Knowing
the Unknown
and the way Paul
points out God ‘is known’
has always
fascinated me.
It is the way Paul approaches the
conversation and
how he shares his
knowledge and love of God.
He knows
who this ‘unknown’ God is and
he is going to
share his knowledge of God with them.
But what is the best way to do that?
Paul has an art for persuasion.
In some of his letters he takes this same
approach.
For example in Philemon,
The way Paul phrases his request to Philemon,
Paul is not ordering or instructing Philemon
in
what he must do, but in what Paul wishes him to do.
Here in Acts, he does not come to
the Areopagus to argue.
Paul takes in what he knows of the city
and the people
and uses it to
open their eyes to something new.
The Athenians are curious.
One theologian, William Willimon, describes them as
-cultured idolaters;
novelty attracts their attention more
quickly than truth.
The Athenians want to make sense out of
life.
(as
we all do)
One way they have done this is through
worship of many gods.
They have ‘covered’ themselves
with shrines and
monuments to numerous deities;
and
just in case they left one out,
they even have a
monument to an ‘unknown god’.
He compliments the Athenians:
Athenians, I see how extremely religious you are in every
way.
Paul then brings up some things already
known:
Some
basic natural theology:
The God who made the world and everything in it,
he who is Lord of heaven and earth…
is a forerunner of faith.
Paul
is not there to alienate or offend his audience,
but
to persuade and enlighten them to something more:
For it is not just reason and observation
(things that the Athenian already know)
but revelation which
is involved in faith.
Paul
is true to his religious beliefs;
revealing to the Athenians about the
one true God.
Since we are God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the
deity is like gold, or silver, or stone, an image formed by the art and
imagination of mortals.
This
‘unknown god’ is not one among many.
God
does not reside in shrines made by people.
God
is the giver of life.
God
does not have the need for offerings and sacrifices.
God
is love, grace, and mercy.
God
is not far away; God is near.
idols, graven images, and the worship of other gods.
Those
first commandments in Exodus:
3 you
shall have no other gods before me.
4 You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form
of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that
is in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not bow down to
them or worship them; for I the Lord
your God am a jealous God.
And
reworded in Leviticus:
You
shall make for yourselves no idols
“The
God whom Paul proclaims is not some new graven image. The God whom Paul proclaims is not just
another option for human devotion, not an accommodating God content to be one
among many.”
Paul
is proclaiming the good news.
Paul wishes to share his knowledge of God;
He
has a deep desire and passion to spread the good news.
How do you and I share the gospel?
Does
that deep passion of Paul reside within us?
Discipleship today is not only about
proclamation,
but inviting
others to the conversation.
It is reaching out to those who are
searching today:
Searching
for a better understanding of life.
Searching
for something unknown.
This may include
the unchurched,
the spiritual but not religious,
those who are marginalized, alone,
afraid,
unsure of tomorrow,
the ones reaching out for something
that seems just beyond their grasp.
And
another aspect of today’s scripture
that brings up a
curiosity question for me…
Where
do people today get their theology?
something to believe in,
where do they get their understanding
of God?
Those
type of discussions take place today
on the internet and other media sources.
Are
there ‘cultured idolaters’ today;
those who follow the latest fad,
where novelty is more attractive than
truth?
So
much comes to us through technology every day,
we are always ‘connected’,
and dealing with what is true
and good and holy
may easily gets lost in the mix.
How
can we as Christians help others see the truth?
Paul
used persuasion and not conflict or argumentation.
If
we are inviting in our conversations with others,
if we begin with what others see as unknown,
perhaps you and I can reveal
what is known to us.
We
know the love of God.
We
know the teachings of Jesus.
We
know that God is active in the world
through the Holy Spirit.
You
and I know God’s grace.
You
and I know our salvation comes through Jesus.
You
and I know our actions in this world reflect our Christian love.
We
are God’s people.
We
are Disciples of Christ.
We
are the community of faith.
You
and I can share our experiences with
others,
we can reveal how God has touched our
lives,
and share the ways Jesus has
influenced our decisions.
as we go through this week…
What
has been your most revealing moment with God?
How
are you different because you follow Jesus?
Who
might you share your story with?
we
can still
tell our stories,
share our beliefs,
demonstrate our faith.
For
you and I have been blessed as God is known to us.
Amen.
