Serving together
In God's perfect plan A and P came to Corinth just in time for a visitor. Paul has arrived in this godless city and is needing somewhere to stay and - you've guessed it - he stays with A and P. I can imagine the chat in that home - "But Aquila you must be joking. You are asking me to take in a lodger- a stranger. And we have no money and no food and no furniture." And Aquila turned to his wife Prisca and said, "we will need to trust in God." It turned out to be an amazing partnership - Paul was an asset to the home. They were trying to make a living from tent-making. This was hard work. It was sore on the fingers. It was maybe knitting material from goats' hair which was one of the textile industries in Corinth. Or it was sewing leather together to make tents and other materials like this. There were lots of travellers in Corinth. It was such a busy city with sailors and travellers hanging around and needing somewhere to stay. The Travel Lodge had still to be built and there were no Air B and Bs! So people needed tents to shelter from the sun. In fact, in that same city there were many poor people who made shelters out of rubbish - sticks and hay and stubble. So A. and P. are slaving away making tents with no Singer sewing machine. God had sent along a man who had served his time at this same craft. Paul was a tentmaker by trade. And so the trio worked at this together. Paul worked alongside his two hosts who had opened up their home to him. They must have worked long hours and it was a poorly paid occupation. Paul was still poor and he was grateful when the Lord provided for him when Christian brothers from Macedonia visited him with supplies of food and maybe money. (See 2 Corinthians 11:9) The Sabbath Day was different - there was no tentmaking then. Instead, Paul went to the synagogue to persuade the Jews and the Greeks that Jesus is the Messiah. So a day off from tent-making was not a day to go for a walk or a trip to the seaside. It was an opportunity to witness for God - to tell people that Jesus is the Messiah
At the end of a hard day spent on very laborious tasks, they could not unwind and watch a film on TV. They had to deal with the challenges of setting up a church in a heathen city. Corinth was notorious for sexual immorality and there was considerable opposition from both Jews and Greeks or Gentiles. Furthermore. it is all the mundane details of our lives that are stressful. The pressures of making enough tents to make a living. Problems when raw materials ran out. Sore hands and cramp. Needles constantly breaking. Pricking fingers with the needles. Getting tired and irritable. All the everyday irritations which cause us pressure. This couple faced them all with faith and patience - and trust in God. Paul must have taught them the lesson that he shares with the Christians in Philippi -
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. [Philippians 4:6-7 NIV]
Picture by Conor O'Nolan on Unsplash
As I reflect on the challenges that this couple faced, it helps me to recognise how fortunate and blessed I am. I have very vivid memories of growing up as a young boy in our family home in the village of Westquarter and in the winter time there would be ice on the inside of the windows! I often reflect on this memory when I get up on a winters morning and the central heating is on and my home is warm and comfortable.
There’s a hymn of thanksgiving that we sing where is says … “Give thanks with a grateful heart.” Let thankfulness be part of our daily prayer.