I have been thinking about how to preach more creatively than I have in recent months (maybe years), which led to the first-person sermons to start and then finish this summer preaching series. Sunday, I did a Top Ten list (well, actually 9), which takes a page out of David Letterman's book. It was kind of fun. My attempt is to intentionally change up the style of the sermons more often, in part, because it may help the ongoing listeners hear things a bit differently, but also because it adds some fun to my preaching process.
I had intended to incorporate the Genesis passage we read in worship, Genesis 28:1-10 (Jacob's ladder), into the sermon, but it didn't make it. the summer lectionary passages from Genesis represent some of the great stories of the faith. In fact, this upcoming week is Jacob working to earn his wife's marriage (turns out it is wives') from Laban.
“Recognizing a Macedonian” Acts 16: 6-10; St. Andrew Presbyterian Church; July 19, 2026; Footsteps of Paul series; Richard B. Culp
acts 16: 6-10
They went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. 7 When they had come opposite Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them; 8 so, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas. 9 During the night Paul had a vision: there stood a man of Macedonia pleading with him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 When he had seen the vision, we immediately tried to cross over to Macedonia, being convinced that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them.
Introduction: One of our quick trips in Greece was to Veria, Greece (the town known as Berea in the Bible), where there is a prominent monument known as the Altar of Paul the Apostle.
According to local tradition and biblical accounts, this site marks the location where Paul stood and preached to the citizens of Berea.
The statue stands as part of a larger courtyard plaza that includes the three original 1st-century stone steps where Paul is believed to have preached, positioned next to a monumental three-paneled mosaic wall.
that morning, I led the devotional, so I presumably presumably where Paul stood as I read the story of Paul coming to Troas and being sent by a vision or a dream into what we know as Europe for the first time.
It was pretty cool to stand next to this statue of Paul and read scripture and do a little mini-sermon.
The beautiful mosaic triptych depicts Paul’s arrival and his preaching to the Bereans.
the first panel of the mosaic wall shows Paul having his dream
the dream in which a Macedonian man stood before Paul.
If you are wondering what a Macedonian man looked like, I can tell you how the mosaic depicted him:
the Macedonian man is standing on rocks wearing a beautifully colored teal robe pointing up upward, presumably to Europe, as Paul lays down on rocks, sleeping (I assume not very comfortably) and looking up at the Macedonian man beckoning him;
the water separates the two places.
My journal entry that day included the question: how did Paul recognize the Man was from Macedonia
Maybe that’s not an important question, but it is a very important story.
A few weeks ago, we reflected on Paul finding Lydia and the other women down at the river praying.
Today’s story is the prequel to that this.
what we just read in Acts is what took place that led, maybe forced Paul to end up Philippi.
But I can’t get away from this burning question I have: how did Paul recognize the Macedonian man?
So, I’ve got a top ten list - if you are old enough to have seen David letterman’s shows, you are familiar with a top ten list. It starts and the bottom of the list and works it’s way to the top.
Really only 9
So drum roll, please. The top 9 tips for recognizing a Macedonian In your dreams.
Tip #9 for recognizing a Macedonian in your dreams. Perhaps the mosts obvious one.
You can recognize a Macedonian man in your dreams because he is wearing Macedonian clothes.
Biblical scholars tell us that In that time, ethnic groups were often distinguishable by specific styles of dress, hair, or hats.
A Macedonian might have been visualized wearing a traditional causia (a flat felt hat) or a chlamys (a short military cloak associated with the region since the era of Alexander the Great).
I suppose it’s like you can identify the Texan by the cowboy hats and boots, although I don’t see many of you in cowboy hats and boots this morning.
and, in truth, the mosaic’s depiction of the Macedonian did not have the Macedonian man dressed in a the typical hat or cloak,
but maybe there was something about his clothes that gave him away to Paul.
Tip #8 for recognizing a Macedonian in your dreams
maybe the language gave it away.
Paul perhaps heard the Greek dialect or accent used by the man and recognizes that it sounds like some of those visitors he had met before those visitors that had come from what now know of as Europe.
they sounded different than those from Jerusalem or Thessaloniki, because they were different,
so he recognizes the man as coming from across the water.
Stop there for a moment and let is sink in - the different attire and different accent means Paul now learns he is being sent to share the good news of Jesus Christ with outsiders.
they dress differently;
they speak differently;
they live across the water.
the good news Paul has to bear,
This incredible story of the God who resurrects,
is not to be boxed in by the places and people with whom he is familiar - the good news is for everyone, even those strangers over in Macedonia.
a story that is not ours to keep for ourselves or just for people like us,
but a story meant to be told everywhere,
to everyone!
Tip #7 for recognizing a Macedonian in your dreams: Be ready for surprises!
the person in the dream is a man.
Paul heads to Macedonia at the request of this Macedonian man.
No doubt, Paul arrives in Macedonia looking for the man.
But who does Paul end of finding first?
Lydia and a group of women down at the river.
these women’s voices might sound like the man in the dream, but no doubt they are dressed differently
and look differently that the man in Paul’s dreams.
to Paul’s credit - he does not say, “oops, wrong person”
or “hey, I’m looking for a Macedonian man! Can you send me to him?”
he sees Lydia and the woman praying,
he recognizes that he has something to offer them,
and he does.
the first house church in Macedonia does not belong to the Macedonian man Paul went looking for,
but to Lydia.
Tips #6 and #5 for recognizing a Macedonian in your dreams are tied closely together: When the Spirit says don’t go there, you don’t;
when the spirit says go there, do.
Don’t forget what starts this whole shift for Paul to go to Macedonia.
Paul had been told by the Spirit not to go to Asia.
Then, Paul tries to go to Bithynia, but the Spirit keeps them from going there.
so, when Paul’s plan for what to do next is thwarted twice, he heads to Troas, which just happens to be the jumping off port for Europe,
and then he has his dream where the Spirit reveals to him the call to go to Macedonia.
Big change.
Not one Paul was looking for.
But what else can he do when the Spirit says “Don’t go here, but instead go there?”
Indeed, what else can you do?
The biblical story, indeed I suspect most of our stories, are full of examples of people, maybe people us, who want to do one thing, it the Spirit sends them to do another.
Paul’s dream reminds us that an ongoing theme in the book of acts is the Spirit directing the work of Christ’s followers.
Not a bad reminder!
Closely tied to Tips #6 and 5# is Tip #4 for recognizing a Macedonian in your dreams:
You start by looking, probing, testing what you think God might be calling you to do.
The dream catches Paul in the middle of trying to figure out his next move.
Paul is proactively trying to go somewhere,
to determine the next step in his life of following the resurrected Christ.
he is not content with where he has already been or with what he has.
he does not know what is next, but he’s trying to figure it out.
He learns - no to going to Asia;
no to going to Bithynia;
but now yes to going to Macedonia.
Part of being a disciple of Christ means proactively engaging with your senes of call.
When I was with the youth on their mission trip last month working with Ozark Mission Project in Little Rock, one of the days my work group assisted at the food pantry hosted by the Methodist church where we stayed.
We worked in the food warehouse for much of the day, but then we were asked to help and observe the process for giving away the food.
Anderson and I volunteered to go with the woman who directed traffic - the day we were there they probably had 15-20 cars lined up to drive through the check-in spot and then drive around to get their boxes for food for the day.
apparently, that was a slow day, so it gave us some time to talk with the woman directing the traffic.
it turns out she was a CPA, who now did consulting on her own.
she had been the lay person who joined with the staff person to help start the food pantry the first week of Covid and had been there just about every week since, doing whatever needed to be done.
she served on the board of the food pantry, in addition to doing all the numbers for the grant applications to get food from the state of AR to distribute.
We asked her how she got started with the food pantry, and she told us she had always dreamed of hosting a community dinner. She wanted her church to open its doors to the community once a week to serve anyone who wanted dinner.
she said the staff person kept telling that what they really needed was a food pantry, not a community dinner.
she resisted for quite awhile, she told is.
he wanted a food pantry; she wanted a community dinner; nothing happened.
then Covid hits, and she suddenly sees that people need food, but they weren’t going to be able to come to a community dinner, so she said, “Ok, let’s do the food pantry!”
She heard the “no” for her idea about dealing with food insecurity,, but then heard the “Yes” for another ministry, and 5+ years later, the food pantry is doing incredible work.
Oh, by the way, after Covid, the food pantry started having a community dinner once a week!
Tip #3 for how to recognize a Macedonian In your dreams
with urgency!
Paul has the dream and the text tells that immediately, they went.
no sitting around reflecting in the dream
no waiting until the right moment
they just went.
once they heard what God had in one for them, they did it,
immediately
Tip #2 for how to recognize a Macedonian in your dream: the person one who asks you to come to Macedonia.
The man literally pleads:
"Come over to Macedonia and help us." (Acts 16:9)
who is asking today for our help today?
are we listening?
Tip #1 for how to recognize a Macedonian in your dreams:
It’s up to you?
you have gist and skills.
God has put you in particular places.
where is the Spirit sending you?
