Word to the Wise
Wednesday, May 24, 2017 - 6th Week of Easter - Wed
[Acts 17:15, 22-18:1 and John 16:12-15]"You Athenians, I see that in every respect you are very religious. For as I walked around looking carefully at your shrines, I even discovered an altar inscribed, 'To an Unknown God.' What therefore you unknowingly worship, I proclaim to you." [Acts]
Although for the past week I have been directing my attention to the Farewell Discourse of Jesus in the Gospel According to John, today's first scripture from the Acts of the Apostles is an important moment in the history of Christianity, at least from a preaching point of view. It might be helpful to look briefly, if you can, at the first scriptures from the Acts of the Apostles that feature various "speeches" by Peter and Paul which are directed to Jewish communities. One should remember that the first Christians did not start out by calling themselves "Christians." They considered themselves to be Jews who believed that the promised Messiah had come in the person of Jesus, who fulfilled the covenant and promises of the scriptures. In today's first scripture, Paul, now on one of his missionary journeys, arrives in Athens and goes to the "areopagus" - a public debating forum (read vv. 16-21). Verse 21 states: "Now all the Athenians as well as the foreigners residing there used their time for nothing else but telling or hearing something new."
What happens next is a masterpiece of preaching. (Indeed, re-read Pope Francis' address to Congress!!) There is no mention, to a pagan audience accustomed to polytheism, of the Old Testament or prophets or Moses. Paul takes his cue from the altar to "an unknown God." The Greeks seemed to have hedged their theological bets - a "just in case" deity. He appeals to their experience of creation and life. There is no mention of Jesus by name or to crucifixion. He refers simply to a "man [God] has appointed, and he has provided confirmation for all by raising him from the dead." The reaction to "resurrection from the dead" is skeptical, but there were others there who said, "We should like to hear you on this some other time."
To a skeptical secular world that worships various "gods" of money, science, substances, sex or power, God has become truly "unknown" but nevertheless somehow "there" at a dusty altar over in a corner. We who believe cannot presume this world knows about all the promises and prophets of the Old Testament. We must appeal to reason and common experience of life and creation and then to God's intervention in history through Jesus. The response may be skeptical from some, but others may want to hear more. That's our goal. Paul went to the public square. What is our opportunity? AMEN
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