Online Worship Service May 17, 2020
Acts 17:16-34
Preacher: Rev. Ryan Slifka
Today’s scripture passage is from the Acts of the Apostles. Acts tells the story of the growth of the early church following Jesus’ resurrection. Here it’s spread as far as Greece. Here we have the Apostle Paul, that church planter and missionary, visiting Athens. The birthplace of democracy, the incubator for philosophy—Socrates, Plato, Aristotle. Athens is the cultural and intellectual capitol of the ancient world.
It’s the smartest, most sophisticated place on the planet. Think Paris, New York. Think Seattle, Vancouver. And of course, cultured places like these don’t tend to be very friendly to religious types. And that bears itself out. When Paul heads to the marketplace, he argues with everyone there. And they write him off as a “babbler” and “proclaimer of foreign divinities.”
They aren’t very keen on his brand of backwoods superstition. But they do like to argue, so they invite him to a place called the Areopagus to dispute, to verbally joust with some of the world’s best and brightest intellectuals. It’s like he’s hauled off to the local University for a debate. They may have little respect for him and his traditions. But at least they give him the time and space to make his case.
Now, my guess is that this might just be your worst nightmare if you were put in Paul’s shoes. Paul’s invited into a very public place. With very intelligent people who seem to have an answer for everything. And he’s given the opportunity to make the case for this odd religion centered around a homeless Jewish Rabbi named Jesus… who was apparently raised from the dead. In good old-fashioned Christian speak we would call this apologetics. Or even the E-Word—evangelism, the sharing of good news.
This is our nightmare for a variety of reasons. Very understandable ones, in fact. We might be personally shy by nature. But we’re also United Church people. We’re shy about faith. On one hand, we’re worried about seeming like those other Christians. The pushy, judgmental, gay-bashing ones. The last thing we want to do—rightfully—is treat our friends and neighbors without cruelty or disrespect. On the other hand, though, maybe we don’t really know what to say, either. Maybe we aren’t quite sure we know what we believe. Maybe we’re afraid that if we get into some kind of argument that either we—or the argument itself—might not have what it takes. So we generally keep faith to ourselves, whatever the situation. Even in our families. Even when it comes to raising our kids.
This is all understandable, of course. I struggle as much as you do. We don’t wanna be pushy. We don’t wanna be disrespectful, or misunderstood. But there’s a bit of a problem here. The Apostle Paul, the star of today’s story, he’s willing to travel to spread the message. He’s willing to get beaten up, imprisoned. And according to tradition, eventually killed. He’s willing to risk being embarrassed, possible alienation from society’s most sophisticated people, all on account of his encounter with the God we meet in Jesus Christ. He’d been given something so earth-shakingly beautiful, so life-changingly transformative, that he just couldn’t keep it to himself. He had to share it.
You and I, we’re willing to share our top five favorite movies on social media. We’ll recommend books that changed everything for us, and we’re even willing to tell other people that they would be happier if they moved to the west coast. We’ll drop ten bucks and proclaim the deliciousness of a pumpkin spiced latte to everyone in earshot. But we’re so sheepish when it comes to this most-central part of our lives.
But it’s worth sharing. What I love about this passage isn’t just that Paul shows us how to do it. He tells us why we’d do it in the first place.
First of all, we share out of a posture of love and respect towards all. “Athenians,” Paul says. “I see how extremely religious you are in every way.” Now, Paul’s freaked out by the number of false gods in Athens. His mind’s was blown by their idolatry. But even so, he begins with a compliment. He knows that the Greeks have their own traditions. Their own worldview that they come to honestly, even if it is ultimately misguided. They have traditions that are worthy of admiration.
Our approach should be the same. Because we believe that all are made in the image of God, that God’s grace, God’s love is universal for all people across the board, it means we don’t have to be in a war with other people. We don’t share good news out of resentment, spite, or because we’re out to fix someone. Instead, we’re able to recognize the divine spark at work in other people, in their beliefs and traditions. As one commentator says, “grace comes to us on its way to somebody else.”[i] We reach out in love because love has reached out to us first.
Second, we understand that God is already at work in the world, in other people’s lives. Paul points out this spot in the shrine, an empty altar with the words “to an unknown god,” and he says, “this is the God I’m talking about.” This God is the Creator of all, he says. Can’t be confined to wood, stone, or steel. Even ideas can’t fully do this God justice. This God, he says, made every person with a deep longing for God, a searching soul. Kind of like when I bust out some Bob Dylan, or quote some old country song in a sermon, Paul quotes approvingly of few Greek poets as evidence of this eternal longing. Even though the Athenians are idolaters, as pagan as you get, Paul’s able to see them as God’s offspring. They’ve got a built in spiritual magnet that draws them to the Creator.
So many of us, even if we aren’t Christian already have this longing in us. For goodness, for beauty, for truth. For justice and for peace. So many of us believe that there is purpose, there is something, rather than nothing in the universe. The task as disciples of Jesus, in sharing the good news isn’t to force God into or over a God-free life. But to help others recognize that the source of this longing and goodness already present isn’t an accident. But the work of a benevolent Creator, “one in whom we move and live and have our being.”
And finally, we share because it always comes back to hope. Paul ends his speech in a way we modern intellectual people find uncomfortable. He ends it with a call to repentance, an image of end-times judgment and the return of Jesus. All based on Jesus’ resurrection at Easter. At first, this sounds like a threat. We’re all familiar with fire and brimstone, turn-or-burn preaching. Turn to Jesus or else. And certainly, one day there will be an end to all manners of evil. But for the early Christians, this image was not bad news. It was good news. Because it means that the world will some day be set right. Whatever injustice, whatever violence, hatred, oppression. Whatever sin, death and suffering the world may face right now… one day it will not be so. By the grace of God. Hope is the power of the message.
We share because the world does not believe that a different way’s possible. But for us, the resurrection of Jesus is a sign not only that a better world’s possible. It’s already begun. And if the resurrection is true, if Christ is risen, then it means we can repent, which means not to feel bad or sorry. But to have our minds changed, to turn our lives away from the old world that is dying, and towards the new one, the beautiful future that is already being born. We don’t have to give up or give in to greed, selfishness, self-centeredness or despair. Because—in the words of that great medieval mystic "All will be well, and all manner of things shall be well.”[ii] This whole thing you, me, right here right now. All this stuff is a matter of life and death. Truth, joy, peach, justice and eternal life. We share because we’ve been given the best news ever. And it’s simply not something we can keep to ourselves.
Now, I’m not suggesting that each of us starts hijacking telephone conversations, sending scripture passages by email blast, or take door-to-door training tips from our local Jehovah’s witnesses. But if faith is anywhere near as meaningful, powerful, or important to us as any of these… then maybe it’s something worth sharing. Especially now. Especially now, when the world is so full of fear, and anxiety for the future. When the false gods of economy, money and career have come tumbling down. When so many of our friends and neighbors are at the end of their rope. They need to hear good news, they’re open to hearing good news.[iii] That because of God, because of Jesus, death is not the last word, that there’s more to life than what we see, and that we can experience joy and meaning any time. Even now.
So, friends, this week, I challenge you to go out on a limb like our brother Paul when the Holy Spirit presents you with an opportunity. Invite a friend to join in online worship. Tell the Old, Old Story to one of your children, one of your grandchildren. Speak a word of grace into someone’s anxiety and despair with the same good news you’ve heard today.
I know it’s not the United Churchy-est sounding thing to say. But maybe it’s the kind of thing that’s worth at least a little embarrassment. As in Paul’s case some will scoff. There’s no doubt about that. But others will hear. And it will be exactly what they needed.
Amen.
[i] Bill Easum said this, I believe in Sacred Cows Make Gourmet Burgers https://books.google.ca/books?id=P7Y0nagNwGcC&dq=easum+dancing+with+dinosaurs&source=gbs_navlinks_s
[ii] “Julian presents God with the suffering of the world, as well as apparent evil, and even the Church's teaching regarding hell. How could all things be well once we take into accout all this suffering and pain? Responding to Julian's repeated challenges, God assures her that God will in the mysterious action of divine love and power and wisdom make all things well.” See http://juliancentre.org/julian-postings/default-page-for-julian-postings-php-please-change-this-title.html
[iii] “How coronavirus is leading to a religious revival,” The New Statesman https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/religion/2020/04/how-coronavirus-leading-religious-revival