I remember going to the theatre in 2002 with my friend - HB - at the Cambridge mall. We laughed until we almost wet our pants. It was the funniest movie I’d seen in a very long time - and just maybe - not since - MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING. The story is very simple. Everyone in the Portokalos family worries about Toula. Still unmarried at 30 years old, she works at Dancing Zorba's, the Greek restaurant owned by her parents, Gus and Maria. After taking a job at her aunt's travel agency, she falls in love with Ian Miller, a teacher who is tall, handsome and definitely not Greek. Toula isn't sure which will be more upsetting to her father, that Ian is a foreigner or that he's a vegetarian. I can still quote many of the lines from this movie.

I’m not sure if it was in Grade 9 or 10 English Lit - that we studied Greek Mythology. I remember - Hercules (from the cartoons we watched as kids) - King Midas and his golden touch - The Apple of Discord - The Great Trojan War - Pandora’s Box - to name a few. I loved studying the epic tales of adventure - courageous heroes - envious gods - and stories of vengeance and love.

But more than watching My Big Fat Greek Wedding or studying Greek mythology - I have always been intrigued by the apostle Paul - the very first Christian missionary. From the time I was a little girl - I’ve traced Paul’s three journeys on the maps in my Bibles and always wondered what it would be to visit those cities. And in just a couple of weeks - I’ll be there.

Harvey and I are taking a tour of Greece entitled Footsteps of Paul. We’ll visit the great cities of Thessaloniki - Philippi and Vavala - Veria and Vergina - Delphi - the ancient ruins of Epicurus and Mycenae - Corinth and Athens. After touring the country of Greece - we’ll board a ship for a few days and visit Mykonos - Heraklion, Santorini and Patmos.

Biblical accounts of Paul’s journey tell us that he spent 1 and 1/2 years in Corinth where we get the New Testament books - 1st and 2nd Corinthians. Paul spent 2 years at Ephesus where we get the book of Ephesians. It was from his visit to Philippi that we get the book of Philippians.

When I was a girl - I had a Sunday School teacher by the name of Mrs. Halliwell. She made those ancient stories come alive for her class of 5 or 6 squirmy girls. I remember Mrs. H. telling us about a women named Lydia - who lived in the Roman colony of Philippi. There was no synagogue in Philippi - as a city needed ten Jewish men. As there were only a few Jewish people in Philippi - they met down at the river - and - as the river was used for washing rituals - only a few women were there. One of those women was Lydia - who was famous, rich and a business woman. She sold purple cloth - a fabric bought by kings and royalty. The cloth was dyed the lovely purple colour by the dye in a local shellfish. Lydia was a worshipper of God but not a Jewish convert. Paul and his missionary friends explained about Jesus to her and her heart was opened - she responded to the gospel message - was baptized and threw a party afterwards. The bible says that her household also responded to the gospel and were baptized as well. Maybe I’ll stand by that very river and remember the story of Lydia - one of the first converts in Philippi. I’ll wear purple that day.

I’m also anticipating seeing the great city of Athens. When the missionary Paul was there two millennia ago - it is said that he was provoked in his spirit because the city was full of idols. He went to the synagogue daily and even to the marketplace to converse with the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers. The people of the city called him a babbler - but they wanted to hear more from him and asked him to go with them to the Areopagus.

It was when I was in my second year of seminary that I entered a Bible reading contest! The passage of Scripture we were to read was from the book of Acts - chapter 17 - verses 22-27. When I entered the room where the readings would take place - I was surprised and perhaps a little intimidated to see the room was filled with mostly guys. Most of those men planned to pastor churches someday. I was just hoping to win the $25 prize money!

“So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus said - ‘Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription - TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind - life and breath and everything. And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place - that they should seek God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him.”

I practiced reading this passage of Scripture - probably 100 times. Lucky for me - most of the guys didn’t practice and sadly - most of them stumbled over the word Areopagus. But good for me - I won the $25!

Soon I will stand in the Areopagus. I will remember Paul’s words.

In September 1978, I took a course at Tyndale (Bible college and seminary) - the book of Acts and it was taught by Dr. R.R. Matheson. Dr. Matheson responded to a comment about the account of the Philippian jailer’s conversion by one of my classmates and said this - “There don’t seem to be many Philippian jailers around today.” (You’ll find the account of that story in Acts 16:25 - 34). That course continued my fascination with the book of Acts as Luke tells the story of the expanding church in that part of the world. The accounts are thrilling. My love for the local church runs deep - no matter what part of the world the church is in.

Gus Portokalos - “There are two kinds of people - Greeks and everyone else - who wishes they were Greek!” (My Big Fat Greek Wedding). In two weeks - for two weeks - I will experience their culture and embrace it.