From the UCC Network - Devotional 10/21 "God is not far from each one of us"

God is not far from each one of us

Excerpt from Acts 17:22-34

Then Paul stood in front of the Areopagus and said, “Athenians, I see how extremely religious you are in every way. For as I went through the city and looked carefully at the objects of your worship, I found among them an altar with the inscription, ‘To an unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. The God who made the world and everything in it, . . . made all nations to inhabit the whole earth, and allotted the times of their existence and the boundaries of the places where they would live, so that they would search for God and perhaps grope for [God] and find [God]—though indeed God is not far from each one of us.” 

Reflection by Christina Villa

A church in my neighborhood recently had on its sign, “Don’t like religion?  Join us, we’re very disorganized!”  This was an attempt (which I’m not sure was successful) to appeal to people who say they don’t like organized religion, or who say they are “spiritual but not religious.” 

It’s common for people inside churches to be dismissive or hostile toward those who go looking for spirituality anywhere except in the church on the corner.  There is a large marketplace of spiritual options out there.  While many of those options may be shallow or silly, the longing for deeper meaning in life that drives people to them—their search for an unknown god—is not silly. 

When Paul looks around in Athens and sees the variety of religions on offer and even an altar to an unknown god, he doesn’t rip into the people for their immature faith.  First he takes a careful look around before saying anything at all.  And then, though he surely disapproves of what he’s seen, he politely notes how religious the Athenians are, acknowledging and not condemning their spiritual searching. 

Next he goes on to talk about God. And he says that God intends for us to “search for God,” and even “grope for God.”  Which is a pretty good description of what all the New Agers and spiritual church-avoiders are doing. 

Finally Paul shares the most important thing about God with the Athenians: this God “is not far from each one of us.”  We may search high and low, around the world and back through centuries.  But God is, in fact, right nearby, having searched for us, sought us out, and found us. 

Prayer

What better news is there than that “God is not far from each one of us”?  Amen. 

About the Author Christina Villa is on the staff of the United Church of Christ in Cleveland, Ohio.