August 28th - Acts 16:15

Acts 16:15 When Lydia and the members of her household were baptised, she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us. Paul’s first convert in Europe was a businesswoman. Lydia came from what we now know as western Turkey and was a dealer in the purple cloth for which her home area was famous. As Paul travelled around, he normally began his ministry in a synagogue, but it would seem that there wasn’t one in Philippi. So he went to the river, where he met up with a group of women who gathered together to pray. As Paul spoke with them, Lydia responded to his message and was baptised. It is fascinating to see that her first response was to offer hospitality, and it seems that she was very insistent. Hospitality was crucial for the early Church because there were no Christian buildings for many years. The only way they could meet was by people generously opening up their homes. In many ways, our homes are an extension of our personalities, and it is possible to become extremely possessive of them. The suggestion that “an Englishman’s home is his castle” isn’t just a jokey saying. It is possible to be defensive and selfish about where we live. However, the New Testament frequently encourages hospitality. It is good if we have a secure home that we love, but in common with all God’s gifts, our homes are given to us so that we can give them away. Question In what ways have you experienced the blessing of Christian hospitality? Prayer God our Father, thank you for the gift of my home and for the privilege of being able to share it with others. Amen