Since our readings on Friday, this has happened. After the meeting in Jerusalem, Paul and his companions had left Antioch and apparently intended to head towards the Black Sea. There he could have turned to the right toward Turkey and Russia or gone to the left to Istanbul, the ancient city of Constantinople or Byzantium. I say, he seemed to have intended to do this, but went he arrived at Mysia, the Holy Spirit stepped in and sent him off to his left to Troas, and from there to Macedonia. Paul, then, had a change of plans. Instead of going by land in one direction, he had to go by sea in another direction. He left the continent of Asia and came to Europe. He sailed from Troas past the island of Samothrace to Neapolis and Philippi in Macedonia.
There the adventure began. Not that Paul had not had enough adventure getting there, having travelled by land over mountains about 450 miles, and another 100 miles or so by sea. He had spent about six months travelling.
Paul had landed in a place and culture that did not have many Jewish people for it had no synagogue. He had to go out by the river to find a place of prayer. There he met Lydia, the CEO of a purple dye company, a resourceful and wealthy woman. He baptized her and enjoyed her hospitality.
I wonder what our Church would be like today if Paul had gone to Turkey or Istanbul. I wonder what my life would have been had I always followed my way instead of the Spirit’s way. Why can I not go to my Istanbul instead of the Spirit’s Macedonia? How and why did I get to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio? How and why did you get to where you are today? What adventure does the Spirit have for us in our Macedonia? What will be our Macedonia today?
Enjoy the adventure the Spirit gives today.