Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“A certain woman named Lydia, a worshipper 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.”
NL Daily Devotion for Saturday, May 14, 2022
by Dr. Kimberly Leetch, Clergy Stuff
The story of the conversion of Lydia is one of the more notable stories of a woman whose role in the early church was critical to its success. I think sometimes we hold up this story as proof that women existed in antiquity. Look, it was a women—not only a woman, but a businesswoman—not only a businesswoman, but one who supported Paul and his companions on their journeys. See, there were important women in the Bible.
Unfortunately, I don’t think there were as few women with critical roles in early Christianity as we think—I believe these women were simply underreported and underappreciated. Scriptures were largely written by men for men—they were unmotivated to lift up the stories of women. The writer of Luke/Acts did better. Both books were more intentionally balanced than much of the rest of the Bible.
Despite the lack of representation, we can still do the hard work of envisioning an early Church (and a current church) where women were (and are) necessary for the Church to survive. Women still have a long way to go in the Church and in culture. (I think of a recent Facebook post by a female pastoral colleague that, when a man who said to her, “I don’t believe in women pastors,” she responded, “I’m literally standing right in front of you.”) All of us need to do better recognizing the contributions and importance of women in all arenas of community and culture.
