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 Home: Worship: Samuel: May 1 
Liturgical color: White
Acts 17:22-31 with Psalm 66:8-20 (from 66:8-18) AND Sermon Seeds Focus Scripture:
Weekly Theme:
Focus Statement:
Questions:
The reading from Acts, however, is a different kind of testimony than that of the psalmist, a different kind of exhortation than that of First Peter, and a different kind of promise, too. It is put in a different form, also, and a different setting: Paul is in Athens, the center of Greek culture and thought, and he's addressing a very different crowd than he usually does. He's in the Areopagus, not the synagogue, and these folks don’t know – or care – about the history of the patriarchs and God’s faithfulness to the Hebrew people – and they probably wouldn't be too moved by the story, either. Paul can’t rehearse the story of Moses or the Promised Land, or speak of the prophets or the exile. No, instead, he meets these people "where they are." The verses that precede this lectionary text help to set the stage, as Paul has not been much of a tourist here in the cultural center of the known world. Instead of appreciating art and architecture, he keeps stubbing his religious toe on one idol after another, and he is annoyed (“deeply distressed,” as a matter of fact). In the introductory verses (16-21), he seems restless and argumentative, first in the synagogue and then in the marketplace. Luke portrays him as relentlessly pursuing debate, "every day with those who happened to be there." When he speaks of Jesus and the Resurrection, the Greek word for the latter might have been misunderstood as a goddess, Anastasia, and some people thought he was talking about a new god and his consort. This would have been illegal, and Paul might have gone the way of Socrates. But, instead, the philosophers invited him to come and talk with them some more about this "new teaching" – after all, the text says, lots of people in Athens loved to spend their time “in nothing but telling or hearing something new.” Paul accepts their invitation and delivers a brilliant evangelism speech that begins by "getting on their good side," complimenting them on their religious piety but offering them an answer to what appears to be an unknown – "the unknown god" that nevertheless inspires altars – the unknown that might stand for the unanswered questions, the inexpressible longing for the transcendent, the spiritual hunger that every human being experiences. Paul does them a favor and names the focus of that hunger and longing, the answer to their questions, and he makes it clear that this God cannot be housed or shaped by humans – on the contrary, this God created and sustains us all, believers and unbelievers alike. And another thing – this God has let our ignorance go thus far, but now there will be no excuses, and we must all repent and prepare for a day not of whimsical judgment (like that of some Greek gods), but of righteousness and truth, embodied, he claims in his last sentence, by the one God raised from the dead, Jesus Christ. The speech was not a huge success, but the verses after the lectionary text ends indicate that at least one distinguished member of the community and an unknown woman were converted. Here, in the weeks after Easter, we continue to wrestle with the reality of the Resurrection. How is Jesus Christ still alive in the midst of your community of faith? How do you feel his presence, living and breathing, in your church? How does his Spirit guide the life of your congregation? In what ways is God still speaking through the life of your congregation, still proclaiming new life and good news? What difference does it make to your church, six weeks after Easter, that Jesus Christ is risen from the dead? Can you, and the members of your church, give an accounting of the hope that is within you? How? What are the stories, the memories, and the present dreams that account for this hope? Some people say that God’s presence is felt only in intense, mystical experiences, and they spend a lot of effort in "achieving" or at least in seeking such "highs." But others say that the day-in, day-out faithfulness of loving and sharing and being open, of going to church and of offering hospitality to others, seeking justice and forgiveness, and offering the same, is just as important an experience of God’s presence. Do you believe that God still speaks through this everyday kind of faithfulness? Think, then, about those who come to your church, especially visitors. The Stoics and the Epicureans were the two main philosophies of the time, represented in this text. And folks were spending lots of time, as mentioned above, in telling or hearing something new. What are the main philosophies of our time that swirl around us and distract us and entice us? What are we intrigued by, on talk shows, in self-help books, in discussion groups, and even in the pulpit – “new” ideas and methods and philosophies that seem to compete with the gospel that we – hopefully – preach and embody in our church life? Paul’s audience in this text could be imagined as "the un-churched," those who do not speak the language of our tradition, do not know the stories of our people, do not value – yet – the heart of our faith. But they are open. Yes, perhaps they are open to every new thing, and there are many things that our culture offers, many answers, programs, and experts. But the gospel endures when all the "something new" ideas fade. For some people in our time, then, the gospel is something new. What are the challenges to us in this text as we think about addressing those who do not know "the story" or do not look to the same ancestors in faith? Do we think of them as sustained by God, having "the times of their existence and the boundaries of the places they would live" determined by the same God we worship and depend on? Do we find that, in the midst of materialism and nationalism and militarism, we depend on "other gods" for our lives? How much do we feel that we "grope" for God, who is near at hand, even though we think of ourselves as faithful and religious? How do we hear the words "In him we live and move and have our being" differently when we realize Paul is quoting a pagan philosopher? In church or in the marketplace, then, how do we give an accounting for the hope that is within us? Lectionary texts Acts 17:22-31 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.” and Psalm 66:8-20 Refrain:
Bless our God, O peoples, let the
who has kept us among the
For you, O God, have tested us;
You brought us into the net;
you let people ride over our heads;
I will come into your house
lips uttered and my mouth promised
I will offer to you burnt offerings of
Come and hear, all you who fear God,
I cried aloud to God,
If I had cherished iniquity in my heart,
But truly God has listened;
Blessed be God, because God
and 1 Peter 3:13-22 Now who will harm you if you are eager to do what is good? But even if you do suffer for doing what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear, and do not be intimidated, but in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and reverence. Keep your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who abuse you for your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if suffering should be God’s will, than to suffer for doing evil. For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit, in which also he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison, who in former times did not obey, when God waited patiently in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were saved through water. And baptism, which this prefigured, now saves you—not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers made subject to him. and John 14:15-21 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you. “I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live. On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.” Sunday bulletin back page Sixth Sunday of Easter
“JUST DOING WHAT CHURCHES ARE SUPPOSED TO DO” “What is it that makes your church so welcoming–so easy to be a part of?” The question came from a visitor to Peace United Church of Christ in Kewaskum, Wisconsin. Senior minister Eric Kirkegaard had heard it before, but he still doesn’t have a glib or pat answer. Everybody acknowledges the warmth and welcome that one feels at Peace UCC on Sunday mornings. Members are justifiably proud of their reputation for openness to newcomers. But Rev. Kirkegaard believes that there is more to the welcome than a warm, fuzzy feeling. Take the church’s intentional ministry with its elderly members. In 1997 the congregation installed an elevator for members and visitors who couldn’t mount the church steps. In worship there are large-print bulletins and aids for the hearing-impaired. And two years ago the congregation raised money to hire part-time staff for home visitations with those unable to attend church. With renewed vigor, some of those “shut-ins” are coming back to worship now. But Eric Kirkegaard is even more impressed with the attitude behind these measures. Perhaps, of all things, the church budget gives it a name–benevolence. The congregation at Peace UCC is generous in its giving to others. It does so through wider mission support of the Wisconsin Conference and national ministries, and also of the special UCC mission offerings. The members are also generous to their own. Every young person in the congregation is eligible for a scholarship grant to help support their post-secondary school education. At Peace UCC benevolence also includes gifts of time and talent–and sweat. Every year now for almost twenty years, adult members have built a home for Habitat for Humanity. Church youth, too, make a summertime mission trip that includes a commitment to a housing project. And now the college students want their own work experience during the winter break–in someplace warm, of course. But at Peace UCC there is even more to benevolence than this. What the members embody, perhaps without even knowing it, is a simpler yet somehow profounder meaning of the words “kindness and good will” that show forth without self-consciousness. “We’re just a church, doing what churches are supposed to do–trying to love God and love our neighbor,” is the way Rev. Kirkegaard puts it. Liturgical notes on the Readings In ecumenical liturgical practice, there are normally three readings and one psalm at each Sunday service, in this order:
First Reading: Hebrew Scripture The first two lessons are normally read by laypeople, the Gospel by a Minister of the Word or a layperson. In Roman Catholic, Anglican and liturgical Protestant churches, it is uncommon for an ordained minister to read all of the lessons. The psalm is not a reading but a congregational response following the lesson from Hebrew Scripture: it is normally sung with a refrain or recited by the congregation as poetry. Occasionally, a canticle is appointed in place of a psalm; it is sung or recited in the same way. The New Century Hymnal provides a complete liturgical psalter with refrains and music. A hymn may be sung as an introduction to the proclamation of the Gospel. During Ordinary Time (seasons after Epiphany and Pentecost) two alternative sets of OT readings with responsorial psalms are provided. The first option is a semi-continuous reading through a book of Hebrew Scripture; the second is thematically related to the other readings.
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The Revised Common Lectionary is © Consultation on Common Texts. Texts are from the New Revised Standard Version of Holy Scripture, © 1989 by The Division of Christian Education, National Council of Churches. The psalm antiphon is from The New Century Hymnal, © 1995, The Pilgrim Press. Used with permission. Music for the psalm and antiphon are available in The New Century Hymnal, plus a complete index of hymns appropriate for each Sunday's lectionary readings. To purchase the Hymnal, call 1-800-325-7061. |
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