Gateway to the World
May 25, 2025 Sixth Sunday of Easter
Ladue Chapel Presbyterian Church
Psalm 67 Acts 16:9-15
“Gateway to the World”
Melissa K. Smith
I moved to St. Louis a little over three years ago and I remember my first weekend like it was yesterday. It was the week after I was ordained and had started at my first call. My brother was here to join me and help me settle in and we knew we needed to make a very important “first weekend in St. Louis” stop: We needed to go to Busch Stadium. At this time Albert Pujols was playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers and we were excited to see his St. Louis home. As we drove to Ballpark Village, we saw, for the first time, the Gateway Arch. I was taken aback at how large and visible it is.
After our Ballpark Village field trip, we walked to see the Arch. We did not go into it; we did not even go into the museum. We just went to the park and looked up. Months later I was able to go into the museum and up into the arch. It was there that I learned that the arch is a symbol to serve as the gateway to the west, an arch to represent Thomas Jefferson’s vision for a transcontinental nation.
I stood under the arch and looked east – thinking of where we have come as a nation and thinking of the dreams and hopes that came to fruition. Then I turned my eyes west – thinking of where we are as a nation, realizing that we are still hoping and dreaming of what we can be, but I was able to see realized dreams.
Lydia’s door was the gateway to the west – she opened her heart and her home, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ entered Europe for the first time.
Lydia was from a place called Thyatira. Thyatira was formerly the ancient kingdom of Lydia in Asia Minor back in the Iron Age – some have thought that her biblical name could have come from calling her “the Lydian lady”. If you look at a modern-day map, Thyatira would be where Turkey is.
In Asia Minor, Christianity was beginning to circulate, and it was a place where Judaism was well known. It was perhaps in her hometown she learned about the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We don’t know how her interest in God was started, but we know she was interested.
I love all the unknowns with Lydia. We don’t know if she was Jewish or if she was a Gentile, we don’t know if she was a widow or not, we don’t know where her interest in God came from.
What we do know is that she was praying outside the city, she was a craftswoman and her trade was purple cloth, and she was the head of a household.
Paul and his companions arrived in Philippi in response to a vision Paul had of a Macedonian man saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” This is Paul’s second missionary journey – he had three primary missionary trips all incredibly long and expansive. His first brought him to Antioch (modern-day Syria), Cypress, and Galatia (modern-day Turkey). His second brought him through Asia Minor and Europe including places like Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, Athens, and Corinth. His third brought him back to familiar churches and to new places to establish churches spanning Asia Minor, Greece, and Macedonia.
The book of Acts is not shy about telling us where Paul’s ministry was occurring. So Paul and those traveling with them found themselves following God’s call to Macedonia. They sailed to Troas, a pivotal port between Europe and Asia Minor. They then traveled to Samothrace, an island in the Aegean Sea, and made their way to Neapolis, an ancient Greek city in Northern Greece. From there they made their way to Philippi which is a territory in Macedonia.
Paul had a rhythm to his ministry. When he arrived in a city he would go to the local synagogue first. But he did not go to a synagogue in Philippi. Why? Likely because there was not a minyan – a consistent group of at least 10 men to start and maintain a synagogue. They have gone beyond Jewish territory. The lack of a synagogue did not stop Lydia and the other women who prayed to God and who were curious about God. So, they found space just outside of town to pray. Paul found her there.
Verse 13 says, “On 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.” Paul didn’t jump into a lecture on the customs of their time, he did not shut down their prayer operation because there was not a minyan, a proper quorum.
Paul went to this gathering and joined the women. Together they talked about the Gospel, and together they prayed. While Paul was sharing about Jesus Christ, Lydia’s heart was opened. Verse 14 says, “The Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul.” Lydia heard and received the Gospel and in response she and her whole household were baptized. You can hear echoes of Joshua 24:15, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
Lydia was a leader. She was ready. She was willing.
Her response to the Gospel was twofold: she responded by saying yes to God through her baptism and she responded with radical hospitality – she said, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay at my house.”
Paul and his companions of course deemed her faithful – they just baptized her. So they stayed. At the end of Acts 16 we read about Paul and Silas being imprisoned for their ministry. After they were released from prison, scripture says, “They went to Lydia’s home; and when they had seen and encouraged the brothers and sisters there, they departed” (Acts 16:40). Lydia’s home became a sanctuary, a church, and a gateway.
Through her door the Word of the Lord flowed, and people came to know Jesus Christ. Through her door people found refuge and safety and love. Through her door people experienced the call of God and were empowered to go out. Lydia’s heart and home served as the gateway to the world – the Gospel was set free to be shared beyond Asia Minor and into Europe. God called Paul to Macedonia. Lydia was there. The Gospel and the creation of the church flourished. By the Holy Spirit the Kingdom of God was being established one person, one prayer circle, one household at a time.
I can so easily imagine Lydia praying Psalm 67 with her household and with the church established in her care. The beginning of Psalm 67 says, “May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, that your way may be known upon the earth, your saving power among all nations. Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you.”
Paul’s ministry was dynamic. He would travel to new places and establish churches, but he would also write to the churches – we have many of his letters in scripture. In the beginning of his letter to the church in Philippi he says, “To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now.”
In many ways Lydia’s front door served as the gateway to the world, creating a space for people to encounter the Gospel, to remember their baptisms, and to go out into the world.
The Gateway Arch isn’t any more of a technical gate as Lydia’s door is a physical gate. But the Gateway Arch serves as a reminder to all of us of the dream our American forefathers and mothers had – and the dream we still cherish in our hearts of who we are and who we can be as a nation. Lydia’s home held within it and provided beyond it the dream of the Gospel being carried out to the ends of the earth, her home held the charge of doing justice and loving kindness and walking humbly with God. And her home served as a launching pad for Paul, Silas, Timothy, and all who opened their hearts to God and were led by the Spirit.
Is your home a gateway for the Gospel? Is your heart a gateway? Have you prayed to God asking that he might open your heart to receive his Word?
May Lydia’s response to the Gospel inspire us to open our hearts, perhaps our homes, and our imaginations to receive the Gospel and respond to the Gospel.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
Ladue Chapel Presbyterian Church
Psalm 67 Acts 16:9-15
“Gateway to the World”
Melissa K. Smith
I moved to St. Louis a little over three years ago and I remember my first weekend like it was yesterday. It was the week after I was ordained and had started at my first call. My brother was here to join me and help me settle in and we knew we needed to make a very important “first weekend in St. Louis” stop: We needed to go to Busch Stadium. At this time Albert Pujols was playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers and we were excited to see his St. Louis home. As we drove to Ballpark Village, we saw, for the first time, the Gateway Arch. I was taken aback at how large and visible it is.
After our Ballpark Village field trip, we walked to see the Arch. We did not go into it; we did not even go into the museum. We just went to the park and looked up. Months later I was able to go into the museum and up into the arch. It was there that I learned that the arch is a symbol to serve as the gateway to the west, an arch to represent Thomas Jefferson’s vision for a transcontinental nation.
I stood under the arch and looked east – thinking of where we have come as a nation and thinking of the dreams and hopes that came to fruition. Then I turned my eyes west – thinking of where we are as a nation, realizing that we are still hoping and dreaming of what we can be, but I was able to see realized dreams.
Lydia’s door was the gateway to the west – she opened her heart and her home, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ entered Europe for the first time.
Lydia was from a place called Thyatira. Thyatira was formerly the ancient kingdom of Lydia in Asia Minor back in the Iron Age – some have thought that her biblical name could have come from calling her “the Lydian lady”. If you look at a modern-day map, Thyatira would be where Turkey is.
In Asia Minor, Christianity was beginning to circulate, and it was a place where Judaism was well known. It was perhaps in her hometown she learned about the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We don’t know how her interest in God was started, but we know she was interested.
I love all the unknowns with Lydia. We don’t know if she was Jewish or if she was a Gentile, we don’t know if she was a widow or not, we don’t know where her interest in God came from.
What we do know is that she was praying outside the city, she was a craftswoman and her trade was purple cloth, and she was the head of a household.
Paul and his companions arrived in Philippi in response to a vision Paul had of a Macedonian man saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” This is Paul’s second missionary journey – he had three primary missionary trips all incredibly long and expansive. His first brought him to Antioch (modern-day Syria), Cypress, and Galatia (modern-day Turkey). His second brought him through Asia Minor and Europe including places like Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, Athens, and Corinth. His third brought him back to familiar churches and to new places to establish churches spanning Asia Minor, Greece, and Macedonia.
The book of Acts is not shy about telling us where Paul’s ministry was occurring. So Paul and those traveling with them found themselves following God’s call to Macedonia. They sailed to Troas, a pivotal port between Europe and Asia Minor. They then traveled to Samothrace, an island in the Aegean Sea, and made their way to Neapolis, an ancient Greek city in Northern Greece. From there they made their way to Philippi which is a territory in Macedonia.
Paul had a rhythm to his ministry. When he arrived in a city he would go to the local synagogue first. But he did not go to a synagogue in Philippi. Why? Likely because there was not a minyan – a consistent group of at least 10 men to start and maintain a synagogue. They have gone beyond Jewish territory. The lack of a synagogue did not stop Lydia and the other women who prayed to God and who were curious about God. So, they found space just outside of town to pray. Paul found her there.
Verse 13 says, “On 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.” Paul didn’t jump into a lecture on the customs of their time, he did not shut down their prayer operation because there was not a minyan, a proper quorum.
Paul went to this gathering and joined the women. Together they talked about the Gospel, and together they prayed. While Paul was sharing about Jesus Christ, Lydia’s heart was opened. Verse 14 says, “The Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul.” Lydia heard and received the Gospel and in response she and her whole household were baptized. You can hear echoes of Joshua 24:15, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
Lydia was a leader. She was ready. She was willing.
Her response to the Gospel was twofold: she responded by saying yes to God through her baptism and she responded with radical hospitality – she said, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay at my house.”
Paul and his companions of course deemed her faithful – they just baptized her. So they stayed. At the end of Acts 16 we read about Paul and Silas being imprisoned for their ministry. After they were released from prison, scripture says, “They went to Lydia’s home; and when they had seen and encouraged the brothers and sisters there, they departed” (Acts 16:40). Lydia’s home became a sanctuary, a church, and a gateway.
Through her door the Word of the Lord flowed, and people came to know Jesus Christ. Through her door people found refuge and safety and love. Through her door people experienced the call of God and were empowered to go out. Lydia’s heart and home served as the gateway to the world – the Gospel was set free to be shared beyond Asia Minor and into Europe. God called Paul to Macedonia. Lydia was there. The Gospel and the creation of the church flourished. By the Holy Spirit the Kingdom of God was being established one person, one prayer circle, one household at a time.
I can so easily imagine Lydia praying Psalm 67 with her household and with the church established in her care. The beginning of Psalm 67 says, “May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, that your way may be known upon the earth, your saving power among all nations. Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you.”
Paul’s ministry was dynamic. He would travel to new places and establish churches, but he would also write to the churches – we have many of his letters in scripture. In the beginning of his letter to the church in Philippi he says, “To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now.”
In many ways Lydia’s front door served as the gateway to the world, creating a space for people to encounter the Gospel, to remember their baptisms, and to go out into the world.
The Gateway Arch isn’t any more of a technical gate as Lydia’s door is a physical gate. But the Gateway Arch serves as a reminder to all of us of the dream our American forefathers and mothers had – and the dream we still cherish in our hearts of who we are and who we can be as a nation. Lydia’s home held within it and provided beyond it the dream of the Gospel being carried out to the ends of the earth, her home held the charge of doing justice and loving kindness and walking humbly with God. And her home served as a launching pad for Paul, Silas, Timothy, and all who opened their hearts to God and were led by the Spirit.
Is your home a gateway for the Gospel? Is your heart a gateway? Have you prayed to God asking that he might open your heart to receive his Word?
May Lydia’s response to the Gospel inspire us to open our hearts, perhaps our homes, and our imaginations to receive the Gospel and respond to the Gospel.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
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