The Problem of Idolatry (17:16-18)Even a present day trip to ancient Athens shows how much worship of idols occurred, mostly related to Greco-Roman prostitution cults and worship of the Empire itself as divine. The idolatry of our day is different but no less intense or pervasive. Our worship of technology, entertainment (music, film and athletics) and material wealth as alternatives to the true worship of God are the parallels. What does the idolatry of our time cost us? Does it offend us and should it?
In the Marketplace and in the World of Ideas (17:19-21)Paul is invited to present his “strange ideas” to this group of academics, business people, and politicians in a regular gathering where the latest things were considered. Notice that he did not invite them to a location of his choosing, he went to where they were. In harmony with our class, these verses call for us once again to bring the alternative ways of the kingdom of God into conversation with education, business, medicine, communications, law and politics. I believe it is also the role of Christian education in our day and time to equip children, youth and adults to enjoin that conversation.
To an Unknown God (17:22-28)Part of the reason this passage speaks so powerfully to me is that this part of the sermon was preached by the character of Paul in all 125 performances we did as Continental Singers. God used that to imbed my own sense of faith and calling 37 years ago and it has stayed with me ever since. The folks at the Areopagus were addicted to anything new (sound familiar?!), and they were even open to the discovery of the next new god. Paul turns what has offended him (the worship of idols) into an entry for witness for Christ. He proclaims the god they have yet to discover to them as God in Christ.
The God he proclaims cannot be contained in a statue or a temple. We cannot fashion this God. He fashioned the world and everything in it. I struggle with verses 26-27: “From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out (literally “grope”) for him and find him.” I was raised Presbyterian, so the determinism in this passage is familiar. First, here is what I do not believe. I don’t believe that God determined that people would populate the sub-Sahara and experience the scourge of AIDS or be victims of genocide. Most of them will never have been given the opportunity to put faith in Christ or experience the kingdom of God in this world. People to one degree or another choose where they will live (either it was decided by their parents or in generations or it was decided personally). I don’t believe God said, “Poof! Will, you will be born in Pennsylvania to a Christian home where the love of God will be modeled beautifully, while Amir will be raised on the streets of Baghdad in constant fear for his life with no chance to know my Son.” I don’t believe that God pre-determines who will come to faith and who will not (contra Calvin).
Now, here is what I do believe. I can look back and see that amidst the many decisions I have made, God’s plan is being carried out. There is wisdom in Proverbs 16:9, “In our hearts, we plan our way, but God guides our steps.” I chose to go to seminary at SMU and Bishop John Russell chose, upon the recommendation of my mentor pastor who was the bishop’s friend, to appoint me as a student pastor at First UMC, Corsicana, where Tina Davis chose to come sing in the choir (where her voice teacher was the director), where Tina and I met and fell in love, choosing then to spend the rest of our lives together. In that process, all of us were free to make our choices, yet looking back, I see that was the process by which God brought Tina and I together. That’s why you will hear me say, “God is in the mix.” For I believe we always must hold in tension God’s plan and human freedom. Similarly, with Paul, I can look back and see that the whole process of my life has been to bring me into a life-shaping and life-changing relationship with God (with my own share of seeking and groping) that is designed so I can be a world-changing disciple of our Lord Jesus Christ. I had every freedom to accept or reject the invitation to follow Christ. I have been free to make all the decisions I have made, including coming to Arlington and the Central Texas Conference 2/3 through my ministry career, yet it is undeniable that in the midst of it all, God is strongly in the mix.
Verse 28 is a quote from a Greek poet about Zeus (Epimenades), and Paul takes it and applies it to God in Christ…and I love it. It perfectly describes my relationship with Christ. “In him, I live, and move and have my being.” In Christ, I have found life abundant, free and eternal, life beyond anything I could have imagined. In Christ, I move, knowing that God does guide my life and give it purpose. In Christ, I have my being: my sense of meaning and worth, my identity as a child of God and as a human being. So this verse which Paul stole from a Greek philosopher and gave a new spin is the passionate center of my life and ministry. That’s true for a lot of people. How ironic and fun is that! What a successful sermon on the part of Paul. But wait…
The Absurdity of Resurrection (17:29-34)Sometimes preachers don’t know when to quit. In this case, Paul might better have left the whole resurrection thing out of the sermon, except, of course, that it is central to his testimony of faith and his ministry! The Greek intelligentsia had no room either for a God who would hold them accountable for their behavior (after all they had gods who already approved of and fed their selfishness and immorality) or one that actually resurrected. They had room for the immortality of the soul and the sense that the presence of a great leader was there long after he died, but a literal resurrection was too far fetched. We find similar arguments in academic circles today. Our belief in Christ’s resurrection doesn’t fit in the categories of logic, scientific and historical thought. It never will. I will leave you to read I Corinthians 15 to see how Paul, an academic himself, works through that.
The audience turns from being inquisitive to jeering. By most accounts, this presentation of the gospel was one of the poorest received of all in the book of Acts. There was no persecution, but there were also very few converts (Dionysius, Damarias and a few others). By Acts standards, Mars Hill was a failure. Yet pilgrims continue to flock to it to this very day (including myself). What makes a successful sermon, a successful witness, and what is the time standard for judging success or failure? We cast the seed and the God who is always “in the mix” brings about the yield in ways that both disappoint in the present and boggle the mind over the long haul. As for me, I will keep on seeking, groping and finding until I find the fullness of Christ and become fully what God has called me to be. I will also continue to help people proclaim in the marketplace and in the world of ideas "the God who has yet to be discovered." How about you?
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