October 14, 2023 — What IF…?

What if Lydia Was Terrified of Snails?

“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. A certain woman named Lydia, a worshiper of God, was listening to us; she was from the city of Thyatira and a dealer in purple cloth. The Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul. When she and her household were baptized, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay at my home.” And she prevailed upon us.” Acts 16:13-15

While it is not certain whether Lydia was of Jewish descent, we can say that she was at least a Jewish proselyte. “She worshipped God,” we are told. Often businesspeople are so engrossed in their affairs they have no time for religion. But Lydia, in spite of all her secular obligations, found time to worship according to the Jewish faith. And because she made her way to the riverside for prayer, she was there when Paul appeared. Being in the business of extracting dye for the color purple was expensive, and time consuming. Purple dye was derived from the mucus of the hypobranchial gland of Murex shellfish (snails). These snails were prominent in the waters of Thyatira. The snails (12,000 were needed to extract just 1 ½ grams of pure dye) were gathered in autumn or winter and kept alive until they had the proper amount. Smaller shells were crushed while larger shells were pierced allowing the milky fluid to flow. The extract was placed into brine where vinegar was added and the entire batch was set in the sun until the color gradually changed – a final boiling would further concentrate the liquid. One website claims:

“One gram of purple dye was valued more than ten grams of gold and a pound of wool dyed with a favored purple could be sold for 1,000 denarii, a sum that would take a laborer three years to earn. A whole cloak of such material might cost three times that amount.” (trivialdevotion.blogspot.com, Lydia: Purple Peddler, Sept. 2, 2011)

Perhaps it was because she was in such a lucrative business that she had the time to join the women’s prayer group. If she was terrified of snails, perhaps she would not have been in this business, and then would not have had the luxury to join the women’s prayer group, and then would not have been there to meet Paul, and she and her family would not have been baptized.

Sometimes we think our jobs and our faith are two different worlds. I think this attitude narrows the sphere of our faith experiences – and our potential mission field.

Pastor Dave

October 13, 2023 — What IF…?

What if Ananias and Sapphira Didn’t Hold Anything Back?

“But a man named Ananias, with the consent of his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property; with his wife’s knowledge, he kept back some of the proceeds, and brought only a part and laid it at the apostles’ feet. “Ananias,” Peter asked, “why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back part of the proceeds of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, were not the proceeds at your disposal? How is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You did not lie to us but to God!” Now when Ananias heard these words, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard of it. The young men came and wrapped up his body, then carried him out and buried him. After an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. Peter said to her, “Tell me whether you and your husband sold the land for such and such a price.” And she said, “Yes, that was the price.” Then Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test? Look, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.” Immediately she fell down at his feet and died. When the young men came in they found her dead, so they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. And great fear seized the whole church and all who heard of these things.” Acts 5:1-11

The story of Ananias and Sapphira is a difficult, yet powerful story from the early church. The problem with our friends Ananias and Sapphira is, perhaps, that they wanted to be seen as generous, perhaps more generous than they really were. The church’s well-intentioned sharing of goods probably led to a considerable amount of subtle pressure on members to make donations. In other words, when one member, or several make significant donations and sacrifices to the church community, others will want to look as if they too can make such a sacrifice. So, perhaps Ananias and Sapphira got caught up in a band-wagon effect. The couple wanted to appear as outstanding church members, but they didn’t want to part with their possessions. In order to have both, they pretended to give the full price of the sale of their property to the Apostles. But they secretly kept part of the money for themselves, thus trying to deceive the community. But what if they had given everything to the community? And what if they did not lie to Peter?

It would seem that the reputation of Peter, his power and his faithfulness to the community would have spread mightily after this encounter. Acts chapter 5 goes on to say that a great fear seized the church and all who heard of this account. If Ananias and Sapphira did not withhold anything from the sale of their property, they would have gone on to remain nameless and faceless among those who lived within the community of the believers following the Day of Pentecost. Could it be that, by their selfish actions, their sudden and shocking deaths serve more to embolden the power and position of Peter rather than if they had remained faithful followers? I think this is a fair question. Obviously, by being named as liars, and suffering the shocking judgment of Peter, the fear their story produces continues to have an impact within the church community – well, for those who even know their story.

When we consider reading the Bible and taking the words and teachings of G-d seriously, we have stories like these that have the power to keep us up at night.

Pastor Dave