Dear Friends in Christ, grace and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

There is a familiar saying “behind every great man there’s a great woman.” And then there’s the more whimsical variant, “Behind every great man is an even greater woman, surprised and rolling her eyes.”  Of course, I understand why the word behind is used.  It implies the woman’s role is behind the scenes, often overlooked and unnoticed.  Regretfully, many regard this as the history of women in the early Christian Church as well.  After the women return from tomb proclaiming the good news that Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead, they are never heard from again. That’s why this morning’s reading is so important.  It teaches us that women were not always the unseen figures behind the men, rather it can be said that, “beside every great man was a great woman.”

In the Book of Acts, St. Luke describes the lives of the early followers who dedicated themselves to the service of God.  In the first chapters, Jesus’ twelve disciples take stage. In the next chapters, we read of the deacons including Philip and Stephen, the first martyr. Then came the new generation of apostles born outside of Judea, including Barnabas, Silas, Timothy and Paul.  Finally, in the later chapters, we read of the epistles, the wives of the apostles. Sorry, that’s an old joke. “Yes, in scripture it seems that behind every great man, there was a great woman” whether it was a mother or a wife, without whom these men could have never accomplished what they did.” There was, however, one amazing exception.  Priscilla.  She and her husband Aquila are mentioned six times in scripture, more often than half of Jesus 12 disciples. Priscilla is always seen standing side by side with her husband Aquila- not five feet behind or hidden in the shadows.  Together, they are the model of a loving Christian couple, working, worshiping a thriving- together.

In the year 52 A.D. the Roman emperor Claudius issued an edict expelling all Jews from the city of Rome. Suetonius, the Roman historian, wrote the some within the Jewish community were persecuting their neighbors and causing considerable disturbance in the city over a man called the “Chrest.” Claudius cared little about the reason for the trouble, and even less about who the guilty parties were. He knew they were Jews, and that was enough; so all the Jews were uprooted from their homes and banished from Rome, the innocent along with the guilty.  This included Aquila, who had moved to Rome from the province of Pontus on the Black Sea. With his faithful wife Priscilla by his side, he found refuge in the busy, thriving commercial city of Corinth.

When Paul first arrived from Athens in Corinth, he made contact with fellow leather workers or tent makers, possibly to work with them to provide an income for himself as well. Priscilla and Aquila were hospitable and invited Paul into their home and they let him lodge with them. It was the beginning of a lasting friendship. The Apostle Paul stayed with the couple for 18 months in Corinth.

Why was this relationship so important to Paul?  After all the apostle wasn’t married and he had no great woman guiding him to mutual friends. Was Priscilla was a good cook?  Perhaps. But I rather think that Paul saw something unique about this couple. There was no distinction between Jew or Greek, male or female, slave or free. No, it had to do with Priscilla and Aquila’s loving and caring relationship for one another. By the time he met the couple, he had experienced the harsh realities of being an evangelist multiple times. Along with the joy of planting churches and seeing persons embrace the faith, he had also encountered constant opposition. After being scoffed at in Athens, Paul was not in the best of spirits. As he later recounted in his First Letter to the Corinthians, “I came to you in weakness and fear and much trembling.”

It was precisely at that moment that a new chapter unfolded in Paul’s missionary adventure. In this chance meeting with the loving Priscilla and Aquila standing side by side as equals, his spirit was renewed.  Not only did he befriend them, and they him, but he shared the gospel of Jesus Christ with them. Through Paul, Priscilla and Aquila who lived together, worked together, and suffered exile together, came to know and love Jesus Christ together, Now they were one in Christ, and his love made their good marriage even better.

From that day forward, Priscilla and Aquila, grew in the word and worship and commitment.  No doubt they went with Paul to the synagogue each Sabbath day as he reasoned with the Jews and Greeks and encouraged them to place their trust in Christ for salvation. They experienced his disappointments and challenges as well, but they never grew disheartened. In the evenings as they completed their daily work, they all continued their discussion of scripture- and who better than Paul to guide them.

When Paul finally left Corinth for Ephesus, they accompanied him, and when Paul left Ephesus, he entrusted Priscilla and Aquila with the spiritual care and leadership of the church.  They took their role seriously in his absence.  Paul eventually returned to Ephesus where he stayed for three years, at which time Priscilla and Aquila returned to Rome. Claudius was dead now, so the move seemed safe, and Rome surely needed a gospel witness. There they established in their home, their own, new church community. In Paul’s Letter to the Romans, he acknowledges their work. “Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow-workers in Christ Jesus, who for my life risked their own necks, to whom not only do I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles; Also greet the church that is in their house.”

So what lessons can we draw from the lives of Priscilla and Aquila? Let me share with you three thoughts. When Christ is a partner in your marriage and in your home, you can live and thrive almost anywhere. Priscilla and Aquila made their home in Rome, Corinth and Ephesus and they made their mark there as well.  That is a word for each one of us.  No matter when we go, we must always make a place for Christ in our home, and we will be surely blessed.

Secondly, Priscilla and Aquila’s lives point out the importance of true Christian hospitality. When Paul arrived in their community, they welcomed the worn-out traveler into their home. Their home became a place of blessing for themselves and others. Their table and living room became sources of encouragement and instruction for those who would serve the church. It is an important on-going question. To what extent does your hospitality serve as a means of nurturing and growing the kingdom of God?  Do you consider hospitality as a means of giving and receiving God’s blessing.  As we read in the Book of Hebrews, “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.”

Finally, Priscilla and Aquila’s story is one of risk and obedience. We don’t know the details of their courageous act on Paul’s behalf, but we know that it was a meaningful and potentially costly deed.  The Christian journey is not always easy. Adversities, inequities, and enemies will inevitably appear, but Jesus’ followers cannot abandon their divine calling when times get tough. Like Priscilla and Aquila, we must be prepared to risk greatly for the ultimate good.  My friends, sacrifice is a part of our Christian calling.

According to ancient tradition, Priscilla and Aquila were together until their last moment, until they were martyred following the Great Fire in Rome, for which Emperor Nero blamed the Christians. According to tradition, when Aquila saw his wife martyred he said: “Can I not appear a man myself, in proportion to my wife, brave and willing to be beheaded for the Faith of Christ?” Then, he was martyred too. “Behind every great man there’s a great woman.”  But for Aquila, the great woman Priscilla was not behind, but always beside him.  May the great women stand beside you as well- and more importantly, may you stand by them Amen.

May the peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.