Creation in Christ: Paul at Mars Hill
In Acts 17, Paul stood before the religious and civil leaders of Athens sharing a message about our shared origin and connection. The Athenians didn’t share Paul’s Jewish heritage or culture, and they certainly didn’t profess belief in Jesus, but Paul was able to find common ground by recognizing their deep desire to know the truth about the divine.
The Bible tells us that God made us all from one ancestor. If you go back far enough, we’re all connected. God arranged the times and places so that people would search and find God. We were created to seek understanding; it’s why children so often ask, “Why?” We explore and question because our hearts are restless until they rest in God. Paul wasn’t afraid to study different perspectives or find truth in unexpected places, because all truth ultimately leads us closer to knowing our Creator.
Sermon Reflections:
- Paul says that “from one ancestor, God made all nations.” How does this truth challenge the boundaries and divisions we create between people today?
- Paul wasn’t afraid to find truth in unexpected places. He quotes Greek poets and philosophers when speaking to the Athenians. Where have you encountered truth about God outside of traditional Christian sources? How did you respond?
- How can we move from saying, “I don’t understand how people think that way,” to actually seeking understanding? What barriers prevent us from doing this?
- In what ways are we called to be “seekers of understanding” rather than settlers for assumptions and stereotypes?
- Before there was original sin, there was original blessing: God’s good creation. How does this perspective change the way we view creation and other people?