Daily Bread

Those who conducted Paul brought him as far as Athens; and after receiving instructions to have Silas and Timothy join him as soon as possible, they left him.

Then Paul stood in front of the Areopagus and said, ‘Athenians, I see how extremely religious you are in every way. For as I went through the city and looked carefully at the objects of your worship, I found among them an altar with the inscription, “To an unknown god.” What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. The God who made the world and everything in it, he who is Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in shrines made by human hands, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mortals life and breath and all things. From one ancestor he made all nations to inhabit the whole earth, and he allotted the times of their existence and the boundaries of the places where they would live, so that they would search for God and perhaps grope for him and find him—though indeed he is not far from each one of us. For “In him we live and move and have our being”; as even some of your own poets have said,

“For we too are his offspring.”

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. While God has overlooked the times of human ignorance, now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will have the world judged in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed, and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.’

When they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some scoffed; but others said, ‘We will hear you again about this.’ At that point Paul left them. But some of them joined him and became believers, including Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris, and others with them.

After this Paul left Athens and went to Corinth.

I'd like to focus on the very last part of today's Bible reading where there were three reactions to Paul's preaching:

1. Some scoffed,
2. some wanted to hear more, and
3. some believed.

Well, if most people scoffed or weren't convinced on a first hearing from Paul, God's chosen apostle to the Gentiles, then there's hope yet for preachers like me! Or is there?

For Paul, this was a pretty good gig but it was also a tough gig! He and his buddies had managed to secure a slot to speak in front of the Areopagus — the governing council or court of Athens — and after Paul preached, some said we will hear you again on this matter, confirming that Paul's audience was likely the court and other observers, and also a guy called Dionysius responded positively to Paul's message and he was an Areopagite — one of the Athenian judges at the Areopagus.

Considering Paul preached just the once, and a bunch of people (including a court judge) followed him, he must have been an impressive preacher indeed!

The way Paul went about his message was to start where the people were — in terms of their culture and theology. Paul went to them, and his launch point was their own 'gods' including the inscription to an unknown God.

This whole story makes me wonder if us church leaders and communities often wait for people to come to us? Perhaps it's a gentle reminder that we are to go to others and to start where they are? Who are the people that God has put on our hearts to reach with both the message and demonstration of God's transforming love? How will we meet them on their turf and communicate the gospel and love them in ways that they can understand and to which they can relate?

Holy God
May I be a vessel of your message of love
both in word and deed.
Give me a heart for those you wish to reach
and give me wisdom in how
to meet them where they are
and in ways to which they can relate.
Now and forever