One of the ways I prepare to write my sermon is to read the scripture slowly… Then I read it again… slowly…. The third time, I pick up a pen and circle the words that jump out at me… This week, the three words that jumped out were opened, heart and listen. I was also conscious that we would have an Indigenous guest speaker… and how would she ‘hear’ my words. When I came up here to practice the piano this week, I noticed the choir anthem from a few weeks ago, ‘Breathe, Listen and Notice.’ And one of the Facebook posts I designed based on last week’s reflection “The whole assembly kept silence, and listened…”
Our reading today marks a turning point in the spread of the early Christian movement. Paul and his companions, guided by a vision from God, have crossed into Europe for the first time, arriving in the Roman colony of Philippi. Here, they encounter Lydia, a woman of considerable status and independence. A dealer in purple cloth—a luxury item in the ancient world—Lydia is both a successful businessperson and a seeker of God.
What unfolds in these few verses is a quiet yet powerful moment: the first recorded Christian conversion in Europe. Through Lydia’s openness, the gospel takes root in a new continent, and a household is transformed. This story invites us to consider how divine encounters can happen in ordinary places, through unexpected people, and how hospitality and listening to each other, and the spirit, create space where hearts are opened.
Let’s listen to what Paul has to say about his encounter with Lydia, it’s written in Acts 16: 11-15.
11 We therefore set sail from Troas and took a straight course to Samothrace, the following day to Neapolis, 12 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. 13 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. 14 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. 15 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.
Lindsay Hardin Freeman, in her book Bible Women, gives Lydia the following characteristics: enterprising, compelling, faithful, hospitable, generous, evangelistic. Lydia, a businesswoman in her own right… who is the first convert in her town… and upon hearing Paul’s testimony, brings her entire family to be baptized.
And part of the story that we didn’t read today is Paul being imprisoned and Lydia welcoming him back into her home after that. Brave, compassionate, generous. You’d think a woman like that would have any number of churches named after her. But very few United Churches are named after women. In Brooklyn, NY, there is a church that was formed in 2008 and it’s called St. Lydia’s. It’s a Dinner Church, they come together on Sunday evenings, prepare a simple meal together, worship around tables, with sermon, singing and prayers. They discuss the reflection and then clean up together. Two of my favourite things: church and cooking!
St. Lydia’s started out as a house church… but have since moved into storefront space that doubles as art space, and rental space for all sorts of events and hosts and after school program. St. Lydia’s is not a fringe church, they are connected with the Lutheran church. Living out hospitality, generosity and compassion. http://www.stlydias.org/
Dinner church was an idea touched on just briefly yesterday as the governing bodies of Stairs, Grace and St. James met yesterday morning under the leadership of Rev. Jeff Chant to “To create a shared 10-year sustainable vision for the 3 churches that honours their individual identity while identifying opportunities for collaboration in ministry that creates a deeper sense of unity and
mission in Dartmouth.” Debra’s going to talk about that a bit more later.
What I was struck my yesterday, or maybe it was because of how ‘listen’ had been a key word from the reading, was how well we were listening to each other. There was much animated discussion… and Jeff sometimes had a challenging time getting us back from our breakout sessions, but I thought there was good listening.
Listening is what Lydia did… when Paul spoke to her… and she responded… but Paul also listened when Lydia invited him and his companions into her home. A relationship was established… and relationships require listening… Do you remember the process I led you through in the first few months I was here?
Yes, Listening Circles!
And it wasn’t you listening to me… it was me listening to you… Listening with an open heart… and an open mind… and then eventually putting that all together and you listened to what the entire community had said.
Listening requires intention… and it takes energy… Joan and I were chatting after the session yesterday as we were washing and drying the cups… She mentioned how challenging it is to hear in a large gathering, how much energy it takes to filter out the background noise. And while not minimizing that it’s more challenging for her with a hearing impairment, listening to each other, takes energy and intention.
To be willing to have an open heart and perhaps be transformed in ways that you didn’t know were possible. It’s scary and it’s exhilarating and it’s overwhelming and it’s invigorating. And it’s of the Spirit! Imagine what could happen if we truly listened to each other with open hearts.
Lydia’s story reminds us that transformation often begins not with grand gestures, but with simple acts of presence, hospitality, and deep listening. She listened eagerly, and in doing so, her heart was opened—not just to Paul’s words, but to the movement of the Spirit within her. That same Spirit is at work amongst us.
What new possibilities might emerge if we let our listening lead us—not only to understanding, but to action, to welcome, to generosity? As we continue to discern a shared future for our churches, may we do so in the spirit of Lydia: enterprising, faithful, and open. May we be brave enough to listen deeply, to speak honestly, and to offer hospitality to one another and to the Spirit’s leading. Whether around a meeting table or a dinner table, may we be a community that breathes, listens, and notices—together.
Thanks be to God for the challenge and the opportunity. Amen.
Acts 16: 11-15
May 25, 2025 – SJ
Rev. Catherine MacDonald
Photo – Nick Fewings on Unsplash
St. James United Church Dartmouth 