"Down By The Riverside"
A sermon preached on The Sixth Sunday of Easter, May 13, 2007, at Edgemont Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), by the Rev. Christopher E. Yopp. Sermon based on Acts 16:9-15.
There’s something about the riverside that seems to attract us. Now, I don’t know if it’s the shade of the trees from the sweltering sun or the refreshing waters that flow freely and endlessly. But, without a doubt, the riverside is a place of refreshment, rejuvenation, relaxation, healing and life.
Most of us are familiar with the old spiritual, Down by the Riverside. Originally, it was a song associated with the slaves’ struggle for freedom. They longed to be able to gather freely "down by the riverside." To them, the riverside was a place of freedom - a place where they could "lay down their burdens," namely the burden of slavery. After the American Civil War, it became a song of peace for those who were fed up with fighting and wanted to instead "lay down their sword and shield" and "study war no more." For Christians, the song is a reminder that we can go down to the riverside and drink from the living water and sit under the shade of God’s protection. The riverside offers a beautiful analogy for new life and healing.
I can’t think of a better place to gather for worship than "down by the riverside," and such was the setting for Lydia and that group of faithful women that we read about in our Scripture Lesson this morning.
In fact, I can picture in my mind’s eye that scene that Luke paints for us in the 16th chapter of the Book of Acts, real well. As Lydia and the group of women sat listening to Paul share the gospel, I can imagine the wind was rustling the branches overhead until they become a swaying canopy whose shadows danced across the circle of women bowed in prayer. It didn’t matter that Philippi had so few Jews living there that there wasn’t a formal house of prayer; because the riverside was the perfect spot for this little group’s worship service - a green sanctuary, if you will, where they gathered each Sabbath to pray.
The women sat quietly as Paul shared the gospel with them. Suddenly, Lydia wasn’t feeling the breeze of the wind blowing against her skin any longer; but rather, the strong wind of the Holy Spirit flowing through her! I can imagine tears rolling down her cheeks even though she felt like singing. And afterward, she and her household were baptized in the Gangites River, near Philippi. Lydia insisted that Paul and Silas, and probably Timothy and Luke accept her hospitality. Most scholars agree that her home more than likely became the very center of the church in Philippi.
Now, Philippi may have seemed to be an unlikely place to plant the gospel. It had been named for Philip II, who was the father of Alexander the Great, who had been attracted by gold-bearing mountains to the north of the city. It quickly became a prosperous Roman colony located on the main highway linking the eastern provinces to Rome. The citizens of Philippi included a large number of retired Roman soldiers. Despite its size, Philippi didn’t have enough Jews to provide the requisite quorum of ten reliable males to form a synagogue. But, Philippi did have a group of faithful, praying women.
I think it’s interesting to note that Paul had not planned to visit Philippi but was on his way to Asia Minor when he felt constrained by the Holy Spirit to turn back. Soon after that, he had a vision or a dream in which a man from Macedonia begged him, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." Days later he found himself on the riverside preaching to this group of faithful women who had gathered there for prayer.
If we continue on in the 16th chapter, we read that shortly after Lydia’s conversion, she received news that Paul and Silas had been thrown into jail. There crime was they had perform an exorcism on a slave girl and upset at the loss of profits from her fortune-telling, the girl’s owner dragged Paul and Silas before the city magistrates, claiming that they were causing an uproar in the city by advocating customs unlawful for Romans to accept or practice. And, of course, we all know the story real well of Paul and Silas bound and chained in the inner jail, and they began singing hymns and praying while the other prisoner’s listened. Then, we are told, sometime after midnight, there was an earthquake which shook the foundations of the prison so violently that the doors flung open and the chains of all the prisoners fell off. As a result, the jailer and his whole household were converted. After they were released, they returned to Lydia’s home for a short while.
When Lydia did finally say good-bye to them as they continued their missionary journey, she may have remembered the words of his accusers, along with the circumstances that Paul and Silas faced for preaching the gospel. But that didn’t stop her, just as it didn’t stop Paul or Silas. She continue to cause an uproar by preaching and sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ there is Philippi.
As far as we know, Lydia was Paul’s first convert in Europe and the first member of the church in Philippi - a church which would later become a source of great consolation and comfort to Paul when he was imprisoned in Rome.
Perhaps it was her prayers, joined with those of the other women gathered "down by the riverside" that helped prepare the way for the gospel to be planted in Europe. No one really knows or can estimate the full impact these women had; but, nonetheless, they would have had a huge impact on those they came into contact with.
Lydia’s success as a businesswoman in the city of Philippi came from dealing in cloth that had been dyed a particular shade of purple. Originally, she was from Thyatira, located in Asia Minor or modern-day Turkey, the city is now known as, Akhisar. Thyatira was known for it’s wool and dye industries and Lydia probably knew the secret formulas for the dyes made there. Her occupation was one that involved a lot of commercial trade, and she must have been fairly successful, for Scripture records the fact that she had her own home, as well as servants. Her unique position as a woman in business gave her the opportunity to travel, and to learn more about Jesus and Christianity, and to offer her home and hospitality to Paul and his companions as ministers of the gospel.
Lydia not only is a wonderful role model for all women, but for all of us as Christians. She challenges and encourages us to be willing and able to allow God to use us. She teaches us the importance of prayer and leadership, fellowship and service. I am convinced that we need more Lydias in the church today. More men and women who are ready and willing to respond to the Lord’s call. Willing to serve in whatever way needed. While Lydia may not have been a biological mother, she was most certainly a spiritual mother - a church mother and a fitting woman for us to focus on, on this Mother’s Day.
I came across a story this past week of a teacher who gave her class of second graders a lesson on the magnet and what it does. The next day in a written test, she included this question; "My full name has six letters. It starts with an ‘M’ and I pick up things. I have a strong hold and am attracting. What am I?" When the test papers were turned in, the teacher was amazed and shocked to find that almost the whole class answered the question with the word "Mother."
Lydia was a powerful magnet for Christ and the Church. And certainly, the lives of our church mothers are too. We gather this morning to honor and praise them for their strong bound to Christ and his Church, for their magnetic force which leads and drives others to Christ.
The famous female Bluegrass singer, Alison Krauss has written and sung a beautiful song, which appeared in the movie O Brother Where Art Thou? The song is titled; "Down to the River to Pray." The lyrics of the song read;
Most of us are familiar with the old spiritual, Down by the Riverside. Originally, it was a song associated with the slaves’ struggle for freedom. They longed to be able to gather freely "down by the riverside." To them, the riverside was a place of freedom - a place where they could "lay down their burdens," namely the burden of slavery. After the American Civil War, it became a song of peace for those who were fed up with fighting and wanted to instead "lay down their sword and shield" and "study war no more." For Christians, the song is a reminder that we can go down to the riverside and drink from the living water and sit under the shade of God’s protection. The riverside offers a beautiful analogy for new life and healing.
I can’t think of a better place to gather for worship than "down by the riverside," and such was the setting for Lydia and that group of faithful women that we read about in our Scripture Lesson this morning.
In fact, I can picture in my mind’s eye that scene that Luke paints for us in the 16th chapter of the Book of Acts, real well. As Lydia and the group of women sat listening to Paul share the gospel, I can imagine the wind was rustling the branches overhead until they become a swaying canopy whose shadows danced across the circle of women bowed in prayer. It didn’t matter that Philippi had so few Jews living there that there wasn’t a formal house of prayer; because the riverside was the perfect spot for this little group’s worship service - a green sanctuary, if you will, where they gathered each Sabbath to pray.
The women sat quietly as Paul shared the gospel with them. Suddenly, Lydia wasn’t feeling the breeze of the wind blowing against her skin any longer; but rather, the strong wind of the Holy Spirit flowing through her! I can imagine tears rolling down her cheeks even though she felt like singing. And afterward, she and her household were baptized in the Gangites River, near Philippi. Lydia insisted that Paul and Silas, and probably Timothy and Luke accept her hospitality. Most scholars agree that her home more than likely became the very center of the church in Philippi.
Now, Philippi may have seemed to be an unlikely place to plant the gospel. It had been named for Philip II, who was the father of Alexander the Great, who had been attracted by gold-bearing mountains to the north of the city. It quickly became a prosperous Roman colony located on the main highway linking the eastern provinces to Rome. The citizens of Philippi included a large number of retired Roman soldiers. Despite its size, Philippi didn’t have enough Jews to provide the requisite quorum of ten reliable males to form a synagogue. But, Philippi did have a group of faithful, praying women.
I think it’s interesting to note that Paul had not planned to visit Philippi but was on his way to Asia Minor when he felt constrained by the Holy Spirit to turn back. Soon after that, he had a vision or a dream in which a man from Macedonia begged him, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." Days later he found himself on the riverside preaching to this group of faithful women who had gathered there for prayer.
If we continue on in the 16th chapter, we read that shortly after Lydia’s conversion, she received news that Paul and Silas had been thrown into jail. There crime was they had perform an exorcism on a slave girl and upset at the loss of profits from her fortune-telling, the girl’s owner dragged Paul and Silas before the city magistrates, claiming that they were causing an uproar in the city by advocating customs unlawful for Romans to accept or practice. And, of course, we all know the story real well of Paul and Silas bound and chained in the inner jail, and they began singing hymns and praying while the other prisoner’s listened. Then, we are told, sometime after midnight, there was an earthquake which shook the foundations of the prison so violently that the doors flung open and the chains of all the prisoners fell off. As a result, the jailer and his whole household were converted. After they were released, they returned to Lydia’s home for a short while.
When Lydia did finally say good-bye to them as they continued their missionary journey, she may have remembered the words of his accusers, along with the circumstances that Paul and Silas faced for preaching the gospel. But that didn’t stop her, just as it didn’t stop Paul or Silas. She continue to cause an uproar by preaching and sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ there is Philippi.
As far as we know, Lydia was Paul’s first convert in Europe and the first member of the church in Philippi - a church which would later become a source of great consolation and comfort to Paul when he was imprisoned in Rome.
Perhaps it was her prayers, joined with those of the other women gathered "down by the riverside" that helped prepare the way for the gospel to be planted in Europe. No one really knows or can estimate the full impact these women had; but, nonetheless, they would have had a huge impact on those they came into contact with.
Lydia’s success as a businesswoman in the city of Philippi came from dealing in cloth that had been dyed a particular shade of purple. Originally, she was from Thyatira, located in Asia Minor or modern-day Turkey, the city is now known as, Akhisar. Thyatira was known for it’s wool and dye industries and Lydia probably knew the secret formulas for the dyes made there. Her occupation was one that involved a lot of commercial trade, and she must have been fairly successful, for Scripture records the fact that she had her own home, as well as servants. Her unique position as a woman in business gave her the opportunity to travel, and to learn more about Jesus and Christianity, and to offer her home and hospitality to Paul and his companions as ministers of the gospel.
Lydia not only is a wonderful role model for all women, but for all of us as Christians. She challenges and encourages us to be willing and able to allow God to use us. She teaches us the importance of prayer and leadership, fellowship and service. I am convinced that we need more Lydias in the church today. More men and women who are ready and willing to respond to the Lord’s call. Willing to serve in whatever way needed. While Lydia may not have been a biological mother, she was most certainly a spiritual mother - a church mother and a fitting woman for us to focus on, on this Mother’s Day.
I came across a story this past week of a teacher who gave her class of second graders a lesson on the magnet and what it does. The next day in a written test, she included this question; "My full name has six letters. It starts with an ‘M’ and I pick up things. I have a strong hold and am attracting. What am I?" When the test papers were turned in, the teacher was amazed and shocked to find that almost the whole class answered the question with the word "Mother."
Lydia was a powerful magnet for Christ and the Church. And certainly, the lives of our church mothers are too. We gather this morning to honor and praise them for their strong bound to Christ and his Church, for their magnetic force which leads and drives others to Christ.
The famous female Bluegrass singer, Alison Krauss has written and sung a beautiful song, which appeared in the movie O Brother Where Art Thou? The song is titled; "Down to the River to Pray." The lyrics of the song read;
"As I went down in the river to pray
Studying about that good old way
And who shall wear the starry crown
Good Lord, show me the way !
O mothers let's go down,
O mothers let's go down,
Let's go down, don't you want to go down,
Come on mothers let's go down,
Down in the river to pray."
And so, let us thank God for those who have shown us the way - especially our church mothers. Those who have led us to the "river of life." We celebrate their ministry and we say thank you. Thank you for your hard work! Thank you for your tireless devotion! Thank you for your unfaltering dedication! Thank you for your enduring patience! And thank you for your sacrificial love to us and to Christ and his kingdom. Happy Mother’s Day!
posted by Pastor Christopher @ 10:05 AM
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