Cross Cultural Ministry

Read Acts 16:9-15
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Honestly, if you think about it, the chances of Paul and Lydia meeting are rather slim. For Paul,
coming from as far as he did with all of the twists and turns of his travels. Think of all the
various arguments that had happened between Paul and other apostles out sharing the gospel
with Gentiles. And that Paul wanted to go to Bithynia. And then they happened to go down to
that river right at the time that Lydia was there. For Lydia, based on what little we know about
her she was a busy woman. Selling expensive goods, being active in her religious life already,
she is like Mary and Martha melded into one. No, this meeting would never have happened had
one side or the other not been willing to listen and be led by the Holy Spirit.
And so by the power of the Holy Spirit, they are brought together. Paul shares the gospel, and
Lydia responds with faith through the act of receiving baptism. This intersection we see of God’s
goodness and faithfulness with the human act of willingness to listen is beautiful. As one
commentator says, “The longing heart of a faithful woman is opened by the gracious impulse of
a faith-giving God in an act that, like the incarnation itself, is at once fully human and fully
divine. Like Lydia we are astonished when, looking back, we can say only that our steps were
guided and our hearts opened.”
In both of my home countries right now, both in Germany and in the U.S., there are lots of
voices saying that this hospitality is unnecessary. Somehow people are even saying that it may be
unbiblical. That we should stay in our own little groups and protect what has been given to us.
Like the servant who buried his talent in the parable Jesus tells in Matthew 25, instead of using
what God has given us to do good works for him, voices in society are telling us that we should
be fearful of using our gifts for those around us. If you reread that parable, you will notice that
the servant who was told they are wicked and lazy says, “I was afraid and went out and hid your
gold in the ground.” Rather than being driven by curiosity, hospitality, and faith, the servant is
driven by fear, which is exactly the rhetoric we hear today.
But that is neither what God called Paul and Lydia to be, nor is that the calling for you and me.
These charges here are for all of us, no matter where we find ourselves in the world today. Three
things: that like Paul, we listen to the Holy Spirit when the Spirit calls. We step out into the
uncomfortable norms and be willing to try something new serving beside one another as Paul did
with his group of missionaries. Second, like Lydia, we need to be faithful in our gospel
hospitality. We must invite one another in and around our table. Listen to voices that sound
different than yours. And third, like both Lydia and Paul, we stand counter to the voices around
us and proclaim goodness, mercy, and kindness. We show others around us what it actually
means to be the beloved body of Christ by the way we interact with those in our congregations
and those we do not yet know.
Beloved, we are called just as Paul and Lydia. We are Christ’s co-heirs, held close to the heart of
God. Let’s witness, and like Lydia we will be astonished when, looking back, we can say only
that our steps were guided and our hearts opened.

Rev. Chelsea Lampen is an ordained minister of Word and sacrament in the Reformed
Church in America. She co-pastors with her husband, Jeff, for RELISH (the Reformed English
Language International Service in Hannover) in Hannover, Germany. Chelsea also serves as the
World Communion of Reformed Churches staff liaison for the CANAAC (the Caribbean and
North American Area Council) Region.