Dear Friends,

One of my favorite women in the Bible is a lady named Lydia.  Have you met her in Acts 16:11-15?  Luke, who wrote the book of Acts, describes Lydia as a "dealer of purple cloth," which means she was a wealthy merchant of the well-to-do.  Luke also describes her as a "worshiper of God" indicating that she was a Gentile who had forsaken the pagan idols to worship the one true God of the Israelites.  And when Paul preached the Gospel in the town of Philippi, God ordained that Lydia would become the first Christian convert on European soil.  In response to God's gift of grace, Lydia wisely stewarded her resources to help Paul plant and lead the first church there. 

I love that Lydia served God's church inside and outside the walls; she didn't just do church work by going to a church building.  She did God's work by going out into the community and sharing her faith in her everyday life.  She was an everyday person doing everyday things with gospel intentionality. 

This Sunday we will recognize and celebrate the gifts that God has given to women and the gifts that women have invested back into God's Church.  Each and every one of us - men and women, young and old -  have been entrusted with gifts by the Holy Spirit, gifts to be developed and deployed to build up the Church in a unique way.  Have you followed Lydia's lead, by being wise stewards of the gifts God has graciously placed in your care? How have you shared the good news in your everyday life?

Grace and peace, 

Helen Harrison Coker