Lydia of Thyatira: Courageous Hospitality

Prayer

O Sovereign God, you are holy indeed, mighty to save, and with us always. Open our ears and our hearts as we learn about one of your faithful servants. By the power of the Holy Spirit, allow these words to penetrate and move us to action and humility as we love and serve you, the one true and living God, and as we love and serve all of God’s people through courageous hospitality. In the name above all names, Jesus Christ, our Lord, amen.

Key Scripture

Acts 16:11-15

“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 16:14-15).

Introduction to Lydia in the Bible

The story of Lydia in the Bible takes place during the time when Paul was growing his ministry. While Paul wanted to remain in Asia, he had what is called the “Macedonian Vision.” Paul crossed the river and went to a city called Philippi, in modern-day Greece. Since there was no synagogue, Paul and his companions went to the riverbank “where [they] supposed there was a place of prayer; and [they] sat down and spoke to the women who had gathered there” (Acts 16:13). At this point in the story, Luke tells us of this certain woman named Lydia. She was from “the city of Thyatira and a dealer of purple cloth” (v. 14). Lydia listened eagerly to Paul. She and her household were baptized. Lydia then invited Paul and his companions to come and stay in her home.

Digging Deeper: Who Was Lydia in the Bible?

Lydia of Thyatira is a true worshiper of God who was at the riverbank praying. Luke tells us that she is from the city of Thyatira, so Lydia is an immigrant. She is a dealer of purple cloth. Purple cloth was valuable and expensive. It was also linked to royalty and nobility. In Mark 15:17, the soldiers mocked Jesus with a purple robe and called out, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 

Lydia probably was a wealthy and well-known business person in a period when women were not given much time or space. This reveals that she had an education and skill, and she also possessed the strength and determination to work in a male-dominated society. The passage also tells us that she and her household were baptized. So, Lydia was clearly an influential and respected person in her family, too. 

At the river, Lydia met Paul and she listened eagerly to him. She had a deep desire and was keenly interested in what she was hearing. Acts 16:14 says, “The Lord opened her heart.” What does it mean to have an open heart? In this context, it seems like Lydia was willing to be changed. She wasn’t set in her ways; she didn’t go about her life with her head down and her ears closed. She remained open, and that openness led to her transformation. Like Moses leaving his path to encounter the Lord in the burning bush (Exodus 3), Lydia allowed her path to shift to make room for how the gospel claimed her that day. 

Lydia offered God courageous hospitality by making room in her heart for God through baptism. She also offered Paul and his companions courageous hospitality, making room in her home for her new gospel companions. 

Lydia is mentioned again in Acts 16:40, where she continues to show courageous hospitality to Paul and Silas. “After leaving the prison they went to Lydia’s home; and when they had seen and encouraged the brothers and sisters there, they departed.”

She Is Called We are Called

As we think about our own courage and strength, are we able to immerse ourselves into prayer, the Word of God, and the acceptance of all people into our churches? Lydia of Thyatira teaches how the power of prayer allows us to open our hearts to the Lord in reciprocal communication, praying for others to come to God and experience the joy of a life with Christ. She teaches us the value of reading Scripture and placing it in our hearts. In the same way Lydia offered hospitality to Paul and his companions, we can offer hospitality to the Word of God.

Lydia also shows us courageous hospitality by inviting these men of God into her home. This would have been frowned upon during that time because strange men would be entering the home of a woman. This was not only courageous but radical and unconventional for that time period. This kind of courageous hospitality is a genuine way to show love for Christ and to Christ.

When Jesus was asked, “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’” (Matthew 22:36-40). To love everyone equally is a true sign of our love for God and a desire to be Christ-like. The apostles urged the Church to have hospitality. First Peter 4:9 says, “Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.” And Hebrews 13:2 says, “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing so, some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.”

Lydia of Thyatira showed this courageous hospitality to Paul and his companions not once (Acts 16:15b) but twice (Acts 16:40) in Philippi. Many scholars believe that it was Lydia, the first convert in Europe, that started the church in Philippi. Perhaps this is why Luke felt it important that he introduce us to Lydia, and why it is important for us to know that Lydia is more than a few descriptive adjectives.

How can we model our lives after Lydia’s courageous hospitality? She offered it in ways that were meaningful in her society. What would it look like for us to do likewise in our own time and place? We are called, as worshipers of God and followers of Christ, to love God and to love others, to welcome those who are not welcomed by society. By taking the vulnerable step of offering courageous hospitality, we become Lydias in our own context as we welcome, learn, and grow.

Conclusion

We are called to be like Lydia, one who obeys Christ as we pray and listen eagerly so that we may lead with love. An open heart of courageous hospitality is a powerful and faithful response to the grace which God gives us. We are called to open our hearts and our church to all people, regardless of race, sexual orientation, identity, gender, status, or abilities. Jesus Christ came to give hope and a future to the oppressed, the marginalized, the diminished, the broken, and the outcast.

We are called to be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ, to show love and courageous hospitality to all of God’s people as we invite all people and the Triune God into our lives, our hearts, and our churches.