Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“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.”
NL Daily Devotion for Sunday, May 15, 2022
by Dr. Kimberly Leetch, Clergy Stuff
Main Idea: We can grow in our knowledge, understanding, and imagination concerning God when we learn about and learn from other cultures and religions.
Athens was a melting pot—a cultural metropolis for art, literature, and the debate of new ideas. It was an ideal place for Paul to spread the good news of the risen Christ. If he debated well, Christ’s story would reach listeners from all over the continent.
While there, Paul took notice of the culture all around him. He saw a statue to honor “an unknown god,” and he saw within it an opportunity to introduce Christ. He also quoted popular poets of the day, “In him we live and move and have our being,” to help listeners understand the nature of God. It was a wise move, and he converted many while he was there.
One of Paul’s greatest strengths was to meet people where they were, to speak their language, and to connect with people as he shared how Christ had changed him. He didn’t force himself upon people. He didn’t demand they change. He engaged them, listened to them, understood them, and then spoke.
One of the greatest strengths we can bring is to engage, listen to, and understand people where they are. Evangelism isn’t about force feeding people our truth. It is about sharing, interacting, and being witnesses to the miraculous and ordinary things God does in our lives every day. Listening and learning, even being willing to consider that we might be wrong and that we might have something to learn from others can be one of the greatest tools of evangelism we can call upon. Paul’s knowledge and understanding, and his imagination concerning God grew as he learned about Athenian culture.
Ours can too.
