Two Women of Impact in the New Testament

Sixth Sunday of Eastertide

Mother’s Day

Rev. Dr. David M. Oliver

First United Methodist Church

Massillon, Ohio

May 10, 2026

Texts: Acts 16:11-15; Romans 16:1-16

Opening Prayer: Lord, we thank you for the gift of new life which Jesus offers us through his matchless grace, his sacrificial death for our sin, and his glorious resurrection. Thank you for the wonderful ways in which you move in our lives to bring hope, healing, and transformation. Speak to us now through your Word, we pray. In Christ’s name, amen.

On this Mother’s Day it is fitting that we focus on two women of impact in the New Testament…Lydia and Phoebe. I didn’t know much about them before I prepared this message. I trust that you will be enriched just as I was in learning about these remarkable leaders in the early church.

Who was Lydia in the Bible?

Very little is said in the Bible about Lydia. There are only two mentions of her by name in Scripture—in Acts 16 we find the record of her conversion and her subsequent baptism (Acts 16:11–15). From the story of Lydia we can glean a few useful details about conversion, specifically about the conversion of Jewish believers.Lydia was originally from Thyatira but was living in Philippi when she met Paul on his second missionary journey. She was a seller of purple-blue cloth, which Thyatira was famous for, being a center of indigo trade.

As an aside, Indigo was incredibly valuable—often called “blue gold”—because it was the primary, high-demand source for a rich, stable blue dye in a world before synthetic dyes. Its rarity, labor-intensive production, and ability to hold deep color on fabrics like silk and wool made it a top-tier luxury good.

Lydia apparently had moved from Thyatira to Philippi to ply her trade in that city. Archaeologists have found among the ruins of Thyatira inscriptions relating to a dyers’ guild in the city. It is possible that Lydia was a member of this guild.Lydia was also a worshiper of God (Acts 16:14), and, when Paul found her, she was honoring the Sabbath, which means she was likely a Jew or at least a God-honoring Gentile. The account of Lydia’s conversion says that she was gathered with a group of other women on the Sabbath at a place of prayer near the river outside of Philippi. The fact that Paul, Timothy, Luke, and Silas came to the riverside to speak to the women most likely indicates there were not enough Jewish men in Philippi to open a synagogue there.Lydia heard the gospel of Jesus Christ, and the Bible says that God opened her heart to pay attention to what Paul was saying (Acts 16:14). After she believed, Lydia was baptized, along with the rest of her household. Whether “her household” refers only her family, or if there were servants included in the number, is unclear from the biblical account. After Lydia’s conversion and baptism, she insisted that Paul and his friends come to stay at her home, if they judged her to be “a believer in the Lord” (verse 15). Luke says that “she prevailed upon us,” which indicates the fervency of her desire to be hospitable. The missionaries did indeed judge Lydia to be a true believer, and they stayed at her home while in Philippi.

Lydia’s conversion marks the start of a new epoch in the Bible. Up to that point, the gospel had not gone further west than Asia Minor. In fact, on this journey, Paul’s original intention had been to stay in Asia, but God had changed his plans. The Lord gave Paul a vision calling him westward across the Aegean Sea and into Macedonia (Acts 16:6–10). Lydia, although a native of Asia Minor, is the first person recorded to have received salvation in Europe.

Later in biblical history, we discover that there was a church in Thyatira (Revelation 2:18). Paul did not visit that city in any of his missionary journeys, and we have no record of who might have established that church. Could it be that Lydia is the one who brought the gospel to her hometown?

The story of Lydia in the Bible is a great example of God’s providence and God’s care for believers. Lydia was a worshiper of God but, like Cornelius in Acts 10, had not yet heard the gospel. God rerouted Paul and his companions which ensured that Lydia would be in the right place at the right time to encounter Paul and hear the good news of Jesus. As Lydia heard the gospel, God opened her heart so that she received the life-giving message. In this story, so full of divine intervention, we see the sovereignty of God in salvation. Recall the words of Jesus in John 6:44, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them.” We also see the immediate bond that a new believer has with other believers in Christ—Lydia showed hospitality to those who brought the good news, and she wouldn’t take “no” for an answer.

These accounts reveal that Lydia was a successful businesswoman as well as being the founder of the church at Philippi. Some say that Paul gave a general mandate taught that women should not speak in church. You may recall reading his letter to the Corinthian Church, “Women should be silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak but should be subordinate, as the law also says” (1 Corinthians 14:34).

Those who uphold that restriction today about women speaking or teaching disregard the fact that Paul’s letters were written to address particular concerns in each church and city. His letters are not written generally to many churches offering prescriptive instructions for all congregations or all times. They are addressed to particular churches and to particular issues being faced by each church.

The fact that Paul honored Lydia’s leadership is indicative of this. The account which follows also bears this out. We turn now to look at Phoebe who is featured in the letter to the Romans.

Who was Phoebe in the Bible?

Phoebe was a first-century Christian woman whom the Apostle Paul highly commended in his letter to the Romans. Although she is only mentioned in two verses—Romans 16:1–2—scholars regard her as one of the most significant female figures in the early church. 

Paul uses three specific Greek terms to describe Phoebe’s identity and service: 

• Deacon (Diakonos): Paul identifies her as a “deacon” (or “servant/minister”) of the church at Cenchreae, a port city near Corinth. This makes her the only woman in the New Testament explicitly given this title. While some translations use “servant,” the Greek word here is the same one used for official church leadership roles.

• Patron (Prostatis): Paul describes Phoebe as a “benefactor” or “patron” of many, including Paul himself. This implies she was a woman of wealth and social standing who used her resources to support the ministry, provide hospitality, and perhaps even host a house church in her home.

• Sister (Adelphe): Paul warmly refers to her as “our sister,” establishing her as a respected and equal member of the Christian family. 

The Letter Carrier to Rome

Phoebe acted as a courier who hand-delivered Paul’s Epistle to the Romans. She was a trusted member of the body of believers in Cenchreae, a seaport about nine miles from Corinth and took the Paul’s letter to Rome which was a distance of roughly 750 miles.

In Phoebe’s time, which was approximately 57 A.D., the trip would have been arduous, taking weeks and involving both land and sea travel. Yet she undertook it with determination, knowing the importance of the message she carried—the Gospel itself, as expressed by the Apostle Paul.

Although we don’t know her background, we can infer certain things. Phoebe’s ability to make the long journey from Cenchrea to Rome suggests she was likely single, widowed, or perhaps a businesswoman like Lydia, who had both means and experience with travel. Regardless of her personal circumstances, one thing is certain: she was committed to fulfilling her role in God’s plan.

Not only was she entrusted to deliver the letter but she served as Paul’s ambassador and authoritative interpreter of his letter to the Romans. 

• Ambassador: In the ancient world, the person who delivered a letter often served as its first authorized interpreter.

• Authority: Because Paul had not yet visited Rome, he entrusted Phoebe with his most complex theological work, relying on her to answer the Roman congregation’s questions and explain his message. 

I did not know the following until I was doing research for this sermon. Letter writing was an expensive process in the ancient world, and the letter to the Romans is not short. E. Randolph Richards writes that the process of writing Romans “probably cost over $2,000, including the cost of several drafts, the preparation of a nice copy for dispatch, and a copy for Paul to retain.” And that figure doesn’t include the costs involved with delivering the letter. Someone, or a group of Christians, financed this letter, the longest surviving letter from Paul. Phoebe is a likely candidate.

The custom of letter carriers in the first-century Roman Empire time meant that Phoebe would have passed on news and personal messages from Paul, as well as providing explanations and commentary concerning his letter. Patrick Gray explains,

Paul’s coworkers who delivered his letters did not drop them in the mailbox and then go on their way but, rather, would likely have read them aloud to the recipients and been available to explain the significance of the references they contained.

This gives new understanding and depth to our appreciation for women in leadership in the early church.

Legacy and Sainthood

In various Christian traditions, Phoebe is venerated as Saint Phoebe. 

• Feast Day: Phoebe’s feast day is observed on September 3 in the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches and on October 25 in some Lutheran traditions.

• Symbolism: Her name itself is Greek for “radiant,” “bright,” or “shining.” From Paul’s comments about her it seems that those words characterized Phoebe’s personality and her Christian life.

  
  
  
  

  Paul commends Phoebe to the Roman believers and asks that they receive her in a gracious and friendly manner into their homes and hearts with love and affection. She was to be welcomed in their church fellowship as a leader of the Christian Church, an ambassador for Christ, and an emissary of the Apostle.

Paul adds that Phoebe was a helper of many. She may have shown great kindness in various ways to other Christians, perhaps receiving them into her house in the manner of Martha and Mary (Luke 10:38–40). Perhaps she ministered to the sick, helped the poor, and aided widows and orphans in the manner of Tabitha (Acts 9:36). Maybe she ministered to strangers and travelers in the manner of John’s “elect lady” (2 John 1). Whatever Phoebe’s precise role in the church, the inclusion of her name in Romans 16 is a testimony to her character and ensures that she will never be forgotten.

Conclusion

Lydia and Phoebe may live in the pages of the New Testament, but their witness is anything but distant. Lydia shows us a heart opened by God, a faith expressed in decisive commitment, and leadership that begins with hospitality—making room in her home so the gospel could take root in a new place. Phoebe shows us courageous service: a trusted leader, benefactor, and messenger who carried the church’s most important words across great distance and then helped a community understand them and live them.

On this Sixth Sunday of Eastertide, we remember that the risen Christ is still sending people, still opening hearts, still building a church that spans cities and centuries. And on Mother’s Day, we give thanks for women—mothers, grandmothers, aunts, mentors, teachers, neighbors, and friends—whose quiet courage and steadfast love have carried faith forward. Not all are honored as they should be; not all stories are easy; and not all who mother do so in the same way. Yet God’s call to be faithful witnesses is not limited by gender, status, or title. The Holy Spirit gives gifts, and the church is strengthened when those gifts are welcomed, trusted, and shared.

So let us receive the examples of Lydia and Phoebe as a holy invitation. Open your home, your schedule, your resources, your listening ear—so that someone else may find welcome in Christ. Speak the gospel with humility and clarity. Use what you have—whether influence or income, experience or energy—to strengthen the body of Christ. And as we honor women of impact in Scripture, may we also honor women of impact among us: by making room for their leadership, by believing their callings, and by joining them in the work of love.

May the God who opened Lydia’s heart and entrusted Phoebe’s hands open our hearts and strengthen our hands—so that, in our time and in this place, the good news of Jesus Christ may be carried, received, and lived. Amen.

Let us pray.

Gracious and living God, in this season of Eastertide we praise you for the risen Christ, who still goes ahead of us, still calls disciples by name, and still forms your church through the power of the Holy Spirit. Open our hearts as you opened Lydia’s heart—so that we may pay attention to your Word, receive your grace with joy, and respond in faithful obedience.

Make us a people of welcome: ready to offer hospitality, to make room at our tables and in our schedules, and to receive one another as sisters and brothers in Christ. We give you thanks today for women of impact—in Scripture and in our midst—who have carried faith forward with steadfast love. Hold close those for whom this day is complicated by grief, estrangement, longing, or exhaustion, and let your tenderness meet each heart with mercy.

As you entrusted Phoebe with the work of service, witness, and leadership, entrust us again with the gospel we have received. Give us courage to carry your good news into our homes, workplaces, schools, and neighborhoods; give us humility to speak with clarity and love; and give us generosity to use our resources for the strengthening of your body. Send us from this place as people who distinctly reflect the light of Christ, so that others may be welcomed, helped, and healed.

We pray all this in the name of Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.