Rita was a parishioner of mine in the Cleveland area. When I knew her, she was a good United Methodist. However, she was raised Roman Catholic. As a child the Methodist Church in her neighborhood stood between her home and her school. Her mother made it clear: never go into that Methodist Church! We are Catholic! If you go into that Methodist Church, you will commit a sin, and you may go to hell. Little Rita believed those words. One day on her way home from first grade a thunderstorm struck, and she had to make a difficult decision. She could walk into that Methodist Church and sin, or she could face the wrath of that storm and not sin. Little Rita remembered the words of her mother and faced the storm with tears in her eyes.
Many in Rita’s generation had similar stories. They were raised in a world that told them not to trust different branches of the church. People see the differences in others, God sees what we have in common. Every branch of the Christian church believes in the resurrection of Jesus and nothing else really matters. Our world has become much more complex. My great-grandfather was the last Adams to live on a farm. There is an excellent chance he never met a non-Christian. There is an excellent chance my grandson will know many non-Christians in his lifetime. That reality leads us to an interesting question: what is your response to our polytheistic society? That question leads us to the Bible.
Our reading is Acts 17:22-28. Paul finds himself in the city of Athens. It was a city of great history. Five centuries before Paul, Athens had been at its height of glory. It was the home of great art, philosophy, and literature. On the day Paul arrived, it was still a great city. It was the home of the leading university of the day and boasted the great philosophical tradition inherited from Socrates (47 BC-399 BC), Plato (427 BC-348 BC) and Aristotle (384 BC-322 BC). Paul should have been happy, but Paul was disturbed. With his own eyes he saw the idols dedicated to all the false gods. Like contemporary America, Athens believed in freedom of religion. It is for that reason our scripture speaks to us. The great evangelist is confronted with the same question that I asked you today — as a disciple of Jesus Christ, what is your response to our polytheistic society?
According to the Pew Research Group, the largest religion in the world is Christianity, 31.1% of the world’s population identifies themselves as Christian. The second largest religion in the world is Islam. 24.9% of the world’s population identifies themselves as Muslim. 15.2% of the world’s population identifies themselves as Hindu. 6.6% of the world’s population identifies themselves as Buddhist. 15.6% of the world’s population is irreligious. With the advancement of transportation and communication, we have seen our world grow smaller. The chances of you never meeting a non-Christian today is very small. For this reason, I would encourage you to do three things. These thoughts are not original. They came from United Methodist clergyman James W. Moore (1938-2019).
First, we need to wake up! The First Amendment of the United States constitution says: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. The first amendment protects five basic freedoms. It is the freedom of religion that grabs our attention.
The constitution of the United States is a good thing. It protects our basic freedoms, including the freedom of religion. That freedom is much wider than protecting your right of being a Christian. It says that anyone can worship in the way that they wish. The first amendment protects the right of the Jews and those of the Muslim faith. It protects the New Age folks and the Scientologists, like Tom Cruise (born 1962). I don’t have to tell you the times are changing! Our country is changing! There are non-Christian groups being formed every day in our land. Jesus is no longer the only show in town. Americans worship many gods. We need to wake up to that fact. As a disciple of Jesus Christ, you need to wake up!
Second, we need to show up! The Archbishop of Canterbury William Temple (1881-1944) once said, “Go into the world and preach the gospel and use words only when absolutely necessary.” In other words, we need to show the world that Jesus has made a difference in our lives. We need to show up to help the hurricane victims. We need to show up at hospitals and orphanages. We need to show up at nursing homes and the food banks. We need to show up and respond to international needs. We need to show up to tell the world that we are sincere people. Our priorities show the world Jesus has made a difference in our lives.
I worship at Church of the Lakes in North Canton, Ohio. It is about an hour drive from my home. My soul is worth the drive. I am never disappointed. It is a healthy church. The people are nice, and the message is always solid. Each week in worship there is a mission spotlight. It is aways different. The church offers a smorgasbord of missions. They are involved in local missions. They are involved in regional missions. They are involved in national and international missions. My wife Kathryn has been asked to do a mission spotlight on our mission work in Estonia. I am proud to be part of a church who isn’t afraid to get involved in missions, because our world has many needs. As Christians, we need to show up and respond to our needy world. As a disciple of Jesus Christ, you need to show up!
Third, we need to speak up! We must be able to articulate our faith and tell the world what we believe. Do you know what you believe about Jesus? I do not expect you to have a well-developed theology like the apostle Paul, but you need to know that the cornerstone of our faith is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is the one thing that separates Christianity from the other religions of the world.
For several years, I would spend my Monday mornings listening to the worship service at the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church in New York City. At the time, Tom Tewell was the Lead Pastor. I remember listening to the worship service the Sunday after September 11th. Tewell participated in several ecumenical services after the attack. At one such service, he was the only Christian and was assigned to offer the benediction. The rabbi was to read scripture. An imam said a prayer. A politician said a few words. Tewell was interested in why he was assigned the benediction, so he asked. The organizer said, “Of all the faiths and philosophies represented, Christianity is the only one that offers the most hope. You believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. You have a living Savior. The rest of the founders are dead!” That is what makes Christianity different from other world religions. We need to be able to tell people what Jesus means to us. We need to be able to tell people what Jesus has done for us. As a disciple of Jesus Christ, you need to speak up! Let me end with this story.
South African Anglican bishop and theologian Desmond Tutu (1931-2021) was at a meeting with the minister of law and order in South Africa. He took that opportunity to talk about the Gospel and how Apartheid went again the Gospel. The minister of law and order didn’t want Tutu to wake up, show up or speak up. He wanted Tutu to shut up. However, Tutu refused to stop talking. He said, “Mr. Minister, with all respect, you are a man and not God. You are nothing more than a scribble in the pages of world history, but Jesus Christ will live forever!” Desmund Tutu was right. Someday every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord. But until that day comes, we need to wake up, show up and speak up.
Russ Adams 