Home

   Sermons

   Scripture
     Readings

   Ministries

Youth

UMW

Child Education

Adult Education

   The Spire

   Staff

   History

   Bookstore

   Donations

   Contact Info

Office Hours

M-Th 9-12, 1-3

Closed Friday

 

Telephone

(503)640-1775

 

Address

168 NE 8th

Hillsboro, OR 97124

 

Directions

   Email

General Info

 

Office

 

Spire

 

Webmaster

 

Gwen Drake

Pastor

 

Sandra Hunter

Director of Family

Ministries

 

Lefty Schultz

Visitation Pastor

 

Laura Lillegard

Office Manager

 

John Hiestand

Music Minister

 

Youth E-mail

Youth Ministry

 

Oregon-Idaho UMC

 

Main UMC Website

Boy Scout Tr #240

Scripture: Acts 17:22-31

Prayer of Preparation: We give thanks, O God of sacred stories, for the witness of holy scripture. Through it you nurture our imaginations, touch our feelings, increase our awareness, and challenge our assumptions. May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O God, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen.

I don't remember talking about God and religion in my family and we were regular church-goers. I was taught through the example of my parents and grandparents to live a good, moral life--you know--things like not swearing, paying taxes, being faithful in your marriage, telling the truth, being there for your kids, volunteering at the county fair, not gossiping about the relatives or the neighbors down the road even though they gave you a lot to gossip about. My parents were hard-working, good, salt of the earth people. They kept their religious beliefs to themselves, especially my father whom I adored. I knew we believed in God. We said grace at dinnertime, we attended church and Sunday School, and my mom did almost everything in the church at one time or another. We did this because it was a family value, part of our life. And I followed along not because I felt any great nudging from God; but because my Mom put her foot down and said, "You are going to church." I think I would define myself in those days as religious, but not spiritual. I did not go to church for a spiritual experience that drew me close to God. I went because that was what was expected of me.

In today's Scripture reading, Paul, the missionary, arrived in Athens, Greece, the literary capital of the ancient world, the most cultural city of western civilization. Every Roman who sought a finished education resorted to complete his studies in Athens. Anthens was the home of the philosophers, orators, sculptors, painters, poets, and the great university where thousands gathered for study and learning. Paul encountered some of these people in Anthens: intellectuals, moral people, the best the Greek world had to offer. They were a spiritual people, but not Christian. Religious shrines were on every corner. Every side street had temples and altars. Most of them were dedicated to Greek gods and goddesses, Zeuss and his friends and enemies. Anthens was the gods capital of the ancient western civilization.

It was not at all unusual for people in those days, especially in Athens to talk about philosophy and spiritual things with the same ease and passion that we talk about a good movie or American Idol or how the weather has been affecting us. These discussions were carried on in the streets, market places, and on into the Areopagus which was the local city council chambers.

When Paul entered the Athens scene, he did not go in to judge or tear apart their shrines and gods. He did not put the people down for their different kinds of worship and ideas about mystical, magical, superstitious and divine things. Quite the contrary. Paul affirmed who they were. He said there was something true, something right, something good in their spiritual impulses.

Now Paul was an enthusiastic, educated man, one of the first missionaries of this brand-new movement that didn't even have an official name yet. Paul wrote letters to new church starts, some of them became our Holy Scriptures. In Athens, he showed humility and respect. He looked for the good and the positive rather than looking for what was wrong in this new place he was visiting. He found evidence of common ground. He saw an altar that was built in honor of the "unknown god." Maybe it was just an insurance policy just in case there was some god they missed. The people in Athens built something for every god they could name. This one was an altar to an unknown god. Paul told the Atheneans that it was evidence that the Greeks were a spiritually seeking people who knew that there was more going on than what fit into their categories of explanation. They couldn't name it. They didn't need to name it because they couldn't make sense of what was divine. So, they built an altar to an unknown god.

Do you ever feel that there is a lot more to this spiritual stuff than we can even begin to name or talk about. Even if you don't have a disciplined spiritual life--you know, like a time set aside for Bible study, prayer, meditation; even if you don't do anything very religious outside of going to church on Sunday, are there not times when you are more awake and aware of life than other times? Even if you haven't been baptized or haven’t joined the church, you can have a spiritual experience, like when you hold a newborn baby in your arms, or gaze upon Mt. Hood on a crystal clear day with more than just your eyes, but your whole being. Something happens, your heart jumps up to your throat, tears come to your eyes, chills move up your spine. You feel more love for life in your heart than you can imagine. Then, maybe you start wondering, where did that come from --all that feeling and emotion. Or, you go through one of those times in your life where more stuff happens than you can handle, you are overwhelmed, but somehow you find that you have more strength than you knew and you get through it. Have you ever wondered where the more comes from. Have you ever built an altar to an unknown god in your life just in case, for insurance purposes?

Paul said, "People of Athens, I see how extremely religious you are in every way. Objects of worship everywhere including an altar to an unknown god." It's an amazing little speech. Paul was thoroughly Jewish and Christian. He was a zealot as a Jew. When he converted, I am sure his personality didn't change. He simply became a zealot for Jesus. He believed and kept the ten commandments, one which is: "Thou shalt have no other gods before me." I am sure Paul was tempted to denounce the Atheneans’ ways of being spiritual. He could have pounded on a pillar, shouting, "There's only ONE way, ONE!" He could have called them pagans, heretics, idol-worshipers, and made them feel like the scum of the earth. Except he didn't. Knowing Paul, like I do--I confess, I am amazed at Paul for this. He acknowledged them. He treated them with respect and dignity. He listened and looked and found common ground with them--their spirituality, their humanity. He quoted one of their Greek poets. He used their language. And when he noticed that he had their attention, then he shared his story with them. He said, for him this unknown god was not unknown to him but was the one God who gave to all life and breath and everything--this God even inspired their desire to search for the divine.

Today, in the 21st century, Christianity has acquired a whole lot of baggage. Some of us have projected our own ideas, values and prejudices upon God. Some of us say that God is on our side. Some of us are so religious that we believe we are the ones who are right, making others wrong. What we can learn from Paul in Athens is to be much more inclusive and open and aware.

Anthony deMello tells a story about some students of one of the great masters. They were discussing one of his teachings that said, "Those who know do not say; those who say do not know." When the master entered, they asked him what the teaching meant. The Master said, "Which of you knows the fragrance of a rose?" All of them knew. Then he said, "Put it into words." All of them were silent.

We live in a time when the world is exploding with knowledge and information and words that can be shared instantly. What is challenging during this time is discerning what is true. We live in a time when no one group or person has the one truth. There are many truths, not just one. It's one of the characteristics of our 21st century. So, we don't have people rushing to the church to find the truth. Yet, there are many, many people outside church walls who say they are "spiritual, not religious." I think that probably means that they find their spiritual needs met outside of a religion. Someone said: "Religion is for people who are afraid of going to hell; spirituality is for those who have been there." Now, I know that is not entirely true, because I have met many people in the church, religious people who have been through hell. But that statement, which I have seen quoted more than once, tells us that the Church has a pretty scary reputation these days. Which is hard for me to understand because I grew up in the church. I had some years away from the church. And when I came back, I had a spiritual experience in church. It felt like I was coming home. It happened for me because I was ready and open and seeking something. I didn't know if I would find it in the church. I had my doubts. But I didn't know where else to go. So, I went to church and it felt like home--the same kind of feeling that John described in last Sunday's sermon. The feeling of being home. Going to church for me, felt like going home.

It's not a metaphor that works for everyone, I know, especially today. Some people have had awful experiences in church. Some people have never been to church. Some people feel more spiritual out in nature. I understand all of this. That is okay. Like Paul, it shows us the yearning that people have to find that “more to life” feeling. Ekhart Tolle calls it being "one with life." He says it’s when you realize that "you don't live your life, but life lives you. Life is the dance, and you are the dance." Life lives you.

I guess I'm spiritual and religious now. But those are just words, labels. My dream for our church is it can be a place where we learn to live with awareness, where we live consciously. God is here. God is one with life. When we are one with life, living in the present, we are more open to God than any other time. Our thoughts often keep us out of the present though. Old tapes run through our minds. We mentally plan out what we are going to do this afternoon. These thoughts hinder us from just being in the present. There's a part of us that loves to hang onto the past and worry about the future. But, noticing what is going on in our mind is the beginning--the beginning of waking up. It is not right or wrong to have thoughts of the past or future. It just is--be conscious of it, notice it. Then try to get out of your mind. One small simple thing you can do is to shift your attention to your breathing. Something else I do, especially when I am running or riding is to look around me and notice my environment. When I'm riding my horse I have lots of help from him because he is totally in the present with all of his senses. It's fight or flight with him. And I just need to focus on him and what he is noticing to be present. Being one with life for me is like being one with my horse. It is where I feel at peace. It’s when I feel alive.

Paul could see how alive the people of Athens were and he didn't want to take that away from them. He simply wanted to share what he saw, what he experienced, and who he was. We can do the same thing, you know. We all probably know someone who doesn't attend church. Be aware of what's going on in their life. Be present with them. But also share yourself. And know that it is scary for people to come to church. Many people don't know what goes on inside our walls. We have a scary reputation. If you do get brave enough to ask someone if they would consider going to church, remember to tell them that you will be with them every step of the way, even pick them up and take them, even take them out to lunch afterwards. People aren't going to come just because we are here. People you know will come if you ask them to come with you.

That's what Paul did. He brought people along on a journey, a brand-new journey. The 21st Century is Athens all over again. We have altars and shrines and temples on every corner of the street--it's called Starbucks, or the Human Bean, or you name it. People are yearning to be more alive. People are wanting to experience the divine, the something more, the high power, whatever it is named. And what better, kinder, more accepting place for them to begin this journey than our church with someone they know. Are you willing to take the risk? Paul was. I hope we are, too.

Amen