SERMON FOR SUNDAY THE 10TH MAY 2026
Acts Chapter 17 verses 16-32 Paul at the Areopagus
Today I want to look at the book of Acts and where Paul is waiting for Silas and Timothy in Athens.
In the time of Paul, Athens was a central place of culture and philosophy. People met at the Agora or civic centre – a place like great seats of learning such as the universities are today.
We can think of famous places of culture today such as London, Paris, New York, Singapore, Cairo in Egypt, Machu Picchu, Peru and so on.
A visitor admiring the city
So, back to Paul and he is alone, and waiting for Silas and Timothy to join him and he goes sightseeing in Athens. Here is admiring the statues to great people – to great thinkers, to great sportspeople, to inventors and warriors. Then there are the gods – the Greek mythology and Paul is both impressed and disturbed in equal measure. He comes across one statue to, the ‘Unknown god’ and this provides the basis of what Paul will discuss when he gets a chance to speak at the University or Agora.
Agora or seat of learning is a place of high level academia. You needed to know what you were talking about and the audience didn’t suffer fools gladly.
Five hundred years prior to Paul’s visit a very famous Athenian, Socrates, was accused of “[proclaiming foreign divinities].” On account of this charge he was brought to trial at a place called the Areopagus. In that trial he lost his argument with his accusers and paid with his life. Paul faces the same charge when some of the philosophers at the seat of learning say, “He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign divinities.” Despite the risk and the verbal barbs by a crowd of locals, Paul leaves the Areopagus alive, and some Athenians at that ancient court say, “We will hear you again about this.”
Is there something we might be taught in the way Paul engaged his audience? Can this account from many centuries ago help us today in the mix of cultures and ideas we have today?
The first thing to say is that this story is not about heading off to the local universities. Paul was an everyday person and also the scholar. It doesn’t mean we have to be scholars to gain some insights that might be useful, even today.
Some tips we discover that might help today.
- Bridge-Building:
Paul did not just condemn, but observed Athenian idols (culture) and engaged philosophers in the marketplace (public square). We are encouraged to understand the “idols” of our own culture—such as money, technology, or self-actualization—and start conversations there.
Today, we don’t meet in the marketplace like we did in the past and more often can we find what matters to everyday people in places on social networks. The more we understand, the more we engage with community and we get a sense of what matters to people. So, Paul ‘bridge builds’ by praising what is noteworthy in society and also lamenting in what is unjust. In simple terms, if we take time to listen to what people value, there is more of a chance of what we think being heard in return.
- Identify “Unknown Gods”
Paul , when addressing religious matters, found common ground by noting an altar to an “unknown god,” utilizing the Athenians’ spiritual understanding to introduce God.
He notices that ‘the gods’ are both venerated and feared. The ‘gods’ are totally distant and not relatable to everyday life. Paul sees a different perspective and commends that he finds God as Creator and how Jesus is relatable.
Instead of putting down the people, he notices their quest for a real relationship for truth. He recognizes the value of their spiritual practices, respects their culture, and understanding their context.
Paul notices one statue in particular, “to an unknown god” and uses this as an introduction to share what he knows and understands about God. He discovered a way to make them say, “We will hear you again about this.”
We can look for questions, hopes, and anxieties in our secular culture and notice what most worship or value and also note what people struggle with in this. Sometimes, there are connections to relate what we find helps in these.
- Respectful Dialogue
We also see how Paul commends God to the people at the University.
Rather than screaming, Paul reasoned with Stoic and Epicurean philosophers. Today, this teaches that faith and reason are compatible, encouraging thoughtful, respectful dialogue over shouting matches.
We know that political opinions can get heated and let’s face it, so can religious arguments can too.
When we look at Paul’s world and the world today, there is a huge shift through the world of communications today. The ways in which we communicate and relate and our notions of community, are being revised daily.
The world of Twitter feeds and Facebook pages, of blogs and social networks, engage with people and places in other countries, yet in saying this, the same things that concern people are found in conversations about truth and meaning, about God and faith on these social platforms. That confronts us with a choice. Can we hold to what we believe and gain by sharing what we understand and believe in these spaces?
Two of the beliefs that Paul encountered still exit today, are the philosophies of the Epicureans and Stoics.
Epicureans believe that the goal of life is to achieve maximum happiness through moderate pleasure, friendship, and the removal of mental anxiety. Founded by Epicurus, this philosophy teaches that pleasure is defined as the absence of bodily pain (aponia) and mental distress (ataraxia), rather than extreme indulgence. There was no concept of an afterlife.
The Stoics believe we must distinguish between what we can control (our own thoughts, intentions, and actions) and what we cannot let (external events, other people’s actions, health, reputation, death) determine us.
We see, straightaway that there is an element of truth in these. There are good aspects to these, though there are also downsides.
In Epicureans, one downside is found in prioritizing personal tranquility and the avoidance of pain to such an extent that it can also be viewed as selfish, prioritizing oneself over others. Some critics suggest that this focus cuts the individual off from deeper, more challenging social commitment. We can see traits of this society with the ‘me’ based culture who want to avoid bigger social commitment.
The downsides of Stoic thinking include emotional suppression, a tendency toward social isolation or appearing cold, and potential passivity in the face of injustice. We see this in trying to say that we can control all of what we encounter, when sometimes we cannot. Sometimes it is better to be real about life.
We can see that some aspects of this thinking do exist in some parts of wider society. What Paul does is not to speak to these downsides. He brings his understanding, his belief, in a way that recognizes that there is a truth in how his faith interfaces with real life. He presents the positives he finds and doesn’t disregard the philosophers.
How Paul relates his faith.
Paul moves from nature and God’s role as Creator, to the central truths of repentance and the resurrection. The cross and resurrection seem like folly to some, though Paul describes these as the wisdom of God. He doesn’t see God as remote and impartial. God is Creator of the World and who goes to the lengths of the cross to redeem humankind.
Christianity speaks to individual reflection and repentance before God. We become part of the family of God and we find that there is a sense of obligation beyond just ourselves as we live for God.
Today, we see how Christianity and humanism are fundamentally different in their core beliefs regarding the origin of truth, the nature of humanity, and the ultimate purpose of life. While modern humanism emphasizes human reason, autonomy, and the betterment of life in the present world, Christianity centres its worldview on a transcendent God (God with us), the authority of the Bible, and a life oriented toward good in and for the world and an eternal future
Although many did not receive Paul’s message, a significant small number of people did and this resulted later in a Christian community in Athens.
We see Paul commending what he believed. He does this with conviction. He recognises the people know nothing about God and therefore he needs to make God relatable. This isn’t like speaking to a church audience. He is speaking in a place of sharing understandings of life.
Some things we might need to think about?
We often and understandably in our Christian communities use technology and social media to better market ourselves. It makes sense, though we have an even better chance of meaningful conversation with any community when we attempt to truly understand what matters to them. Spend some time to read about what people care deeply about. This can be about spiritual connection and community, even about their relationships with God.
Paul said to the Athenians, “We see that you are extremely thoughtful and sincerely spiritual people in your daily lives. We know those things about which you care most deeply.” Unless we get to this point, in a genuine way, this might lead to sharing our spiritual understanding about Jesus in a way they can receive? Paul communicated the truth about Jesus in a way that resonated with the Athenians’ own search for divine truth. Can we follow his lead?
Paul used local poets to make his point, yet did not compromise the call to repent. This can encourage us into using cultural references (movies, music, literature) to discuss spiritual truth without watering down the message.
Today’s story of Paul in Athens may be old, though some of the ways of thinking back then are still with us, though in a different age and context.
Maybe there are some aspects in how Paul’s sincerity and conviction in Athens, that can help us today and in the modern Areopagus might lead to people saying, “We will hear you again about this.”
Amen.
Reference
The Rev. Hardy Kim, Sunnyvale Presbyterian Church, Sunnyvale, CA, Presbyterian Church (USA) Sermon on Acts 17:16-32.