READING:
Acts 16:9-15:
 

Sixth Sunday of Easter

Crossing New Boundaries

A Gospel for All

I wonder if you’ve ever stood on the edge of something that asked more of you than you felt ready to give.

It’s a bit like standing at the top of a high cliff, harnessed in, rope secured, knowing the only way down is to step backwards into thin air. The technique is called abseiling and it’s used lots by people who climb mountains. So imagine being at the top of a high cliff with just you and your safety rope knowing that the only way down is to step backwards over that edge with just you and your rope. Your heart pounds.Your body tenses. Every part of you wants to stay safely on solid ground. But then comes the moment—the point of no return—when you lean back, shift your weight, and trust the rope to hold you.

All at once, you’re hanging in space, suspended over nothing but air. And as you begin to move, step by step down the rock face, fear slowly gives way to exhilaration. c.

That’s something like what it feels like when God calls us to cross new boundaries. It’s rarely safe, never certain, and always asks us to trust more than we can see.

Setting the Scene

In the reading from Acts, we meet two very different people—Paul and Lydia.

Paul knew all about life on the edge. He hadn’t always been a follower of Jesus—in fact, he had once tried to stop the Jesus movement altogether, believing it was dangerous to his Jewish faith. But Paul had his own edge-of-the-cliff moment—a life-changing encounter with the risen Jesus on the road to Damascus. From that moment, Paul’s life was turned upside down. He became one of the most passionate voices for Jesus, travelling from place to place, telling anyone who would listen about God’s love made known in Christ. From persecutor to preacher—that’s quite a boundary to cross.

In today’s passage, we find Paul travelling through what is now modern-day Turkey. But things aren’t going to plan. He seems blocked, sensing that God is closing doors to places he thought he should go. He is in a season of waiting and uncertainty—unsure of his next step.

Then, one night, Paul has a vision—a man from Macedonia, in northern Greece, calls out to him for help. Paul takes this as a sign to cross into Europe—a place the message of Jesus had not yet reached.This is a big moment: the Gospel steps beyond its familiar roots into a whole new part of the world.

And with that crossing comes a realisation—that God’s love has no boundaries. It is not just for some. It is not limited by culture, geography, language, or tradition. It is a love for the whole world.And it is a love that continues to challenge us today.

I wonder—how ready are we, in our world of increasing barriers and divisions, to cross boundaries? To reach across cultural, religious, or social divides? We rightly hold places of conflict in our prayers, but I wonder what action we are being called to take.What steps beyond the edge might God be asking of us?

An Unexpected Meeting

The story takes another surprising turn.When Paul and his companions arrive in Philippi, a major city in Macedonia, they don’t head for the busy streets or important buildings. Instead, they go outside the city gates, down to a riverside, hoping to find people at prayer.

There, on the edge of the city, they meet women gathered by the river. And among them is Lydia—a businesswoman, a Gentile, and a dealer in purple cloth. Purple dye was luxury trade, but it was made from crushed shellfish or mixed with urine—messy, smelly, and far from holy in religious terms. Lydia lived on the edge of what religion often called “clean” or “acceptable.

 Lydia stood on the edge of respectability—a woman, a foreigner, working in a trade some might look down on.
But her heart is open. She listens. She responds. She and her household choose baptism—stepping into a new way of life.

And then, remarkably, she becomes the host. It is her home that becomes the first Christian gathering place in Europe. She, not Paul or Peter, becomes the foundation of the church in that place.

Why This Matters

This story reveals the radical heart of the Gospel:

That God’s love is for all people, not just for the “clean”, the powerful, or the familiar. That God often begins with those on the edge—the outsider, the surprising host, the unlikely leader.

That holiness is not found by avoiding the mess of life, but by recognising God’s presence right in the middle of it. In a world still anxious about who is in and who is out, who is worthy and who is not, Lydia stands as a witness that

God’s love knows no boundaries.
So What About Us?
And so, we might ask ourselves:

Who are the Lydias in our lives? Those on the margins, those we might overlook, those already open to God’s work in their lives.
Where are the riversides in our communities? Those places outside the usual boundaries where God is already waiting to be discovered.

Because mission is not about bringing God to those places—it is about crossing the boundary to find God already there.Waiting. Preparing hearts to open, just as Lydia’s did.

And the voice still calls today:

“Come over… and be with us.”
The question is not whether God will meet us there.
The question is whether we will go and discover our God who is already there before us.

So may you have the courage to lean back, to trust the rope, and to step over the edge into the adventure God has waiting for you.

Happy Abseiling.