The Lenten Challenge Begins Soon; Are You Ready to Read Through John?

David Burns on January 21, 2016

I hope you’re planning to join me in reading through the Gospel of John during the Lenten season this year. We’ll get started on Ash Wednesday on February 10 and read together for 40 days. To guide you through John, I’ve written a new book, John: The Gospel of Light and Life. This book is divided into 6 chapters to help you explore the major themes of the Gospel and is meant to be read alongside the Scripture. With that in mind, the entire text of John is included. At the end of each chapter you’ll find a portion of the Gospel, and if you read each portion after you read the chapter, by the end of the book you will have completed the Gospel of John. What if your entire church, or even just your small group, committed to read the entire Gospel of John together this Lent, and to take an in-depth look at the major themes in the gospel?  At Resurrection we’re anticipating this study will deepen our faith and unify our church. We have created several resources to help you and your church as you read through the Gospel of John. You can find those here. Today’s post is an excerpt from Chapter Two, “The Miraculous Signs of Jesus” in John: The Gospel of Light and Life. Changing Water Into Wine John calls the miracles of Jesus “miraculous signs.” A sign points toward something else. Scholars often refer to John 2 through 12 as the “Book of Signs.” John’s stories of Jesus are intended to have a deeper meaning, which answers the questions, Who is this man Jesus? How does he affect my life? What is required of me? Today, we’ll focus on Jesus’ first miraculous sign in John 2:1-12—turning water into wine—and how we might study it to find deeper meaning. Jesus and his disciples had been invited to a wedding, and a wedding banquet followed. Jewish wedding banquets in the first century are thought to have lasted seven days. These occasions were then, as weddings and wedding receptions are today, among the great moments in the life of a family and one of the most joyful times in any community. It’s for this reason that the Bible often associates heaven with a wedding banquet. But remember, there is a deeper meaning to John’s stories. This story is not only about Jesus providing wine for a wedding but also about the life he offers to each of us. At the wedding banquet described in John 2, the wine ran out. This was terribly embarrassing for the host. Remember, at that time water was not always safe to drink, and people often drank wine at every meal. Wine offerings were made to God as a sign of life and joy and goodness. And though some passages of Scripture warn about drunkenness, there also are many that portray wine as a good part of life. (There are over 250 references to wine in the Bible, and most are positive.) In the story, Jesus’ mother came to Jesus and told him the wine had run out. Then she told the servants to do whatever Jesus told them. We don’t know that Mary was expecting a miracle at this point, only that Jesus was going to make sure the wine problem was solved. I think she may have imagined Jesus going with them to the local wineseller to purchase more wine. With this in mind, she gave instructions to the servants at the wedding banquet. But remember, John’s stories of Jesus are intended to have a deeper meaning. Here’s a question that might help you see the deeper meaning here: Who are Christ’s servants today? The answer: we’re his servants. Now, listen again to verse five: “His mother told the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’” Note that when the servants did as they were told, a miracle occurred—water was changed to wine; the ordinary was converted to the extraordinary. John may have been saying, similarly, that if all of us do as Christ tells us, then our ordinary lives can become extraordinary. You might say, “Is that really what John meant?” We can’t be sure, but so much of John’s writing has multiple levels that the little clues and phrases may well point to this deeper meaning. The servants didn’t just fill the jars; they filled them “to the brim.” I think John is telling us that Jesus wants to fill us up completely. We’re meant to be overflowing, as a cup “runneth over.” Remember, the overarching theme of this Gospel is that we might have life in Christ’s name. Notice that the wine Jesus created from the water was not just any wine, but the really good wine. And not just a little, but a lot: perhaps 150 gallons! The wine that Jesus created was better than the wine the guests had been drinking before. John wanted us to see that the life Jesus offers is richer, deeper, and of a higher quality than the life we live apart from him.  To find out more about the meaning of Jesus’ transformation of water into wine, and the point of the other miraculous signs recorded in John’s gospel, check out, John: The Gospel of Light and Life and read the Gospel of John this Lent!

The Lenten Challenge: Read and Study the Gospel of John

David Burns on January 14, 2016

Last week I issued the Lenten Challenge. I hope you’ll join me this year for a 40-day read-through of the Gospel of John. Lent begins in a few weeks on Ash Wednesday on February 10 and runs for 40 days. My latest book, John: The Gospel of Light and Life, is divided into 6 chapters to help you explore the major themes of John. It is meant to be read alongside the Gospel. With that in mind, the entire text of John is included. At the end of each chapter you’ll find a portion of the Gospel, and if you read each portion after you read the chapter, by the end of the book you will have completed the Gospel of John. I’m also encouraging congregations to begin preparing now for the Lenten season.  I believe that entire congregations will find reading through a Gospel during Lent an unifying and deeply spiritual experience. We have created several resources to help you and your church as you read through the Gospel of John. You can find those here. Today’s post is an excerpt from Chapter One, “The Word Made Flesh” in John: The Gospel of Light and Life. Light Shining in the Darkness What came into being through the Word was life, and the life was the light for all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness doesn’t extinguish the light. (John 1:3b-5) Permeating John’s Gospel are two ideas: light and life. Light is a metaphor for several things and is always understood over and against darkness. Sometimes darkness is synonymous with spiritual blindness or a failure to understand what it means to be human. Sometimes darkness refers to evil. Jesus came to dispel the darkness. He came to be the light for us. At our Christmas Eve services at Church of the Resurrection, we turn off all the lights and stand in the darkness. Babies cry and people cough and little children squirm, and it’s uncomfortable for a while. In the darkness we talk about the darkness we experience at times in our lives. Then we bring in one candle from the back of the room. This candle represents Jesus. We read the Prologue of John and remember that Jesus came to bring light to our darkness. He dispels the darkness. You’re likely familiar with the service: each person has a candle, and we pass the candlelight throughout the room, saying to one another, “The light of Christ.” Soon the entire room is filled with light. John would be pleased, for it captures a premise of his Gospel: Christ came to push back the darkness in our world and in our lives. We can’t appreciate the light until we recognize the darkness. We see darkness in the news when we read about another act of violence in a school, a movie theater, a community square. We see it in the natural disasters that leave communities in chaos. We see it in the terrorist attacks and the heinous crimes committed against humanity, sometimes in the name of God. For some, the darkness comes when our spouse leaves or we lose our job or we receive a frightening diagnosis. And, of course, all of us walk through the valley of darkness when someone we love dies. These are all expressions of the darkness into which Jesus offers light, comfort, healing, and hope. In John, darkness is a metaphor not only for evil, despair, and hopelessness, but also for losing our way. Those who walk in darkness are lost and blinded by sin. Jesus is the light that can guide us, helping us see the way by the things he taught and by what he showed us in the example of his life. He showed us forgiveness and love and grace. He showed us compassion and kindness and mercy. He not only removes our sin, he shines a light on the path we’re to take. Jesus embodies the words of the psalmist: “Your word is a lamp before my feet and a light for my journey” (Psalm 119:105). I’m reminded of times when I’ve taken cave tours, and I was so grateful for the guides who held flashlights and helped us navigate through the darkness. We are followers of Jesus as he illuminates the way we’re meant to follow. You know the way: loving God and neighbor, forgiving others, loving enemies, speaking truth, showing compassion. In his Prologue, John reminds us that human beings at times love the darkness rather than light. But he also makes clear that the darkness could not overcome Christ’s light. When we walk in the light of Christ, when we listen to, hear, and accept God’s Word, we have life. Jesus came to be the light for us so that we, as his followers, might in turn be light for others. As those who have the light of Christ and walk in the light of Christ, our task is to dispel the darkness—to bear the light of Christ and embody his light. To read more about why John uses the metaphors of light and darkness, and what it means to walk in the light of Christ, check out John:  The Gospel of Light and Life and read the Gospel of John this Lent.

Take the Lenten Challenge: Read and Study John This Lent

David Burns on January 7, 2016

It’s the first full week of 2016—a fresh start to a new year. While you may have made any number of “resolutions” this month, I’d like to offer you a challenge that will help you establish a new habit that will transform your life. Commit this year to reading through at least one of the Gospels. Specifically, I challenge you to a 40-day read-through of the gospel of John during Lent. Believe it or not, the Lenten season is only a few weeks away. Ash Wednesday is February 10 and is the start of Lent, which runs for 40 days until we celebrate Palm Sunday on March 20, followed by Easter Sunday on March 27. How will you observe Lent this year? The gospel of John is the perfect Lenten companion. My latest book, John: The Gospel of Light and Life, will help you on your journey. This book is divided into 6 chapters to help you explore the major themes of John. It is meant to be read alongside the Gospel. With that in mind, the entire text of John is included. At the end of each chapter you’ll find a portion of the Gospel, and if you read each portion after you read the chapter, by the end of the book you will have completed the Gospel of John. Each year at the Church of the Resurrection we challenge the entire congregation to read through one of the gospels, often during the 40 days of Lent.  This year our congregation will be studying John together with sermons each week from John, and our small groups studying John together.  We have created several resources to help you and your church as you read through the Gospel of John. You can find those here. Over the next few weeks I’ll be publishing excerpts from my new book, John: The Gospel of Light and Life, here on my blog.  Recently I had an hour-long video conversation with Shane Raynor at Ministry Matters about John. You can view that conversation by clicking here or on the image above. In John 20:31 we read, “These things are written so that you will believe that Jesus is the Christ, God’s Son, and that believing, you will have life in his name.”  My hope is that the Gospel of John will help you to grow deeper in your faith and that through your study of this gospel you will find life in Christ’s name. Today’s post is an excerpt from the Introduction to John: The Gospel of Light and Life. Introducing John: The Gospel of Light and Life John is unique among the Gospels. We call Matthew, Mark, and Luke the Synoptic Gospels. Synoptic is a Greek word that means “to see together,” and it is appropriate here because these three Gospels are very similar. They share much of the same material and general outline of Jesus’ life. John’s portrayal of Jesus is markedly different from that of the Synoptics. Many of the events recorded in John are not found in the Synoptic Gospels. John’s Gospel is largely set in and around Jerusalem, whereas the Synoptic Gospels record Jesus’ ministry in the Galilee. Jesus sounds different in the Synoptic Gospels, where he speaks in parables and in a straightforward, plainspoken way. But in John, Jesus speaks in metaphors that are more obscure. In the Synoptic Gospels, Jesus describes the kingdom of God and the ethical imperatives demanded in the Kingdom. (The Kingdom is mentioned seventy-five times in Matthew, Mark, and Luke.) In John’s Gospel, the focus is not on the kingdom of God (only mentioned twice), but on Jesus himself as the one who reveals God. The author of John presents Jesus as the source of life, and he wants to be sure we “get” this. In Matthew, Mark, and Luke, Jesus calls people to follow him. In John, Jesus calls people to believe in him and to abide in him. Both following and believing in Jesus are important dimensions of Christian discipleship. Clearly, we need the insights and invitation of both John and the Synoptics. None of the Gospels are, strictly speaking, biographies of Jesus. But John’s Gospel, more than any of the others, is something of a spiritual or theological commentary on Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. We’re not meant to read it as a journalist’s or biographer’s account of Jesus’ life. In John, details of events and even the words of Jesus are not so much about what actually happened, though clearly they are rooted in what actually happened. Instead they are about the meaning—the spiritual significance—of Jesus’ life. For this reason, I believe, Clement of Alexandria (a.d. 150–215) described John as “the spiritual Gospel.” To find out more about why John wrote his gospel, how it differs from the Synoptic gospels, and the spiritual significance he hopes his readers will see, check out John: The Gospel of Light and Life and read the Gospel of John this Lent.

Best Practices for Effective Public Speakers

David Burns on December 3, 2015

Eat, sleep, pray, and listen. This tip is probably the most obvious—but sometimes the most neglected—for speakers. You can have the best material and be well prepared, but if your body has not had adequate sleep, fluids, and nutrients, you’ll not be your best. Make it your standard practice to get at least seven hours of sleep before speaking at an important event (which includes, for you preachers, getting to bed early on Saturday nights in preparation for Sunday worship). Eat a nutritious breakfast. Drink plenty of fluids. These simple practices are essential to effective speaking. Two other practices seem self-evident, but even preachers often miss them: speakers need to make adequate time in their lives for prayer and reflection. In order to prepare and then deliver excellent messages, it is essential for a speaker to have time to think about and reflect upon the ideas that will go into a speech or sermon. And it is essential to spend time praying and inviting God to guide, lead, and speak to you. Reflection takes time, and the practice often gets crowded out of our busy lives. But taking the time to mull over points, to pray and meditate, and to study always results in deeper, more well-developed messages. Great material and thorough preparation are important, but if you neglect your own physical and spiritual well-being, you will fall short of your best as a speaker. Develop healthy habits to make sure you are nourished in every way, and your speaking will be more effective and satisfying. Read the other three posts in this series: How to Give an Effective Speech Effective Public Speaking Using 3 Main Points Effective Public Speaking Involves More Than Words Get more tips for effective public speaking in my new book, Speaking Well: Essential Skills for Speakers, Leaders, and Preachers.

Effective Public Speaking Involves More Than Words

David Burns on December 2, 2015

When it comes to speaking well, eye contact is critical. I’ve known people, often authors, whose speeches had great content but their talks were horrible because they simply read their manuscript. You’ve likely heard someone quote, or misquote, psychologist Albert Mehrabian’s research that body language (posture, hands, and facial expressions) is responsible for 55 percent of the effectiveness of a speaker. Voice intonation was responsible for 38 percent of a speaker’s effectiveness, and the speaker’s words were responsible for only 7 percent of the speaker’s effectiveness. Mehrabian’s findings were a bit more nuanced than this. The subjects in his study were asked about their feelings in response to seeing and hearing someone speak. This is not exactly the same as how much information they retained or how close the presentation came to accomplishing its goal. Nevertheless, this research gives insight on how to engage an audience in a way that results in positive feelings toward the speaker and the presentation. Mehrabian’s work highlights what we know from our own daily interactions with other people: how we say something— our eyes, our facial expressions, our posture, our hands, and our tone of voice—plays a significantly greater role than our words do in how we will be heard and received by others, including our audiences or congregations. Get more tips for effective public speaking in my new book, Speaking Well: Essential Skills for Speakers, Leaders, and Preachers.

Effective Public Speaking Using 3 Main Points

David Burns on December 1, 2015

Speakers and preachers often denigrate the “three point” message. But there is a reason this idea took hold. Nearly everyone can remember three key points. This is particularly true if the points relate to each other, build upon one another, and are clearly connected. Ideally, a three-point message or speech provides a logical progression of ideas, something like, A + B = C. When a message has three distinct and only nominally related points, you should be able to answer this question: “If my hearers remember only one thing from this talk it should be . . .” Or, “What is the one thing I hope will change about people after they’ve heard my message?” Think of that one thing as something your audience will take with them when they leave your talk, the idea or conviction that will stick with them long after. Your sermon, message, or talk will be more compelling if you concentrate on the one thing (or at most the two or three things). Simple and straightforward is far more effective and memorable in public speech than complex and convoluted. Read or recall public speeches that were powerful and memorable, and you’ll notice that nearly all of them are centered on one distinct idea or one compact theme. “Less is more” when it comes to the points you are trying to make as a speaker. Your talks will be more effective and will have greater impact if you focus on one central idea and give your hearers a simple, straightforward takeaway. Get more tips for effective public speaking in my new book, Speaking Well: Essential Skills for Speakers, Leaders, and Preachers.

Fear and the Syrian Refugees

David Burns on November 20, 2015

If your Facebook newsfeed is at all like mine, it’s full of posts about the Syrian refugee crisis. I thought I’d add to the conversation with a post here. After the attacks in Paris last week it was discovered that one of the attackers came into France posing as a Syrian refugee.   Understandably, fear swept many in Europe and here in the US concerning the Syrian refugees.  In some ways the fears parallel the fears people felt towards people of Asian descent after the attack on Pearl Harbor.  At that time in history. America went so far as to develop internment camps for Japanese Americans and Japanese immigrants – not one of America’s finest hours. My friend Mike Slaughter of Ginghamsburg United Methodist Church recently sent a video team to Beirut, Lebanon, to meet some of the Syrian refugees there and aid organizations who are helping. I’d like to invite you to watch the brief video, "Beyond Bethlehem," that helps us remember who these refugees are (you may click here to watch it or click on the image above). These refugees were caught between ISIS and Asaad; between terrorism and a tyrannical ruler.  Their homes have been destroyed, their cities bombed, and they’ve fled for fear of death.  But today many have nowhere to go, particularly after the attacks in Paris.   I’m reminded that Jesus was a refugee whose family sought asylum in Egypt shortly after his birth.  Mary and Joseph fled Bethlehem after another tyrannical ruler, Herod the Great, sent troops to slaughter the children of Bethlehem.  It is this part of the Christmas story that I find most compelling right now – when God came to this earth, he came as a child fleeing the horrors of tyranny, living as a refugee for the first years of his life.  Years later when Jesus would describe the Last Judgment to his disciples he spoke of the final judgment being a moment when the Son of Man would separate the nations of the earth as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.  The sheep would be welcomed into God’s eternal kingdom, and the goats sent away.  Jesus said the difference between the sheep and the goats was that the people who were sheep in this parable were those who helped people in their hour of need.  The people who were goats turned them away.  Who did they help or turn away?  It was the hungry, thirsty, naked, sick, imprisoned, and the stranger.  Stranger in Jesus’ parable signifies the foreigner.  I think Jesus included this last category because he himself had been a refugee in Egypt.  In the parable it appears that the goats thought of themselves as religious.  They were therefore surprised when, at the last judgment, there were turned away.  So, why did the goats turn away those who were in need? I think it was because they were afraid and they allowed their fear to override their compassion and humanity.  And the sheep?  They found the courage to overcoming their fears and to act with compassion and love. We’re right to insist on proper screening of refugees (on this I don’t know enough about the current processes for screening to know if it is adequate or not). If the current practices are inadequate, let’s improve them. But our fears cannot lead us to completely close off our hearts to children, families, seniors who need our help and have nowhere to go.    The Syrian crisis is complex.  Doing our best to ensure security is important.  But we must also find a way to help people fleeing from harm to find refuge.   If you're not receiving refugees in your state, how can you or your church help those who are?  Can you partner with churches in Europe or other parts of the US?  Can you support organizations like the United Methodist Committee on Relief who are providing aid and support? Can you support other refugees being resettled into your area? Christ compels us, and our aspirations as a nation demand that we do something.  Fosdick’s famous words capture my prayer for myself and for our country at this time, “Grant us wisdom, grant us courage that we fail not man nor Thee!"

How to Give an Effective Speech

David Burns on November 13, 2015

What’s the most important component to giving an effective speech? Asking the right questions. There are three very simple questions your talk, speech, or sermon should be built upon: why? who? and what? Why? When I’m asked to give a speech, talk, or sermon outside of my home church, I want to know, Why am I being asked to speak? Why me? Why are others being asked to listen to me? The underlying question is really about the purpose, aim, or mission of the talk. Who? Once you are clear about the mission or purpose, of both the group you are speaking to and the particular speech you are going to give, your next step is to know to whom you will be speaking. What will be on their hearts and minds as you speak to them? What might they need to hear from you? What? Finally, in light of the why and the who, I begin looking for the what. I begin asking, “What do I want my hearers to know? What do I want them to feel or experience? And what do I want them to do in response to this message?” As a speaker you should know why you are speaking, you should understand the people to whom you are speaking, and you should be clear about what you want those people to know, feel, and do as a response to your message. Get more tips for effective public speaking in my new book, Speaking Well: Essential Skills for Speakers, Leaders, and Preachers.

Oprah’s “Belief”

David Burns on October 18, 2015

Last month LaVon and I were invited to Montecito, California, to preview a seven-part television series produced by Oprah Winfrey called Belief.  Following the preview we enjoyed supper at Oprah’s home and a chance to hear from her about the project.  We were just two of over 100 religious leaders in attendance. The series begins tonight (Sunday, October 17 at 7:00 p.m. central time) and runs for seven nights on the OWN channel. Our plane was delayed so we missed the first half of the first episode but arrived in time to see the second half of episode one and the entire second episode.  I’ve not seen any of the other episodes yet.  I’d like to offer a few reflections on the series and a few words about the evening at Oprah’s home. The series is not a comprehensive introduction to the various religions it explores.  Instead each episode features vignettes of religious people of a wide variety of faiths.  Each vignette, perhaps ten to fifteen minutes in length, tells the story of individuals, couples, or families and how they seek and experience God. The vignettes are beautifully filmed on location around the world.  The personal stories are touching, and they demonstrate the impact each individual’s beliefs have upon their hopes, aspirations, and actions.  Among the many compelling vignettes was a story, filmed in Nigeria, of a Christian pastor and a Muslim imam who had each belonged to militias that were willing to fight and kill those of the other’s religion.  But these two had a kind of conversion experience and came to understand that their respective faiths called them to practice forgiveness and love.  Now they are close friends who travel across Nigeria promoting peace between groups.  Other vignettes I saw included a dying aboriginal man in Australia, a grandfather, passing on his faith to his young grandson.  There was also a young evangelical Christian woman whose fiancé was in an accident that caused a severe brain trauma.  Despite the resulting disabilities, she and her fiancé married, a picture of Christian love.  The film series will touch the hearts of people and will help viewers to appreciate the heartfelt and earnest faith of their neighbors of other religions around the world.  Oprah has done an excellent job of helping viewers see the human dimension of the various faiths she explores.  I also think the series will raise questions for many people of faith from a variety of religious traditions.  First, I found myself wanting more information about the various faiths that were highlighted.  I wanted to know, “Why do they believe that?” and “What else do they believe?”  It quickly becomes clear that the series is not intended as an introduction to these various religions as much as it is an introduction to the impact religious beliefs of a variety of kinds have on individuals.  I suspect that Oprah and her team hoped that viewers will take the time to learn more about the faiths she explores in the series. More importantly for many people, the series will raise theological questions.  Since the vignettes present the spirituality of persons of various religious traditions – Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, and others – the series naturally raises questions like, Despite their sometimes competing claims, are all religions simply different roads to God?  Is one of these religions truer than others? How does God look at people of different faiths?  Will all of these people ultimately receive God’s grace and the gift of everlasting life?  There are many more questions like these that are raised by people of nearly every faith when studying other world religions.  These are questions many people are asking today in our pluralistic world. I suspect that it was Oprah’s hope to raise these kind of questions, and rather than offering her answers, to send the reader to do more reading and research in their quest for their answers.  I believe she intended that viewers would see the beauty, earnest faith, and humanity of the people featured in the series.  Several years ago I wrote a book called Christianity and World Religions as a way of wrestling with, and providing some guidance from one Christian perspective on, the theological questions raised when contemplating the variety of world religions. It examined the similarities and differences between Christianity and four other major world religions and aimed at providing a Christian frame work for dialoguing with other faiths while not diminishing the unique claims of the Christian faith. I believe a book like this would be a good complement to watching these episodes.  I believe that small groups, Bible studies, and Sunday school classes would enjoy watching Oprah’s Belief series, but may need help sorting through the questions it raises.  On a more personal note, after watching the two episodes of the series we went to Oprah’s home in Montecito to meet her, to visit with other guests, and to share a meal.  I was grateful to run into some old friends and to meet some new ones.  The meal was terrific, and LaVon and I enjoyed having an opportunity to sit with Oprah at supper, which afforded us the chance to ask her questions and to discuss the project in more detail.  She was engaging, remarkably gracious, and authentic.  It was a memorable evening. Tune in to Belief starting tonight at 7:00 p.m. central time on the OWN channel (channels 63 or 173 on Time Warner Cable in Kansas City).  And if you find yourself wrestling with questions like those I mentioned above, you might take a look at Christianity and World Religions.

Paul’s Speech to the Athenians

David Burns on October 7, 2015

Luke tells us in Acts 17 that a group of philosophers began to argue with Paul. They took him to the Areopagus (Mars Hill), where some of their leaders asked Paul to explain his beliefs. Here we have a chance to see the rhetorical and oratorical skills Paul had learned as a young man in Tarsus. I find this to be one of Paul’s most compelling speeches or sermons in Acts. It gives us a sense of Paul’s approach and message when sharing Christ with those who worshiped the Greco-Roman deities. His words are found in Acts 17:22-31. Paul began with an affirmation of the people: “I see that you are very religious.” I take this as Paul’s positive way of setting up the “case” for Christ, rather than criticizing Athenians for their pagan beliefs. I think this points to Paul’s genius in sharing Christ. Too often Christians today feel compelled to criticize nonreligious people or those whose religion is different from their own. Paul did not do this. Paul went on to find a point of connection between the Athenians’ faith and his own. He noted that he had seen an altar “to an unknown God.” Once again, Paul did not criticize this altar but saw in it an opportunity to connect the God he proclaimed to a god they already admitted might exist. Paul then affirmed something central to Judaism and Christianity: God is the maker of all things and, as such, does not live in temples made by human hands. (Even Solomon, upon building God a temple, acknowledged as much.) The people at the Areopagus would have agreed with this assertion as well. Paul went on to note that the entire human race derives its existence from God, and that God “gives life, breath, and everything else” to us. Again, Paul’s listeners would have nodded their heads in agreement. At this point what Paul said was consistent with similar conceptions of God held by other Greek philosophers. Then Paul noted, “God made the nations so they would seek him, perhaps even reach out to him and find him. In fact, God isn’t far away from any of us.” In other words, the unknown or hidden God actually hopes to be found. This God came to reveal himself to us in Jesus and is quite near, as near as the air we breathe. I’m reminded that the Greek word for heaven signifies the sky—the area beyond the clouds—but also the air or atmosphere that is all around us. The pagan gods might live on Mount Olympus, but the God proclaimed by Paul was very near. Paul then offered two quotations from the Greek poets, poets he no doubt had studied in his hometown of Tarsus: “In God we live, move, and exist” and “As some of your own poets said, ‘We are his offspring.’” The first quotation may have come from the Greek poet Epimenides, who died in the sixth century b.c., and the second quotation from the Greek poet Aratus, who died in 240 b.c. Once more Paul was making the case for his faith by anchoring its truths in things the Athenian philosophers already believed. “We are his offspring” refers to the idea that all human beings are children of the one God, whether they acknowledge this or call upon his name. “In God we live, move, and exist” points, I believe, to the concept that we as human beings are dependent upon God, that God is the source of life and all that sustains it. Only after gaining such strong agreement on his case did Paul offer a brief and gentle critique of the Athenians’ worship of deities made of gold, silver, and stone. Worshiping such gods in the past was a mistake they made that Paul said God would overlook. (This and much of the rest of Paul’s speech demonstrates a God who is patient and merciful.) It’s curious to note that the quotations from Aratus and Epimenides originally referred to Zeus. Paul, like other Jewish scholars before him, adapted Greek references that were originally written of Zeus, substituting the Hebrew and Greek words for God in their place. Paul was not saying that Zeus was the same as God, only, I believe, that when anyone spoke of the greatest or highest god, whether they knew it or not, they were referring to the God. Finally Paul noted that with the coming of Christ, God sought to reveal himself to humanity. Therefore God is calling the human race to repent, or as the Common English Bible translates it, “to change their hearts and lives” (Acts 17:30). The Greek word for repentance is metanoia, which literally means “to think differently afterward,” that is, to change one’s mind after an encounter with Christ, resulting in a change of heart and behavior. Some listeners sneered at Paul’s words, but a few became believers, including a member of the Areopagus and a woman named Damaris. In Athens there is a street named in honor of Damaris. Tradition holds that she was martyred for her faith, and she is celebrated as a saint in the Orthodox Church. Paul’s ministry in Athens did not result in great numbers of converts. Though few came to faith under Paul’s leadership in Athens (and likely in many other cities where he preached as well), those who did come to faith would lay the foundation for a church that ultimately affected millions and millions of people. Athens would eventually become one of the important centers of Christianity, but it started with what Paul may have felt was a failed mission. Today’s post is an excerpt from The Call: The Life and Message of the Apostle Paul.