The Color Assumption

Acts 16:9-15

 

Happy Mother's Day, this scripture is perfect for Mother's day. Lydia is essentially one of the first church "mothers" along with others mentioned in Acts. Like Tabitha the only one named as a disciple (Acts 9:36) and Pricilla and Aquila who in Acts 18:24-26 are described as teachers. Specifically correcting Ephesus on the "Way of God." See Lydia came down to the river to pray with others God worshippers and she had her whole household baptized. Made me think about my own household and upon reflection it was my mom that was in charge of our church going and faith. This may be your experience as well as it seems that mothers are in charge of the faith, but that is simply a stereo type. For instance, my son parents are both ordained ministers (Pray for him). Yet even he goes to his mom when he gets hurt over me, and I think that is one aspect of God to be like a mother. When Luke, the writer of Acts, writes about going down to the river it is mentioned they talk to many women but they mention Lydia specifically as she had her whole household baptized.

I reflect back on the first house I can remember at 4 y.o. when we moved to New England from New York. See my mom was in charge of the house and my dad felt he was in charge of the land. See my dad came from Rural poverty and had not had land for at least 12 years when he left for college on a scholarship. My mom came from city poverty as a first generation American and she had lost her father at the age of seven, making it very difficult to have enough money. My mom decorated the house and choice the church, while my dad saw to the garden. He got a pig. He was excited to raise animals again, but he commuted into New York City everyday leaving the pig to the "city girl." Needless to say the next year we had a well fertilized garden.

My mom was in charge of the house, but the point is not on women as leaders in this scripture but the assumption based on money.

Having a pig in a the affluent town was not normal in this town in Connecticut and while we were never as poor as our parents grew up it was less then the "norm" and for some they looked down on us for having a pig, or a car not running in the driveway, etc. (a culture not shaken easily) Once even someone gave my mom this compliment after discovering she was first generation American "you should be scrubbing my toilet." This created one of my mother's favorite sayings, "I don't care if you have money, if you don't care that I don't."

This is the real point of this scripture. See Paul and Silas went and it states they talked to the women, and as the other scriptures in Acts I shared earlier it was normal to have women in roles of leadership. Paul makes that clear with his statement in Galatians 3:28 "There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus." In this scripture, it is more important that Lydia sells purple. I cannot emphasize enough how rare and valuable her merchandise is in the time period. She is rich. Rich enough that she is probably a widow who had enough money to keep her household herself, which would include slaves and many families as a household was an economic unit larger then our contemporary idea of household. She was very rich and "well-to-do" and yet she was going down to the river to meet with the Jews who worshiped the one God. Curious about knowing the one God she went to the river and met Paul and ultimately met Jesus through the witness she found. The point here is that we often hear in church how we must help the poor and marginalized. I will often preach that and witness that, yet I do not want to forget my mother's wise advice, "I don't care if you have money, if you don't care that I don't." This for me reminds me that people who drive nice cars and seem to have it all are also broken and are looking for something at the "river," at church. A great example of this is the blood drive we will be participating in next week, for we will be giving our blood to others who need it despite their social economic position. This is really what the Gospel is about, Jesus gave blood to help everyone poor and rich. So next time you think someone has it all together, remember Lydia who went down to the river for something found Jesus and thus her whole household was baptized.