May 21: Lydia of Thyatira

The Collect of the Day

Lydia of Thyatira

Eternal God, who gives good gifts to all people, and who grants the spirit of generosity: Give us, we pray you, hearts always open to hear your word, that, following the example of your servant Lydia, we may show hospitality to those who are in any need or trouble; through Jesus Christ our Lord who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Lydia of Thyatira

Eternal God, who givest good gifts to all people and dost grant the spirit of generosity: Give unto us, we pray thee, hearts always open to hear thy word, that, following the example of thy servant Lydia, we may show hospitality to those who are in any need or trouble; through Jesus Christ our Lord who lives and reigns with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Acts 16:11–15
Psalm 100
Luke 15:8–10

Lydia of Thyatira was Paul’s first European convert. She was a Gentile woman living in Philippi who, like many others, was interested in the Jewish faith, but had not converted. As what the Jewish community called a “God-fearer” she was undoubtedly accorded some level of respect by the Jewish community, but would not have been treated as a full member of the Jewish community in Philippi.

Paul encountered her on a riverbank where she and a group of women had gathered for Sabbath prayers. Paul and his companions began to talk with the women, and God “opened her heart” to hear what Paul had to say about Christ and the Gospel. Lydia believed what she heard and, as was the custom when the head of a household converted, her whole household was baptized along with her.

Lydia was a prosperous cloth merchant and had the means to offer hospitality to the apostles during their time in Philippi. Her home, having served as a base of operations for Paul and his companions, became the location of a house church in Philippi. Although she is not mentioned by name outside of Acts 16, her significant role in enabling the spread of the Gospel in Philippi has led to her recognition as a saint in a wide range of Christian traditions, including the Roman Catholic Church, the Orthodox Church, and many Protestant traditions. In the Orthodox Church she is given the title “Equal to the Apostles” for her role in spreading the Christian faith.

Lessons and Psalm

First Lesson

Psalm

¹Be joyful in the Lord, all you lands; *serve the Lord with gladness and come before his presence with a song.

²Know this: The Lord himself is God; *he himself has made us, and we are his; we are his people and the sheep of his pasture.

³Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise; *give thanks to him and call upon his Name.

⁴For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; *and his faithfulness endures from age to age.

Gospel

¹¹We set sail from Troas and took a straight course to Samothrace, the following day to Neapolis, ¹²and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city for some days. ¹³On 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. ¹⁴A 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. ¹⁵When 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.