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 ind 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.”
Avis Moller says
Peace be with you all
Lee Allison says
Grateful to be able to be with you all this day
Marti Warren says
Lovely service today. Enjoyed Sara’s “Hear My Prayer”.
Mary and Jana Howe says
So appreciative of your sermons of the children’s time, beautiful time with all of you in church. Thank you Mary Howe.
Maybe Neal De Grasse could handle my eyebrows? They are a hellish mess. I think it would take someone who was also an astrophysicist? :).
Beautiful sermon. AM thinking a lot about that proposition., tell me about your God. I can see I would like to work on knowing or at least having a better acquaintance with my God Pastor Maureen.
Also Pastor Maureen, in your sermon you mentioned as a minor point how the news will warp it’s messages to suck in people emotionally to sell more product. ( My words). I know this is true, but I also would love some guidance on God’s work in the media. I am very nervous when people tend to clump all media into one barrel and say they all are exaggerating to make more money. I am concerned that it makes it all too easy to feel justified in ignoring news and voting for who I want because everyone’s a criminal. Gosh. Wouldn’t a sermon on media “consumption,” (I hate that word), discernment and the voice of God be just so wonderful?
I still choose not to shut out all the bad news. I still feel the need to hear it. Some excellent stories on NPR on the radio yesterday about people working in a federal agency processing asylum claims, with law backgrounds I believe, and how they feel they are becoming human rights abusers, and stories of some asylum seekers and their journey here, to Mexico and then back home to face the danger on their own. I just wish I could invite God into my head and heart when I listen to this stuff so I don’t feel so guilty and powerless and confused. But that’s for another time. IN the meantime I loved this sermon and my BIG takeaway is the one small phrase, it’s all about love, not fear. I need to tape that message to my front door. Thank you . SIncerely, Jana Howe
Camille Davis says
Another inspiring service! Thank you Pastors Maureen and Kate for all you’re doing to bring us such enriching services to start our week. Thank you as well Sara and Michael for beautiful, uplifting music!