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A HERO OF
HOSPITALITY
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sp;
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sp;
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sp;
Acts 16:11-15
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sp;
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Lydia had an open mind, an open heart, and an open door to the Gospel.<=
/h2>
A sermon preached by
Dr. William O. (Bud) R=
eeves
First United Methodist Church
Hot=
Springs, Arkansas
September 14, 2008
On April 6, 2000, Rick=
y and
Toni Sexton were taken hostage inside their Wytheville, Virginia, home by a fugitive couple on=
a
crime spree. Toni had taken h=
er
poodle outside when Dennis Lewis, 37, and Angela Tanner, 20, roared into her
driveway, pointed pistols at her, and yelled at her to get back inside the
house.
Inside the house, the
Sextons turned their hostage experience into an opportunity to demonstrate
Christian love. They listened=
to
their captors' troubles, fed them, showed them Christian videos, read to th=
em
from the Bible, prayed and cried with them. During negotiations with the
police, Ricky Sexton refused his own release when their kidnappers suggested
that they might end the standoff by committing suicide.
The hostage situation =
had an
unusual ending. Before surren=
dering
to the police, Angela Tanner left $135 and a note for the Sextons that read:
"Thank you for your hospitality. We really appreciate it. …Wish all luck & love. Please accept this. It really is all we have to offer. =
Love, Angela and Dennis."=
=
[1]
That’s how you turn a
situation around with Christian love and hospitality.
Ricky and Toni Sexton =
are
heroes of hospitality. Today
we’re talking about heroes of hospitality, those who have the spiritu=
al
gift of welcoming others. One=
of the
great Biblical heroes of hospitality is Lydia. We only learn about Lydia in the 16th chapter of Ac=
ts,
but just the few clues we get tell us a good bit about Lydia.<=
span
style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> She was from Thyatira, a town that=
was
famous for its fine fabrics, and she was a dealer in purple cloth. The dye for purple cloth was incre=
dibly
expensive, so to deal in purple cloth meant Lydia was on the well-capital=
ized
end of the business sector, specializing in high-end fabrics for the upscale
Philippian.
Lydi=
a was the very first co=
nvert
in Europe, and she is a case study in the
unique character of this new faith called Christianity. The early church included a number=
of
women in its leadership, a practice that was unheard of then and is still n=
ot
universally practiced 2000 years later. Lydia’s conversion was =
also a
clear indicator that the Christian movement was cutting across the boundari=
es
of nation and class to include people from all walks of life. Slaves, craftsmen, and merchants, =
Jews and
Gentiles were all being called into a relationship with Jesus Christ. It was an inclusive fellowship fro=
m the
very beginning.
Lydia may also have been the very first
Methodist. A few years ago, we
adopted the marketing slogan, “Open Hearts, open minds, open
doors—the people of the United
Methodist Church.” That’s what Lydia h=
ad: an
open mind, an open heart, and an open door. Maybe she was a Methodist long bef=
ore
Wesley. Let’s look at t=
hose
qualities of hospitality today.
Lydia had an OPEN
MIND to the good news of Jesus Christ.=
The apostle Paul brought the message from Asi=
a. Philippi,
a regional center, a Roman outpost, a hub of trade and politics, was the fi=
rst
stop on Paul’s “European tour.” It was a great place to start a
church. On the Sabbath, Paul =
and
his companions would usually attend the local synagogue and share the good =
news
about Jesus first with the Jews.
But there was no synagogue in Philippi,
so they went outside of the city to a spot by the river, and sure enough, t=
here
were some women there holding a prayer meeting. One of them was Lydia.<=
span
style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Acts calls her a “worshipper=
of
God.” This probably mea=
ns she
was what the Jews called a “God-fearer,” a person who believed =
what
the Jews believed, but had not formally joined the Jewish faith. Maybe for that reason, Lydia w=
as open
to the presentation of the Gospel that Paul preached: “The Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said=
by
Paul.”[2]
The first step toward
hospitality is to keep an open mind.
Paul’s message was unlike anything they had ever heard there i=
n Philippi. Jesus
Christ, descended from David, was the One anointed by God to be the Messiah,
the Savior of the world. The =
Jews
rejected him, arrested him, crucified him, and buried him. Then God powerfully raised Jesus f=
rom
the dead, and there were many witnesses who saw him alive. By putting our trust in Jesus, we =
can
receive forgiveness of our sins, be saved from death, and be assured of ete=
rnal
life. Lydia
heard this Good News by the river in Philippi.
Sometimes we need to b=
e like
Lydia
and hear the Good News again.
Sometimes we need to be like Paul and be ready to share the Good News
with those who have not heard it.
Can you tell someone the faith story in about two minutes? That may be the only window you ha=
ve
with some people to change the course of their lives.
I like the simplicity =
of the
alphabet gospel. Everybody kn=
ows
the alphabet. The good news of
salvations is simply a matter of A, B, C, D, and E.
“A” stands for “Admit your need.” Acknowledge your sin and desire to=
be in
communion with God. That̵=
7;s
repentance.
“B” stands for “Believe in Jesus Christ.” Not just with your head, but also =
with
your heart. Put your faith and
trust in him.
“C” means “Confess your sins.” Tell God what you’ve done
wrong. God is already aware o=
f your
mistakes and shortcomings, but confession is a prerequisite to forgiveness.=
“D” is for “Decide.” Decide to follow Jesus. Dedicate your life to discipleship=
. Make Jesus your model, and do ever=
ything
you can to walk with him.
“E” means “Enjoy.” Life in Christ is abundant life. Life in Christ continues beyond de=
ath to
eternal life in heaven. Openi=
ng our
mind to the Gospel brings every blessing God can give you: love, peace, joy,
fulfillment, wholeness. This =
is
good stuff!
But it’s more th=
an a
mental exercise. If the good =
news
of salvation is going to translate into discipleship and hospitality, there=
has
to be an OPEN HEART. Lydia heard the message of Pa=
ul
with her mind, then she opened her heart to receive God’s grace. She accepted Christ, and she and h=
er
whole household were baptized by Paul.&nbs=
p;
Paul’s witness plus Lydia’s openness result=
ed in
lives that were changed. If w=
e can
be sensitive to those around us, we will find that many people have open mi=
nds
and open hearts. We will find
opportunities to share a word of encouragement or good news that can really
make a difference in a person’s life.
Eastman Curtis is a yo=
uth
pastor who had stopped one night at a convenience store with a friend to get
some gas. It was apparent tha=
t the
woman behind the counter had been crying.&=
nbsp;
Eastman looked at her and said, “Has anybody let you know today
that Jesus really loves you?”
Eastman’s friend Jeff freaked out, took off, and dived into the
van in the parking lot. But t=
here
was nobody else in the C-store, so Eastman took a few minutes to share the
Gospel with this clerk. He fo=
und
out she was going through a very difficult time in her life, and before he
left, she prayed with him and asked Christ to come into her heart. When she did that, her whole count=
enance
changed, and she smiled for the first time.
When Eastman got back =
into
the van, Jeff said, “Don’t ever do that again!”
“Do what?”
Eastman said.
“Witness to some=
one
like that,” Jeff said.
“Didn’t you see how embarrassed that lady got?”
Eastman responded,
“Jeff, you got more embarrassed than she did. In fact, I prayed with her, and she
received Christ.” Toget=
her
they both went back into the store so Jeff could see for himself that the w=
oman
was radiant with the love of God, a complete turnaround from what she was j=
ust a
few minutes earlier.[3]
An open mind and an op=
en
heart lead to an OPEN DOOR. This was Lydia&#=
8217;s
claim to fame; she opened her home to the Gospel. Once she had been converted and
baptized, she took Paul and Luke and the others into her home, where they s=
tayed
for the duration of their Philippian ministry. Lydia was a hero of
hospitality. She could take p=
eople
in and make them feel at home and take care of their needs and free them up=
to
do more important things.
Don’t you know people like that? It’s a Biblical and spiritual
gift. In Romans, Paul encoura=
ges
the church to “extend hospita=
lity
to strangers.”[4] I Peter 4:9-10 says, “Be hospitable to one another without
complaining. Like good stewar=
ds of
the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you=
has
received.” Lydia h=
ad the
gift of hospitality; she could throw a party. According to Jesus, the Kingdom of God is a party, a banquet, a
celebration, and we ought to be inviting people in![5]
The result of Lydia o=
pening
her heart and her home to the Gospel was tremendous. Paul established a strategic minis=
try
there in Philippi. Because he didn’t have to wo=
rry
about where he was staying or his meals, he could devote full time to start=
ing
a church. It was an important
location, and Philippi became a key
church. Through the hospitali=
ty of Lydia, the Gospel of Jesus Christ gained a
foothold in Europe.
That’s our missi=
on
still today. To make a hospit=
able
place to share the good news of Jesus Christ, so the Gospel can gain a foot=
hold
in Hot Springs, Arkansas. So lives can be changed. So people can get connected to God=
, to
each other, and to the world. So
our community can be transformed.
That’s why we do all this goofy stuff like wear nametags, and
greet one another, and start new worship services, and develop outreach
programs. We want to welcome =
the
world into the arms of Jesus Christ, where we have found life.
Opening the door of the
church is one thing, but the truth is, Lydia welcomed the Christians=
into
her actual home. They ate at =
her
table; they slept in her guest room; they made themselves at home. We can open our family homes to the
Gospel as well. Home is the b=
est
place of all to welcome Christ.
When Christ is in the home, marriages are strengthened, children are=
nurtured
spiritually, peace reigns, and even the dogs and cats are nicer to one
another. That’s the pla=
n,
anyway. It doesn’t alwa=
ys
work out that way. In fact, t=
he
home can be the toughest mission field there is, especially if one member of
the family is resistant to the Gospel.&nbs=
p;
Home is where they know all your bad habits; they see you at your
worst. When faith itself is a
source of tension or conflict in the home, it is difficult to make a
witness. It is hard for the p=
eace
of Christ to reign.
But with God, all thin=
gs are
possible. Keep your home open=
to
the Gospel, and God can do some surprising things with your family. John Granger has a son named Scott=
who
left home after years of drug abuse.
He had lied to his parents, stolen from them, manipulated them, and
utterly disappointed them. Th=
ey
hadn’t heard from him in two years, and frankly, it was a lot easier =
that
way.
One day Scott called a=
nd
asked to come home. But this
prodigal son story had a twist.
Scott had been through a Christian rehabilitation program, and a
spiritual change had come over him.
"I met Jesus Christ,” he told his dad. “I’ve been forgiven fo=
r my
past. I want to ask you and m=
om to
forgive me, too.” =
So Scott came home. Granger hardly recognized the
well-groomed, bright-eyed young man who came off the plane. In the days that followed, Scott s=
hared
how in the midst of withdrawal symptoms, he had a vision of Jesus Christ on=
the
cross, and he cried out to him for help.&n=
bsp;
Immediately the symptoms ended.&nbs=
p;
That experience led Scott back to church. “I asked Jesus to be my
Lord,” he said quietly, “and it hasn’t been the same
since.” Now Scott was w=
orking
with other addicts to help them find Christ.
John Granger and his w=
ife
had ignored God and the church since the days Scott first got in trouble. But here was a change so dramatic =
that
they just couldn’t ignore it.
Based on the witness of this converted prodigal son, they opened the=
ir
hearts and their home again to Christ, and peace finally came over their
family.=
[6]
The hospitality of Lydia resulted in a foothold in Europe for the fledgling movement called
Christianity. Opening our hea=
rts
and our homes to the Gospel has an even better result. We get a foothold in heaven. An open mind and an open heart ope=
n the
door to a heavenly home. Jesus
promised it to his disciples on the night before he died: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me=
. In my Father’s house are many
dwelling places. If it were n=
ot so,
would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place fo=
r you,
I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, you may =
be
also.”[7]
That’s hospitality!=
That is the promise of the Gospel =
that
Paul shared with Lydia 2000 years ago, and that is the Good News I bring to=
you
today. Open your hearts and y=
our
homes to God, and you get the house!
You have real estate in heaven!&nbs=
p;
You will inherit eternal life.
I want to welcome you =
home
today. If you are far from the
house, let me tell you, we’ve left the light on for you. The door is unlocked. Your Father is waiting. Come home.
If you’re standi=
ng on
the front porch today, feeling like you’re almost there, almost in, b=
ut
you just need to take that final step, let me encourage you. The journey is not complete until =
you
come in the house. Pick that =
foot
up; step over the threshold; make the decision of faith today, and come
home.
And if you’re al=
ready
in the house today, if you are living and walking with Christ day by
day—good for you! Would=
you
hold the door, please? Would =
you
open it a little wider by welcoming a stranger? Would you hold out your hand and h=
elp
someone cross the threshold into faith?&nb=
sp;
Thank you very much! A=
men!