Easter 6
Devotional
Water From the Well
Lectionary Devotional For Cycle A
Object:
For as I went through the city and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I found among them an altar with the inscription, "To an unknown God."
-- Acts 17:23
Consider doing what Paul did. Walk through a major city and notice the objects that we appear to worship. Perhaps you will see a tall skyscraper reaching for the sky, brilliantly flooded with lights, reflecting our longing for economic security. Or maybe as you are walking along, you will be passed by a bright red convertible sports car that is speeding past a gleaming Mercedes Benz. Do they reflect our drive for personal recognition or even personal satisfaction? In that same traffic pattern, you might see a young professional with a full beard and flowing hair weaving between the cars on his motorcycle signaling his freedom or perhaps disdain of such status symbols. Each of the drivers uses one of a vast network of highways to which we cling in order to preserve our freedom. Perhaps one of them will be headed to a nearby university where he or she will find our hunger for knowledge. That person might also find a professor and a group of students chanting a mantra as they reach for inner peace. Paul responded to this worldly hunger by saying, "What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you." Christianity has shown a remarkable adaptability in framing its message in the context of its environment.
The major Christian seasons were transformations of pagan rituals into Christian expressions. The festival of Saturnalia was transformed into a celebration of Christ's birth. Easter was an adaptation of a spring goddess festival. The cross was intended to be a sign of shame but was transformed into a sign of hope. Like Paul, these Christians knew that the false gods were "not gods" and therefore felt free to transform them into vehicles of faith. The danger for us, however, is that the reverse process is also possible. Crosses can become merely jewelry. Christmas can again become simply a self-indulgence, and Easter a spring festival. It is only through the eyes of faith that we can look through the symbols of the world and see God.
-- Acts 17:23
Consider doing what Paul did. Walk through a major city and notice the objects that we appear to worship. Perhaps you will see a tall skyscraper reaching for the sky, brilliantly flooded with lights, reflecting our longing for economic security. Or maybe as you are walking along, you will be passed by a bright red convertible sports car that is speeding past a gleaming Mercedes Benz. Do they reflect our drive for personal recognition or even personal satisfaction? In that same traffic pattern, you might see a young professional with a full beard and flowing hair weaving between the cars on his motorcycle signaling his freedom or perhaps disdain of such status symbols. Each of the drivers uses one of a vast network of highways to which we cling in order to preserve our freedom. Perhaps one of them will be headed to a nearby university where he or she will find our hunger for knowledge. That person might also find a professor and a group of students chanting a mantra as they reach for inner peace. Paul responded to this worldly hunger by saying, "What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you." Christianity has shown a remarkable adaptability in framing its message in the context of its environment.
The major Christian seasons were transformations of pagan rituals into Christian expressions. The festival of Saturnalia was transformed into a celebration of Christ's birth. Easter was an adaptation of a spring goddess festival. The cross was intended to be a sign of shame but was transformed into a sign of hope. Like Paul, these Christians knew that the false gods were "not gods" and therefore felt free to transform them into vehicles of faith. The danger for us, however, is that the reverse process is also possible. Crosses can become merely jewelry. Christmas can again become simply a self-indulgence, and Easter a spring festival. It is only through the eyes of faith that we can look through the symbols of the world and see God.
