Open Hearts, Open Doors: Lydia and the Power of Spiritual Openness
Acts 16: 9 – 15
The Lady in Purple
I once had a secretary known in town as the “purple lady” because she wore purple every day. Something was always purple—scarves, pants, socks. Her house was purple, her car was purple, and her Christmas tree shimmered in metallic purple. She even had a four-inch-thick purple file in her drawer labeled “important papers.”
“Why purple?” I asked, hoping she’d say, “Because I’m really into Prince.” I knew better—she was of a different generation.
“I just like it,” she said. “Ever since I was a child and heard about Lydia in Sunday School, I decided purple would be my thing.”
So today is Purple Sunday, and we meet Lydia—the Bible’s original “purple lady.” The text indicates she was a merchant of purple cloth, which seems oddly specific. No green tunics? No brown cloaks? Nope. She specialized because in the ancient world, purple meant wealth and power. It was the color of emperors, priests, and royalty. That’s why Prince wore it too.
This is a sermon about spiritual openness. Lydia’s story is full of it—a heart open to God, a home open to others, and a faith open to change.
So here’s the guiding question for today: What happens when we truly open our hearts to the Spirit?
The Price of Purple
You might wonder why they didn’t mix red and blue like we learned in preschool. It turns out that ancient red and blue dyes didn’t combine well. The result faded fast, ran unevenly, and lacked vibrancy.
Premier purple—Tyrian purple—came from a chemical process involving mollusks. They crushed sea snails, added wood ash, and let the mess ferment for ten days. The smell? Cue the gag reflex. The fabric was then soaked in this grey sludge. When it hit the air, it changed color—greenish-gray, blue, and purple. It took thousands of mollusks to dye just one yard of cloth, 12,000 for a toga. (See more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsbD4SVcjsI).
A pound of pure silk dyed with Tyrian purple was worth more than three times its weight in gold. So Lydia wasn’t selling everyday wear—she sold high fashion to the elite. It’s the Rolex watch, Gucci bag, and Armani outfit all rolled into one status symbol.
Plans and Detours
Our story starts not with Lydia, but with Paul, who is looking for a place to share the gospel. He has plans. But life—and the Spirit—have a way of changing plans. It’s hard to get twenty-four hours where all goes as planned. When I graduated from seminary 35 years ago today, I had a plan to be a pastor for five years, then do something else. So, plans. Yeah.
Everything they planned fell through. Scripture says the Spirit prevented them from going to Asia and Bithynia. How exactly? We don’t know. Roadblocks? Inner doubts? A divine lasso pulling them off course? Whatever it was, they learned to listen to God’s plan more than their own.
Maybe that’s the takeaway for us: listen more. Hold your plans lightly. Follow where the Spirit nudges.
Then Paul had a vision: a man in Macedonia pleading, “Come help us!” So off they went to Macedonia, present-day northern Greece.
And it’s here that the story shifts from roadblocks to revelation. From frustration to unexpected partnership.
God Speaks in Dreams
Dreams and visions are how the Spirit moves in Acts. Peter had a dream that helped him welcome non-Jews into the Jesus movement. Paul had a vision during his conversion that knocked him off his horse. Mystical experiences and deep intuition move the story forward.
Some interpret these dreams as literary devices. Others believe they reflect spiritual truths or prayerful discernment. Some take them at face value—as real experiences of God.
Have you ever had a dream that felt like more than just a dream?
A pastor once asked a Bible study group that question. Half the hands in the room slowly rose. Then he asked, “Have you ever talked about that with someone at church?” Almost every hand went down. (https://www.christiancentury.org/sunday-s-coming/easter-6c-west)
Many people feel God speaks to them, but we rarely talk about it. Maybe we should.
These dreams might not always be dramatic, but they shape direction. Sometimes God’s “yes, and…” comes through silence, or longing, or a strange clarity that won’t let go.
Meeting Lydia at the River
Paul and his companions followed the vision to Macedonia, but they never found the man from the vision. After a few days, they went to the river on the Sabbath and discovered a group of women praying.
Among them was Lydia, a “worshiper of God.” That phrase means she was drawn to Judaism, though not Jewish herself. When Paul spoke, Lydia listened. And Scripture says, “The Lord opened her heart.”
Soon, Paul baptized her and her whole household. Then she insisted that Paul and his companions stay in her home. Her hospitality wasn’t just kindness—it became a foundation for ministry.
Lydia became a financial supporter of Paul. Because of her support, he was able to start a church in Philippi. And the letter he later wrote to that church became the book of Philippians in the New Testament.
Her home likely became one of the first house churches in Europe—a sacred gathering place for prayer, teaching, and communion. In a time before church buildings, her living room became a sanctuary.
Paul’s mission wasn’t complete until he met Lydia. Her openness gave his vision a place to land.
Lydia’s Significance
Lydia is one of the few women in the Bible named in her own right—not as someone’s wife, mother, or daughter. This alone suggests her significance.
Because her name matches a region known for purple dye, and because freedwomen sometimes entered this trade, some scholars believe Lydia may have been a former slave. Others argue her wealth and autonomy suggest she was freeborn. Either way, she rose to prominence, and her story deserves to be remembered.
We still live in a world where women’s spiritual authority is contested. Just recently, there was an attempt to scrub another former slave, Harriet Tubman, from National Park Service historic websites. The Bible shows us not to forget people like her or Lydia.
Put her in your thick purple file of important people. I think the purple lady from my old church would approve.
Practicing Spiritual Openness
Lydia shows us what an abundant life in Christ looks like. She prayed. She listened. She responded without reservation. She opened her heart to God, her ears to Paul, and her home to the movement.
And Paul? He let go of his agenda and followed the Spirit’s nudge. Both of them were co-creators in God’s unfolding story.
What about us? Are we ready to open our hearts and homes? Are we attentive to the Spirit’s nudges in our lives? Are we willing to let go of plans to embrace something greater?
Yes, And…
I once took an improv class. The bedrock rule of improv is, “Yes, and.” You take what’s given and build on it.
“I can’t believe how many stars are out tonight.”
“Yes, and you see so many more up here on the moon.”
Now the scene takes off.
Life is improv. You don’t control your script. You just say, “Yes, and…” and work with what comes.
I knew a woman who liked to say, “It is what it is.” That was her way of saying “Yes.” Then came the “And…”
- It is what it is, AND I’m going to see it as an opportunity.
- I just lost my job. Yes, and this may be the space where something new begins—something more aligned with who I am becoming.
- My faith feels fragile right now. Yes, and even the smallest mustard seed can grow into a sheltering tree. Doubt is not the opposite of faith—it’s part of the soil.
- I feel alone in this season of life. Yes, and this could be the time the Spirit nudges you toward a new circle, a new friendship, a deeper connection.
- The world is full of pain and injustice. It is what it is, AND God has given us a template of love and community. AND we can be part of the good news.
Bringing It Home
Lydia and Paul remind us that being open to the Spirit can change your path and change the world.
Let us pray like Lydia.
Let us listen like Lydia.
Let us fling wide our doors like Lydia.
Let us give like Lydia.
Let us say “yes, and…” like Lydia.
What new callings or detours might God be offering us as a church today? As we step into this next season—the next 100 years, are we listening like Lydia and Paul, willing to embrace what is new and unfamiliar?
And what about you? How might you live out Lydia’s example?
- Set aside 10 minutes each day to sit in silence and listen for the Spirit.
- Say “yes” to one invitation that nudges you out of your comfort zone.
- Host a meal, a conversation, or a group in your home—even if it’s imperfect.
It is what it is, AND I trust it won’t always be this bad.
Let’s live a “Yes, and…” kind of faith.
Yes to the Spirit. And yes to this life.
Amen.