"God's No and Yes"

          Back in 1978, my life’s path was utterly clear to me. I was going to have a career as a French hornist in an orchestra somewhere. After making the South Carolina All-state Band, I thought I was a real virtuoso, just waiting to leave my musical mark upon the world. On graduating from high school, I’d gone on a European concert tour with a departure concert at Carnegie Hall. Then I was heading off to college to major in music. I’d studied with a member of the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra during high school. And while I was in college I flew to New York City, took lessons from a former member of the New York Philharmonic, took master classes at the Manhattan School of Music. I rarely missed a day of practice. And I loved playing the horn. I got goose bumps and lost track of time during band and orchestra performances. My future as a professional musician was oh so obvious. There was only one thing I lacked–talent. No matter how hard I tried, I just wasn’t very good. On top of that, if I had to play a solo, I sometimes got stage fright. And let me tell you, a shaky French horn player is not a good thing. And over time and through various experiences I finally came to see that maybe I should not be a professional musician. I should be something else. I wonder if this was one of God’s ways of saying “no” to me, so that God could say “yes” to something else, something that was a better fit. And I wonder if that has happened to you. Is it happening to you now? Could it be happening to our church?

          In this morning’s reading from the Book of Acts we heard about Paul on his second missionary journey. And something odd happened on that journey. Paul and his company traveled through “the region of Phrygia and Galatia,” because the Holy Spirit did not allow them to speak in Asia. “No,” said God. Then they tried to go into Bithynia. But, again, the Spirit of Jesus did not let them. “No,” said God. Finally, during the night Paul had a strange vision with a man begging Paul and company to “come over to Macedonia and help us.” So Paul and friends headed for Macedonia and they brought the good news to what we now call Europe. And it happened because God said “no” twice and “yes” once.

          I have a friend who was called as the pastor to a church where he thought he would have a long and fruitful ministry. He and a forward-thinking core group of leaders began some creative and innovative ministry that required deeper commitment from the congregation. It was exciting and people were growing as Christians. But then another group within the church felt a threat to its power and to its old way of doing things. Eventually, the pastor was forced out–an ugly, painful process for everybody involved. With a family to support, my friend went through weeks and months of wondering what was going to happen. But now a new call has appeared, a church that seems to be an even better match than the one before, with a group of people ready for change and growth. I do not know for sure, but I wonder if God said “no” to my friend so that later God could say “yes” to something else.

          Has God ever said “no” to you so that God could say “yes” to something or someone else? Maybe it was a job or a relationship or a commitment or an opportunity. In hindsight, can you see how God may have said “no” and then “yes” in your life? We believe in a living God who is active in our lives, not merely watching from the sidelines of heaven. Could God be saying “no” and “yes” to you right now?

          Paul and the other apostles obeyed the vision they’d received from God and they ended up in Philippi, hanging around the city for several days. (God’s schedule does seem to flow on God’s time.) And on the sabbath day they continued to obey God’s vision by going to worship. They went down to the river, a place where they figured folks gathered for prayer, and some interesting things happened.

          Paul and the others met up with some women who were gathered for worship. Where were the men? We don’t know. Maybe they were playing golf or reading the paper or exercising. Our women’s Bible study group explored this text a few weeks ago, and one scholar they read said that maybe worship was segregated by gender here. We don’t know for sure. But Paul and the others did something significant. They sat down and talked with the women gathered there, and sitting down denoted formal teaching. Although much of the culture of the time might have declared otherwise, Paul and the others taught these women as equals. The earliest Christian tradition we have is not hierarchal, nor is it patriarchal, and for heaven’s sake it’s not misogynous. Our earliest and truest Christian tradition is egalitarian.

          One of the women gathered there was Lydia. And we know a good bit about her. Lydia was a worshiper of God, someone who had faith, but not Christian faith. She was a dealer in purple cloth. Only rich folks could afford to buy purple cloth. So Lydia was quite wealthy. She was also not linked to any man; she was the head of her household. And we read that “the Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul.” Lydia did not spend the sermon time searching the bulletin for typos or speculating about lunch prospects. No. God opened her heart to listen intently, eagerly for what God might say through Paul. And Lydia responded to the good news by allowing her household and herself to be baptized–a public faith commitment. She moved from being a worshiper of God to being a disciple of Jesus Christ. And finally, out of her new faith commitment, Lydia, welcomed her new community of faith in a remarkable way. She said to Paul and the others, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay at my home.” “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord . . . ” Now what was Paul going to say to that invitation? (See Ronald Cole-Turner, Feasting on the Word: Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary, Year C, Vol. 2, 478.) And it says she “prevailed” upon Paul and the others. Originally, the Greek word for prevail here meant to “use force” to accomplish something. So when you got an invitation to Lydia’s home, by gosh you were going to accept it. When Lydia became a Christian, she practiced radical hospitality.

          Lydia practiced radical Christian hospitality, hospitality that was rooted in her new identity as a person claimed by Jesus Christ, a disciple of Jesus Christ. She took risks by inviting Paul and the others into her home. She gave of herself and her house to serve Christ. And it happened because God first said “no” to one ministry and then said “yes” to another ministry.

          Many of you know that First Presbyterian Church used to provide free space for an elder care program called Golden Friends. Before the organization that ran Golden Friends closed it last year, a team of us tried very hard (but unsuccessfully) to keep it open. Since that time we’ve worked diligently to try to reopen the program with a new name and a new social services partner, but we have not been able to raise the $60,000 needed for start-up.

          So how are we to respond to this challenge? Maybe we just need to work harder to raise the start-up money. Maybe that’s the answer–persistence. But I wonder if God is saying “no” to us about this program, so that God can say “yes” to us about another ministry. I wonder if maybe God is calling us to begin a ministry not for the elderly but for younger people who also have needs and who could join our church where they might worship and grow in faith. Is that a possibility? If so, what would it require of us? What efforts and risks would we have to take to make it happen?

          Discerning God’s will is not so simple, is it? Most of us don’t have God speak to us clearly through a vision in the night. (I’m not sure I want God talking to me like that anyway!) How do we know when God is saying “no” and when God is saying “yes”? There’s no foolproof method, of course. But contemplative Christian writer Wendy Wright advises us, “to consult scripture, to seek the advice of trusted advisors, to heed the sensus fidelium (the collective sense of the faithful), to read widely and deeply the best ancient and contemporary thinking, to pray, to attend to the prick of conscience and to the yearnings and dreamings of our hearts, to watch, to wait, to listen.”(Wendy M. Wright, “Passing Angels: The Arts of Spiritual Discernment” in Weavings, Nov/Dec. 1995, 12.)

          How is God saying “no” and “yes” in your life and mine? How is God

calling each of us and First Presbyterian Church to practice radical, from the root,

Christian hospitality? We will see. We will see. Amen.