Sermon for June 12th, 2016 - Revision history

Iraneal at 07:22, 12 June 2016

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Iraneal at 07:21, 12 June 2016

2016-06-12T07:21:29Z

Iraneal at 06:53, 12 June 2016

2016-06-12T06:53:20Z

Iraneal at 06:34, 12 June 2016

2016-06-12T06:34:47Z

Iraneal at 06:11, 12 June 2016

2016-06-12T06:11:47Z

Iraneal at 05:53, 12 June 2016

2016-06-12T05:53:53Z

Iraneal at 05:05, 12 June 2016

2016-06-12T05:05:33Z

Iraneal at 04:57, 12 June 2016

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Iraneal at 03:10, 12 June 2016

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Iraneal at 02:36, 12 June 2016

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 Turkey is roughly shaped like a big rectangular box. And that's Paul's problem. He's run out of cities and options. He's boxed in.  Speaking of boxes, a few days ago at our Presbytery meeting in Seminole, Texas, Rev. Mike Murray led a group of pastors and elders in the following exercise:
-[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thinking_outside_the_box Nine Dots Puzzle]]
+*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thinking_outside_the_box Nine Dots Puzzle]
 So how does Paul get outside his box?  Well, he has a little help from God.  We read in verse 9: "During the night Paul had a vision: there stood a man of Macedonia pleading with him and saying, Come over to Macedonia and help us."

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 Finally, I want to end today with a few questions:
-*Who are the Macedonians God is placing in your head and heart today?
+*Who are the Macedonians God is placing in your head and heart?
 *Who are the ones pleading, "Come over and help us?"  even if, on the surface it seems like they don't need our help and aren't asking for it at all?
-*Who are the ones outside our comfortable boxes that God is calling us to?
+*Who are the ones outside our comfortable boxes that God is calling us to today?

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 There are so many things to glean from this story it's hard to know where to begin:
 *Direction and vision often come to us in our darkest hour, when we're ready to give up.
-*Direction and vision require an openness to where God is leading, even if it's outside our box, outside our familiar comfort zone.
+*Success requires a willingness to actually go where God leads. It will most likely be outside the box.

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 We all owe a debt of gratitude...to Lydia.  We are all Lydia's children.
-So who is Lydia?  Unfortunately, we don't know much.  Lydia isn't even really a name.  It's a region, an Thyatira is a city in that region.  It's like saying, "Hi, I'm Texas, from El Paso."  She's a seller of purple cloth.  Actually, the NRSV translation just sticks that word "cloth" in there, the Greek version just says she's a seller of purple.  Maybe purple cloth, maybe purple dye, maybe purple dinosaurs...?  Purple, whatever it is, is a sign of wealth and power in the Roman Empire.  If she's selling cloth, she's selling Armani and Versace.  She's a business woman.
+So who is Lydia?  Unfortunately, we don't know much.  Lydia isn't even really a name.  It's a region, an Thyatira is a city in that region.  It's like saying, "Hi, I'm Texas, from El Paso."  She's a seller of purple cloth.  Actually, the NRSV translation sticks that word "cloth" in there, while the original Greek version just says she's a seller of purple.  Maybe purple cloth, maybe purple dye, maybe purple dinosaurs...?  Purple, whatever it is, is a sign of wealth and power in the Roman Empire.  If she's selling cloth, she's selling Armani and Versace.  She's a business woman in Macedonia, where women already had considerably more rights and privileges than further East.
+There are so many things to glean from this story it's hard to know where to begin:
-*Direction often comes in our darkest hour.
+*Direction and vision often come to us in our darkest hour, when we're ready to give up.
+*Direction and vision require an openness to where God is leading, even if it's outside our box, outside our familiar comfort zone.
-*Flexibility and openness to where God is leading us.  Paul would have remained in Turkey.
-−
-*No Jewish synagogue in the city -- when the "familiar" doesn't work, we are forced to truly launch into the unknown.

← Older revision		Revision as of 06:11, 12 June 2016
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	We all owe a debt of gratitude...to Lydia. We are all Lydia's children.		We all owe a debt of gratitude...to Lydia. We are all Lydia's children.
		+
		+	So who is Lydia? Unfortunately, we don't know much. Lydia isn't even really a name. It's a region, an Thyatira is a city in that region. It's like saying, "Hi, I'm Texas, from El Paso." She's a seller of purple cloth. Actually, the NRSV translation just sticks that word "cloth" in there, the Greek version just says she's a seller of purple. Maybe purple cloth, maybe purple dye, maybe purple dinosaurs...? Purple, whatever it is, is a sign of wealth and power in the Roman Empire. If she's selling cloth, she's selling Armani and Versace. She's a business woman.

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 Nevertheless, we read in verse 10 that, "When he had seen the vision, we immediately tried to cross over to Macedonia, being convinced that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them."  Notice the shift in pronouns here:  "we" tried to cross, God had called "us"to proclaim.  Before this in Acts, it's always "they" and "them."  At some point, therefore, we can presume that the author of the book of Acts has joined Paul on his travels.
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 *Flexibility and openness to where God is leading us.  Paul would have remained in Turkey.
 *No Jewish synagogue in the city -- when the "familiar" doesn't work, we are forced to truly launch into the unknown.

← Older revision		Revision as of 05:05, 12 June 2016
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	Where is Macedonia? It's outside the box. Turkey is in West Asia, or the Near East. Macedonia is in modern day Greece. In other words, it's in Europe, an entirely different continent, an entirely different box. And what a different box it is. Macedonia in the 1st century was a wealthy Greek city located on one of the most prosperous trade routes of its day. Its people were highly educated, well-employed, and loyal to the Greek and Roman pantheon of gods. Basically, we know that Paul is having a dream or a vision, because "Come over and help us" are precisely the last words any real Macedonian man would ever say. If anything, it should be the other way around.		Where is Macedonia? It's outside the box. Turkey is in West Asia, or the Near East. Macedonia is in modern day Greece. In other words, it's in Europe, an entirely different continent, an entirely different box. And what a different box it is. Macedonia in the 1st century was a wealthy Greek city located on one of the most prosperous trade routes of its day. Its people were highly educated, well-employed, and loyal to the Greek and Roman pantheon of gods. Basically, we know that Paul is having a dream or a vision, because "Come over and help us" are precisely the last words any real Macedonian man would ever say. If anything, it should be the other way around.

−	Nevertheless, we read in verse 10 that, "When he had seen the vision, we immediately tried to cross over to Macedonia, being convinced that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them." Notice the shift in pronouns here: "we" tried to cross, God had called "us"to proclaim.	+	Nevertheless, we read in verse 10 that, "When he had seen the vision, we immediately tried to cross over to Macedonia, being convinced that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them." Notice the shift in pronouns here: "we" tried to cross, God had called "us"to proclaim. Before this in Acts, it's always "they" and "them." At some point, therefore, we can presume that the author of the book of Acts has joined Paul on his travels.
		+
		+

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 There are several places in the Bible where we see phrases like "their hearts were hardened," or in this case, "they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit" or "the Spirit did not allow them to go."  That's usually shorthand for "They got rejected." Or, "No one wanted to hear what they had to say."
-Paul is at a low point in his ministry.  In Antioch, things were easy.  There were crowds of people eager to hear the gospel, ready to be taught. But now, every place he turns, doors are closing.  All of the places mentioned in these verses (including Antioch) are in modern day Turkey. Paul's home city of Tarsus is also in Turkey.  Turkey is roughly shaped like a big rectangular box.
+Paul is at a low point in his ministry.  In Antioch, things were easy.  There were crowds of people eager to hear the gospel, ready to be taught. But here, now, every place he turns doors are closing.  I wonder sometimes if Paul, after all these rejections, was on the verge of giving up.
 *Direction often comes in our darkest hour.
 *Verse 10:  They becomes we.
 *No Jewish synagogue in the city -- when the "familiar" doesn't work, we are forced to truly launch into the unknown.
-*Connecting the dots.
+*Come over and help us...something no macedonian man would ever say.

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 Going strange new places and meeting new people with strange customs is certainly a theme in today's scripture passage.
-In our story of the very first church in the first century, last week our hero, the Apostle Paul, hit a low point in his ministry.  He split up with his mentor and long-time partner Barnabas, and struck out in a new direction.  Things immediately get worse.  Listen to the two verses right before today's reading:
+In our story of the very first church in the first century, last week our hero, the Apostle Paul, split up with his mentor and long-time partner Barnabas, and struck out in a new direction.  Things immediately get worse.  Listen to the two verses right before today's reading:
 "6They went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. 7When they had come opposite Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them; 8 so, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas."
+Paul is at a low point in his ministry.  In Antioch, things were easy.  There were crowds of people eager to hear the gospel, ready to be taught. But now, every place he turns, doors are closing.  All of the places mentioned in these verses (including Antioch) are in modern day Turkey. Paul's home city of Tarsus is also in Turkey.  Turkey is roughly shaped like a big rectangular box.
 *Flexibility and openness to where God is leading us.  Paul would have remained in Turkey.

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-==Acts 16:6-15==
+==Acts 16:9-15==
-They went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. 7When they had come opposite Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them; 8 so, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas. 9During the night Paul had a vision: there stood a man of Macedonia pleading with him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10When he had seen the vision, we immediately tried to cross over to Macedonia, being convinced that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them. 11We set sail from Troas and took a straight course to Samothrace, the following day to Neapolis, 12and 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. 13On 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. 14A 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. 15When 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.
+During the night Paul had a vision: there stood a man of Macedonia pleading with him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10When he had seen the vision, we immediately tried to cross over to Macedonia, being convinced that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them. 11We set sail from Troas and took a straight course to Samothrace, the following day to Neapolis, 12and 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. 13On 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. 14A 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. 15When 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.
 ==First Church: Come Over and Help Us==
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 They usually arrive early and stay late. It is such a beautiful facility and the acoustics are marvelous; even the faintest sounds can be heard throughout the facility. The last time my wife and I went was six years ago, and it was so crowded we had to stand up the whole time we were there.  I would like to say it pains me very much not being able to go more regularly, but it is surely no lack of desire on my part. As we grow older it seems to be more of an effort, particularly in cold weather. If you decide to come down to our campground, perhaps I could go with you the first time you go, sit with you, and introduce you to all the other folks (remember, this is a very friendly community)."
 *Flexibility and openness to where God is leading us.  Paul would have remained in Turkey.