the business people and Paul and the Christians.
Paul
and his workers were beaten and thrown in jail because of it. Christians were
harassed. If free democracy is the will of the people, it curtailed the
physical freedom of Paul and his fellow Christians.
But
Paul said he had no freedom. The Holy Spirit compelled him when and where to proclaim
the gospel. Paul knew the Holy Spirit is in control.
Perhaps
we can find freedom in another theme, the role of women in the growth of
Christianity. Consider Lydia.
Luke emphasizes how persons of low social degree (a woman here) are instrumental
in the action of the Holy Spirit. Lydia was a wealthy woman who was engaged in
commerce among a world of men. In the world of Jewish and Roman society, women
had little or no rights. Commerce was the only thing open to Lydia outside
traditional social roles in this life.
In conventional religious society, this was her only (respectable) way to act in a radically
different way.
She
was a God-fearer. That meant she held Jewish worship in high regard. Because
she was a woman, she worshipped at the river with the Jewish women (they
had no synagogue) who following all the restrictions placed on women in
worship. When Lydia heard the good news from Paul, the Holy Spirit moved her receptive mind to be
a bearer of Christian hospitality. She invited Christians into her home
regardless that they were men, poor people or otherwise socially neglected. She found freedom to challenge social
norms in worship.
Lydia
brings another theme to light, use of wealth. Luke always emphasizes how wealth
is the greatest threat to faith. For example, see Luke 1:51-53, 10:30-37, 18:25, 19:1-10.
Yet
here Lydia, a successful businesswoman, uses her wealth and household to
exercise Christian philanthropy and hospitality by welcoming Paul into her home.
(Staying in a woman’s house might also invite social condemnation of both.)
Early
Christian congregations were one of the few safe places for women and the
acts of women were instrumental in the formation of the early congregations. The
Lord used women in the central role of the birth and growth of the body of
believers. Who stayed at the cross and observed the death of Jesus and who ran
away? Who went to the tomb and discovered the missing body of Jesus and heard
the message that he is raised and were instructed to go tell the others He will
meet them in Galilee? The fact we claim Christian faith speaks to the loyalty
of those women who heeded the command, “He is not here, he has been raised. Go
and tell the others he is going ahead of you to Galilee.” (Mark 16:1-8)
Paul
is criticized for not always giving a positive view of women (It is worth a
sermon or Wednesday evening to explore that subject); however, his description
of his missionary efforts consistently show he treasured the centrality of women
in the leadership of the congregations.
When
Lydia exercised the freedom to open the doors of her home graciously to the
Philippian congregation, she became part of a congregation that tried
to model Christ’s humility and accepting all persons as equal before God,
something absent in the synagogue and Roman society. Anti-Christian writers of the time
with an axe to grind accused the church of being a body that excluded the rich
and only invited the poor and outcasts. Here we see a wealthy woman becoming a
disciple and opening her doors and pocketbook to rich and poor. Lydia and all
the outcasts show us that we are free through God simply to show welcoming
Christian hospitality by opening our homes to those seeking and proclaiming
truth.
We
might recall what Jesus said about truth in John 8:31. To the Jews and
disciples with the heel of Rome on their neck, “if you persist in believing my
word and are truly disciples, you will know the truth and it will
make you free.”
Freedom
for a Christian then is quite a different thing from the laws and rights
governments bestow or take from us to purse or restrain happiness. Freedom is
knowing and acting on the truth that the Kingdom of God transcends the freedom granted by the state.
For
this we thank the women at the tomb, and Lydia for having an open heart to the
Holy Spirit and opening her home to Paul in disregard of the social pressures
against it.
This
perspective on freedom is what urges me to read on and see what Paul has to say
to the Philippians in his words, not Luke's. What was ocurring in this Philippian congregation?
Paul’s
primary, constant concern in congregations is dissent, gossip, backbiting,
hypocrisy, infighting and arguing over religious issues. Why? Because this kind of behavior
destroys relationships, especially in small groups. You know as well as I
do that human nature is mostly constant, so we might learn how to deal with
problems we are experiencing ourselves from the circumstances of these old letters.
Paul
did not spare the rod. When something upset Paul and he could not get back to
the congregation, he wrote letters that often called by name the persons
causing the issues. (Modern
pastors wouldn’t stay too long in congregations if they constantly used Paul’s
strategy, unless they had a peculiar humility.)
In the second chapter of Philippians, Paul urges the
virtue of humility. I’ve read the second chapter to you before (2:5-11), it is an old hymn
that lauds the humility of Jesus. Paul talks about being one's own spiritual
guide, “You followed my guidance when I was there, no you must work out your
salvation with fear and trembling by yourself. He talks about dissent, “Do all
things without murmuring and arguing…” and misleading teachings (3:2) "Beware
of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of those who mutilate the
flesh!”
He continues throughout chapter 3, suggesting things in
the congregation are the opposite of what he encourages. In 3:17-21, “Brothers
and sisters, join in imitating me, and observe those who live according to the
example you have in us. (HP aside: I'm not ready for you to imitate me.) For many live as enemies of the cross of Christ; I have
often told you of them, and now I tell you - even with tears. Their end is
destruction; their god is the belly; and their glory is in their shame; their
minds are set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is
from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will
transform the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed to the body of
his glory, by the power that also enables him to make all things subject to
himself.”
Then in the last chapter of the letter, he turns to
the problem that he has danced around in the whole letter (4: 1-7), “Therefore, my
brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in
the Lord in this way, my beloved. I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to be of
the same mind in the Lord. Yes, and I ask you also, my loyal companion, help
these women, for they have struggled beside me in the work of the gospel,
together with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the
book of life.
"Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I will say,
Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not
worry about anything, but in everything let your requests be made known to God by
prayer and supplication with thanksgiving. And the peace of God, which
surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Gentleness, peace, kindness, no worries, …"
As his letter is read to the congregation, suddenly he
calls out two of his co-workers, the women, Euodia and Syntyche, because they
have been arguing. We don’t know why, we can only infer from the previous words.
Was it arguing over leadership or religious
interpretation (did one have more authority than the other?), or one of them
siding with the Jewish Christian sect that pushed conversion to Judaism, or
even some of the Libertine excess of Greek religions? We only know that it was
damaging the congregation enough that Paul felt it important enough to address
the persons by name. I suspect the key is that the arguing itself damaged the
congregation’s fellowship, its partnership with Christ. But, we can only infer.
I titled this reflection, “A Certain Woman,”
because Paul gives us in this passage such a beautiful picture of how women like Lydia were critical to the formation of substance of the early church. Clearly
Paul did not hold negative opinion towards women. In so many of the
congregations started by Paul, women were the facilitators and sustainers of
the congregation. He could not do it without them.
I also called it, “A Certain Woman,” because
Paul uses two women to teach us a lesson. Two certain women in Paul’s army or
partnership of Christians proclaiming and living the Good News who also were
creating pain and damage in some unexplained controversy in the congregation.
These two women were Paul’s valued co-workers, but
even they stumble. Paul asked everyone to give them support to get past it, (4:3-7), “Yes, and I ask you
also, …help these women, for they have struggled beside me in the work of the
gospel, together with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in
the book of life…5Let your gentleness be known to everyone…7Let
your gentleness be known to everyone.”
We are a small congregation, probably somewhat like
the Philippians, in numbers, in economy and in faith. We are a small
congregation with a large heart doing God’s work. We are modern day Philippians
beset by a lot of the same conflict of human nature that went on with them.
Some of our dearly beloved members get offended by people and stop coming, or
avoid coming when they know that person will attend. How is the person who
offends, especially a young person, to understand how or that they offended if they
are shunned? People who deeply care about our congregation talk about other
members, perhaps not realizing that words can take on negativity in repetition
getting a distorted, hurtful message back to the other person. For us, Our hearts are gold and we open
our arms to everyone, whether they are downtrodden, not socially proper, rich
or hungry. Paul says, be gentle,
peaceful, kindness, let Jesus worry for you.
I almost picked the Battle Hymn of the Republic for a
hymn today because we all need to stay focused on our freedom in this battle
for survival. The problem with that song is our “war” is fought with humility,
not violence. We are not in a war against people, or nations, though we might say we are in
a war against evil. But really, we have entered freely a fight for spiritual survival
that can be won only if we do as Paul said, “Everyone be of the same mind,
embrace the humility that Jesus had and love and embrace every member of our
congregation.” That means every difficult person who approaches the door of
our Pantry or our front door. Paul closed his letter to the Philippians saying,
“…No church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you
alone… my God will fully satisfy every need of yours according to his riches in
glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.”
As a Christian, we are free and obligated to embrace
anyone who seeks our presence. Remember, the Holy Spirit moves in mysterious
ways. One never knows when one is entertaining an angel, or the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
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