Sunday Sermon at St. Paul Lutheran Church

Minden , Nebraska

The Sixth Sunday of Easter

“A Gospel To Get You: Giving Lord”

(Acts 16:14 ,15)

May 13, 2007

Talk about an invitation to dinner, and supper, and a place to start a church. When I go back and look at the story of Lydia, “a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira near Philippi,” my focus, my main interest in this conversion story of a prominent, religious, business woman with a large household is the woman's thoughtfulness, her boldness, after her conversion & baptism, persuading Paul and Silas & Luke to stay at her house .

Was this a natural thing or was this a new thing, a different thing, an amazing thing for Lydia to do -- given how successful & busy she must have been with her business & all?

I don't know how others read this story but the way I read it, it strikes me that some pretty amazing things happen when the Good News of Jesus Christ “ gets a person” or “gets thru to them”.

Reminds me of a story about another woman told by a sharp, witty, Disciples of Christ author & retired professor of preaching, named Fred Craddock. How I like Dr. Craddock's stories!

Dr. Craddock tells about a time he was invited to preach at Advent services down in Oxford , Ga. near Atlanta . The mid-week services were so well-attended they had two of them each week of Advent.

A woman came late to one of those services, came late with noisy children. Everyone noticed her. It was hard not to notice her. The kids were really noisy, distracting, restless.

At the fellowship time afterward, the woman came up to Dr. Craddock and said, “You don't know me, but I'm the one with the noisy kids.” And Dr. Craddock said, “Yeah, I noticed when you came in.”

They talked a little. The next week the woman was back without the kids. At the fellowship time after the service she said, “You remember me?”

Dr. Craddock said, “Yeah, you're the one with the noisy kids.”

Then the woman said, “I didn't bring them tonight.”

“You didn't?” said a surprised Dr. Craddock.

“No,” she said, “I take the kids and go late when I don't want something to get to me. I came tonight without them.”

That left Dr. Craddock wondering: Did she want the Gospel to get her; to get through to her? Yes? No? Then the woman said, “You won't believe what a mess I've made of my life.” “The Gospel got her , got to her.” (from Craddock Stories, Chalice Press, pp. 117, 118)

When you come here to worship do you want the Word of God, the Good News of God's Son, Jesus Christ, to get you, to get through to you & keep getting through to you?

I'll be the first to admit I am not a great one for preaching the Gospel in a way that “gets” people or brings about conversions in people; but I do believe one of the hardest things for religious folks to grasp these days about faith & the salvation that arises from faith in Jesus Christ is the connection between what God does & what we do.

I'm talking about the connection between the saving work of God; the Good News of God reconciling the world to Himself thru Jesus Christ, which we call justification ; and what those who are reconciled are moved, inspired to do – to be helpful, hospitable, generous, loving, gentle, patient, thoughtful, kind; all of which is the Holy Spirit's work - called sanctification .

Such ordinary, every day, little, unselfish, mother-like deeds & duties we can be doing when the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus gets us – yet such a big, unfamiliar, uncommon name for it, sanctification. Sanctify, sanctified, sanctification, is God entering into our every day lives; God's Holy Spirit working in us a new thing , breathing new life into our tired lives; like fresh water bubbling up from a well; like living water running, overflowing from a fountain, deep & wide.

It's not that new Christians or even long-time Christians are totally conscious of this either; or that they think about it or make a big deal of it. The truth is, sometimes new Christ ians wind up offering their services; opening themselves up to help others; volunteering for programs, projects, partnerships pleasing to God that surprises even them.

Good example - Lydia ! The Book of Acts is full of stories of prominent people, both men & women who were attracted to the preaching of Paul & his partners. The story of Lydia is one of several stories Luke uses to demonstrate the effectiveness Paul's preaching & teaching – how the Gospel of Jesus Christ touched lives, touched hearts, got through to people whose homes and families were in communities were dominated by pagan culture & pagan institutions.

Did Lydia of Thyatira have a husband? Was she a mother? Was she a widow, a single parent, a divorcee? Did she have noisy household? Whether Lydia was a mother or not what we know from the details Luke provides is that Lydia was a woman eager to hear & she listened intently to the good news Paul proclaimed concerning the risen Lord Jesus Christ. Prominent, successful, religious business-woman Lydia was, interested in worshipping the God of the Jews, Lydia 's heart was touched. In the midst of carrying on her successful, business career, The Lord opened Lydia's heart to respond to Paul's message, prompting one commentator to say of Lydia that as, “a woman most likely decisive in other respects she was also decisive in responding to a good thing when she saw it.

And it's not like Lydia was simply caught up in a kind of momentary, emotional, teary-eyed, spiritual high that soon evaporated & left her busy with her business again. Later on, when Paul & Silas were ready to leave Philippi and move on down the road to Thessalonica, they stopped again at Lydia 's house where they met with their new brothers & sisters in Christ & encouraged them.

Talk about God's good news of Jesus Christ getting through to people, that small congregation of believers at Philippi that grew to be such a generous & supportive congregation of Paul and his ministry had it's beginnings, its worship services, its study of the apostles teachings, its fellowship meals, its breaking of bread, in Lydia's house.

It happens wherever & whenever the Good News of Jesus Christ gets through to unworthy, undeserving, busy, weary people; people who are moved by the Spirit to acknowledge, to confess, to begin to see a door opening, a light going on, love from above getting through to them. And that door - that light - that love is Jesus Christ Himself.

How does it happen; when does it happen; where does it happen? It's when people start to open up; start to acknowledge; say to the preacher who preaches the Good News of Jesus . .

You won't believe what a mess I've made of my life . .

You won't believe how long I've lived with this guilt . .

You won't believe how much my life has been missing good news . .

You won't believe how hard it is trying to balance work & business & family & children & aging parents & managing a household.

And what is the Good News of Jesus Christ that gets people?

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest, says Jesus. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.(Matt.11:28-30)

Somewhere I read, “A mother's love is the fuel that enables a normal human being to do the impossible.”

Or sometimes a mother's love is the fuel that enables a handicapped child to do their best in spite of their handicap.

So it is with the saving, redeeming, forgiving love of the Lord Jesus Christ. The love of Jesus, the grace of God made manifest in the life & love of Jesus is the fuel that enables human beings to do the impossible, to be new creations, to put on a new nature, to be come good stewards of all that a giving Lord gives them.

Jesus' gracious invitation to come to Him & find our rest & peace & hope for eternal life in Him carries with it the power to restore unto us both the joy of our salvation & the joy of serving. Jesus doesn't tell us to go out into the world & conquer it; he calls us into a yoked relationship with himself. We are not so much sent out as invited along.

Come unto me, you weary, and I will give you rest,

O Blessed voice of Jesus, which comes to hearts distressed!

It tells of benediction, of pardon, grace, and peace, of joy that

has no ending, of love which cannot cease. (LW, 345, William Dix)

Not just come, but come along. Not just receive, but share. Not just “by grace you have been saved through faith – but “we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works.” (Eph. 2:8-10)

Upon hearing Paul's message of Good News, Lydia did what God wants us all to do –she believed. She responded to Paul's Word by being baptized, her & her whole household. Then she said to Paul & his companions, If you consider me a believer in the Lord, come & stay at my home.

What a good time of the year to be thinking about this, not just because it's Mother's Day, but because it's the month of May and May means churches making a difference in peoples lives; churches needing willing, loving, believing volunteers for Vacation Bible School; for church cleanings; for landscaping projects, for greeting & ushering on Sunday mornings; for helping to serve at funeral dinners; for visiting in care homes, joining in prayer chains.

What's the old saying? A man's work is from sun to sun, but a mother's work is never done. Neither is God's work, getting the Gospel out, letting the Gospel get to people never done.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever! Amen (Eph. 3:20 ,21)