Acts 17:22-34 (NRSV)
God has fixed a day of judgment
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.
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.
This is one of my favorite sections in Acts. The Aeropagus is right below the Acropolis and was a space where court cases were tried. The Romans called it "Mar's Hill" (the name some may recognize as the same as the church that Rob Bell started).
Everything about this story reminds me of Jesus' call to the disciples "to go therefore and make disciples of all nations."
But what strikes me the most is how Paul does it. Paul, the Jew of Jews, as he thought of himself in his previous life, goes to the Athenians and speaks to them in terms they know. He goes into their religious spaces with reverence, not with condemnation. He begins his speech with flattery and shows that he has taken seriously their religious convictions. He uses places and things of their faith life that they know to proclaim the gospel to them in terms they can understand. Even in terms of the judgment of God, Paul frames it in the assurance of the promise given through Jesus and the resurrection.
A couple weeks ago, when we were in State College, PA visiting our daughter Alex, a religious group had parked on one of the street corners carrying signs tell us all of our sinfulness and God's judgment. A sight I'm sure many of us have seen.
At the time, it made me think about how we dialogue with those who have other faiths than our own. Paul's model of respect seems to not be the one lifted up, at least not publicly. Even among different Christian groups we tend to hear in the news more about things like certain churches picketing funeral with signs of hate, rather than dialogue of healing and compassion. But Paul was very public in his respect and slow to condemnation.
It's hard to speak of our faith sometimes to those who believe differently from ourselves. But starting from a place of curiosity and respect can bridge that gap and lead to a richer, more meaningful understanding.
Gracious God: You love all your children. Give us the humility to remember that and to seek out those from whom we can gain new understanding. Remind us always to proclaim your good news with love and respect so that we can build more meaningful relationships. Amen.
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