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+ + + In Nomine Jesu + + +
Pastor Galler is on vacation, but, before he left, for our reflection this morning on today’s First Reading, Pastor Galler edited a sermon by The Rev. Kurt R. Ziemann, pastor of Zion Lutheran Church in Painesville, Ohio. Rev. Ziemann’s sermon was published in the current volume of Concordia Pulpit Resources (29:2, pp.41-44), to which publication Pilgrim subscribes primarily in order to supply sermons on occasions such as this, when our pastor is away and the congregation has not otherwise supplied the pulpit. The edited sermon reads as follows:
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Alleluia! Christ is risen! (He is risen indeed! Alleluia!)
Signs, signs, everywhere signs. “No shirt, no shoes, no service.” “Don’t walk on the grass.” “Do not disturb.” There are signs we may dislike: “Speed Limit 60 miles per hour,” “Limit One Per Customer,” “Limited Time Only.” We may dislike them because they limit us. We want life to be without bounds, free, so we may dislike signs that limit us. And then there are signs we long to see. For example, if we or a loved one is sick, we desperately look for a sign of improvement—a sign that things are going to get better. People look for signs in their relationships. “Does she love me? Should I get more serious in this relationship?” Those of you looking for work: you are looking for a sign too, are you not? You are looking for direction. You are looking for hope. And what about the signs in our church? For example, how do you know it is Easter? What are the signs? There is the aroma of Easter lilies and the Easter breakfast. There may be the sound of choirs and the cry, “Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!” There are the sights of Easter dresses and ties and a church that may be more full than usual. Maybe you even see people you have not seen since Christmas. Then Easter goes. How do you know? The aroma and sound of Easter are no more. Attendance drops. Life seems to return to its unending rut. But wait! Is that all there is? Are we really thinking the effect of Easter has come and gone? Not so today. God’s Word is filled with Easter signs, and today we see them in a woman named Lydia. Let us consider today’s First Reading using the theme: “The Conversion of Lydia Is One of the Signs of the Power of Christ’s Resurrection.”
We met Lydia, as it were, when we heard the Divinely‑inspired St. Luke write the following:
“And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to the riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down and spoke to the women who had come together. One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods”.
What do we learn here? We get a couple of signs that tell us about this woman, Lydia. We learn that Lydia was from the city of Thyatira, a small city in Asia Minor that was a commercial center, especially known for its rich crops and its production of purple dye. Logically enough, then, Lydia was a dealer in purple cloth. Purple cloth was costly and purchased primarily by the nobility. These signs tells us that Lydia was probably a businesswoman of some wealth. Are these signs of Easter? Certainly not. The color is wrong, and there’s no hint of the resurrection. But, the First Reading also says that Lydia was “a worshiper of God”. “Worshiper of God” is a term that was often used as a “sign” pointing to Gentiles who believed in the Jewish God, Yahweh. However, although they believed in God, they were not yet believers in Christ. So is Lydia’s being “a worshiper of God” a sign of Easter? No, but we’re getting closer.
Let us continue. The First Reading goes on: “The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul”. We don’t know what Paul said, but he certainly must have shared the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which would include what we confess in the creeds. He must have told that Jesus had died on the cross for her and of the victory of Easter and life for all who believe. And, through God’s divine work, she paid attention! She heard! Her heart was opened! But that is not all! Notice that she didn’t waste any time getting baptized along with the members of her household, which probably included children. Their being baptized was surely a sign. In Lydia and her household’s Baptism, they were united in Christ’s death and resurrection (Romans 6:3-5). They had faith, and salvation was theirs. Yet, the miracle did not stop there. Faith produced fruit. She begged Paul to allow her to host the missionaries in her home; she said: “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay”. And St. Luke reports, “She prevailed upon us.” Her new faith simply would not allow her not to express her faith in works of kindness. Later we even see Paul returning to stay with Lydia—she obviously was an active member of the church.
What we see in Lydia is just how powerful the message of Easter is— it brings life and salvation! We see the signs! We see an open heart that hears the Word and receives the gifts from Word and Baptism to create faith. Then we see evidence of that faith in good works—the hospitality she offers to Paul and his companions. God calls. God opens hearts. God creates faith, and God empowers for service. These are the signs of Easter, and these marks are the work of the Holy Spirit, as we confess in the Small Catechism as it explains the Third Article of the Creed, in part: “I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith”.
Lydia was a miracle of God’s wondrous love and proof positive that the effects of Easter linger on. But, let us not stop with Lydia. You and I, too, are signs, signs of life, signs that Easter goes on living, living in hearts and voices. Maybe right now you and I do not feel like much of a sign, though. Maybe the effect of Easter left us long ago. Such a feeling would be the work of the devil, the world, and our sinful nature, which aim to steal our victory and lead us to despair. If possible, their goal is to turn our eyes from the empty tomb and turn them inward to ourselves and our worldly desires. Is it any wonder that the Church often grows quiet and seemingly lifeless nearly forty days after the resurrection? Let it not be so!
Thanks be to God! He is patient and merciful. Christ died and rose for you! The Holy Spirit works through His Word and Sacraments to build faith in us, which happens despite the devil’s, the world’s, and our sinful nature’s attempts to mislead and distract us. But, still God works. Like Lydia, our hearts are opened, and through the power of the Spirit, faith is strengthened. And then, too, as with Lydia, faith produces fruit: hands that serve, voices that proclaim, arms that comfort and provide, and legs that take us where we need to be. The Gospel of Christ crucified and risen has this effect. The victory of the empty tomb lives on and on and on.
Clearly, there is no way to silence the effect of Easter. Easter goes on because Jesus lives, and, because Jesus lives, we also live.
Amen.
Alleluia! Christ is risen! (He is risen indeed! Alleluia!)
The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
+ + + Soli Deo Gloria + + +