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June 28, 2009
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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June 28, 2009—Proper 8

Lectionary Texts: 2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27; Psalm 130; 2 Corinthians 8:7-15; Mark 5:21-43

Sermon Text: Acts 17:16-34

Some Accept

Paul is walking the streets of Athens, the destination of a lifetime. Architecture and artwork as perfect as could be imagined and executed by the human mind and hand, gleams under the brilliant blue sky of the Mediterranean. The thoughts and beliefs of humanity had been transformed into tangible objects, reflecting the best of the classical and Hellenistic periods. He is surrounded by activity and sound. Slaves and citizens going about the business of life with motivations which would not be unfamiliar to us today. Paul is overwhelmed, not with feelings of awe and wonder but rather his soul is deeply troubled, he is distressed, for the beauty of Athens has not hidden the spiritual needs of her people.

Paul walks through the marketplace and visits the synagogue. He participates in the exchange of ideas but it is evident that this is not where he belongs. His beliefs are not ones of inclusiveness of the pantheon of gods and goddesses nor does he find acceptance within the synagogue. His teaching of the resurrected Christ is so outlandish that the first assumption of the people of Athens, who prided themselves on their willingness to discuss new ideas, label him as a babbler, a speaker of nonsense, yet he is brought to the Areopagus.

As he stands at the top of the rocky formation he can see the Parthenon atop the Acropolis to the east. Off in the distance is the shadow of the mountains marking the edge of the one horizon with the blue of the harbor on the other. Surrounded by beauty Paul smells the stench of death.

It is the stench of death which only idolatry can bring and Paul finds himself among a virtually unending display of idols. Generations of Athenians worshipping gods and goddess with no power to transform, to redeem life. Oblivious to their spiritual deception the Athenians sit and exchange ideas of death as the simple cessation of existence, and Paul is distressed. He preaches the message of Jesus and the resurrection in the synagogue. The discussion spills into the marketplace and rises up the steps of the Areopagus and for a moment the stench of death is overcome by the fragrance of life. He stands before the learned men of the city, observed by men and women alike who are more curious than hostile.

In the calm style of debate which the Stoics and Epicureans so admire, Paul opens the spiritual conversation for Christ with complimentary statements for the gathered assembly: “Men of Athens! I see in every way that you are very religious.” He speaks of their objects of worship and focuses on one idol in particular, that altar dedicated to the unknown god. He has the boldness and daring to offer the knowledge of that which was previously unknown to them: the identity of the unknown god. He presents to them a intriguing novel concept of this god. He challenges the very schemata, the structure of their interaction with the deity.

This unknown God is the creator of all things and does not live inside their temples or shrines Paul tells them. He has no need that human hands can meet for He is complete within himself and is the source of all material and immaterial things. This is the God who had determined their very right of existence and He is near. He will no longer be content with remaining unknown. He is to be recognized and He will judge them. He has proven His power by raising Jesus from the dead, a resurrection of both body and soul. This is the power of the unknown God who will no longer accept the mantle anonymity.

The response to Paul’s declaration is mixed: some accept, some sneer and some ask for more information. Paul leaves Athens and travels on to Corinth.

I remember one particular math worksheet which I was given in second grade and I can still see a specific question. The question was: “What time is it when it is a quarter past two?” I thought long and hard about that question and was quite proud of myself when I was able to reason my way to the answer. I knew that a quarter was worth twenty-five cents therefore a quarter in time must be twenty-five minutes past the hour. By my reasoning the only was possible answer to the question was the time is twenty-five minutes past two. I was so proud of myself. My reasoning made sense. I was confident in the answer. I felt good . . . at least until the paper was graded and returned. When the paper was returned to my desk, I discovered that I had made a logical error. My knowledge of fractions was extremely limited therefore my incomplete knowledge had lead me to a wrong conclusion. This is exactly what had happened to the Athenians.

For the Athenians the prevailing understanding of the interaction with god and the character and nature of god was determined through the lens of humanity. They took what they understood about human nature and applied it to the god. Humanity had needs which must be met including a place to reside therefore the gods must need a residence. The Athenians began with the needs and character of humanity and had made their god in the image of humanity, with all of its frailties and sin. Those who had loved logic and reason so much had made a logical and reasonable error. Their incomplete knowledge had led them to a wrong conclusion. And just as I had to change my understanding of fractions, so were the Athenians challenged to change their understanding of God.

Paul challenged them to change their understanding of the point of origin for God. It was not that God had been made in the image of humanity but rather than humanity had been made in the image of God. God did not receive from humanity rather God provided for humanity. God provided every breath, and their very existence was to be found in Him. The challenge for the Athenians was to reorient their logical point of origin. Once this reorientation had taken place they would discover the God who desired to be known. The prevenient grace of God had allowed the people to know of the existence of an unknown god, it was the grace of God which revealed to them the identity of the unknown God, and it was the justice of God that would no longer allow them to continue until the day of judgment in their logical misconceptions. Some accepted, some sneered, and some asked for more information.

The discussion before the Areopagus is alive and active today. The character and nature of God remains the same, prevenient grace prevails, and the time of judgment is coming. The stench of death covers our cities as its men and women chase after other gods and God will no longer overlook humanity’s ignorance of Him.

The unbeliever is called to repentance, to step away from their logical misconceptions of God and to embrace the true understanding of who He is. This is the time to set aside the lens of humanity with which the unbeliever views God and recognize that He is not the source of their pain, rather He is the source of their comfort. God is not the source of the stench of death. He is not the one who denies them life but rather is the one who is the way to everlasting life. It is time for the unbeliever to enter into the dialogue of deity, but there is another call apparent within this passage as well.

The second, less comfortable call within this passage is the call to the believer. It is the call to present the gospel in a clear manner which allows for the relevancy of God to shine through cultural misconceptions, through the seemingly logical errors which have become their foundation in an incomplete knowledge of Jesus and the resurrection. Now is the time for the people of God to stand before the Areopagus of our time. We must take the discussion of Jesus crucified and resurrected to the marketplace and allow it to rise up through the ranks of understanding. It is time for our words, empowered by the presence of the Holy Spirit, to be the perfume which overcomes the stench of death in our communities.

We must begin the spiritual conversations in the style with which the culture is familiar, not by some prescribed formula which begins where we would like the conversation to begin. We must have the boldness and daring to offer the knowledge of that which was previously unknown to the people. We must challenge the very schemata, the structures of their misconceived ideas of interaction with the one and only God.

The response to these declarations will be mixed; some will accept, some will sneer and some will ask for more information. We must be continually searching for those who have not heard the gospel of Christ. The responsibility of sharing the gospel is no less a calling for us today then it was for Paul. This is the time. This is our generation to speak.

Our denominational leaders are meeting in Orlando. They will be making decisions which will affect us all. We must corporately and individually humble ourselves before our God. We must not ask Him to bless our plans but rather that His plans would become a blessing to us. It is time, church, for us to take the phrase, “to make Christlike disciples in the nations” off of our stationary and to inscribe it onto our hearts. It is time to for us to move beyond our feelings of distress and move into the confident proclamation of Christ crucified and Christ resurrected.