Sermon - "Is it idle or idol Worship?", by Pastor Ruth L. Foss, Suncook United Methodist Church, November 16, 2008

Acts 17:16-34

Have you ever had someone in your life that could do no wrong? No matter what…they were perfect. They were someone that you looked up to…someone that you put up on the proverbial “pedestal”. I think we all at times have done that. We may put a hero…a sports star…a teacher…or even a religious leader up there on that high place…someone that we “idolize”. Or it may even be something that we have, instead of a person, which we “put above the rest”. This type of idolizing has been going on through years. Even back in the time of Acts we can see this happening; but…sometimes this idolizing comes out of a lack of not knowing…an ignorance of the truth. Sometimes we find out what we have been idolizing is not what it seems.

Paul encountered this ignorance when he went to Athens. As he waited there for Timothy and Silas, he saw all the idols that were there and became angry. Now I am not sure if it was because of their ignorance or just the fact that there were so many idols but he was not going to just stand by and not say anything. This account of Paul’s visit is in Acts 17:16-34. It reads (and I’m reading from my favorite translation…The Message Bible): (read scripture)

Paul was concerned for them because of their ignorance. They were a very religious group of people and they worshiped also the “Unknown God” and he wanted them to know about this unknown god so that they would see the truth. They needed to know how great and awesome this god was and that it is this god that they should be worshipping. They needed to set aside their “lesser gods” in order to make room for the Almighty God.

In today’s society…we encounter people like these Athenians every day. These are people who have bought into the societal thought that the more you have the more important you are. It is these possessions that make you who you are. People who believe that it is their career that should be the thing you should strive for not to strive for God and the rest will fall in place. The list goes on. Some of these people may not even truly know the “One True God” that you and I know. We, like Paul, need to be concerned with this ignorance around us and reach out to those who are searching for meaning and a place in life. We need to talk with our like-minded brothers and sisters as Paul did but…like Paul…we need to be “taking it to the streets.”

I have seen how Suncook UMC has followed Paul’s actions. I have seen this church taking it to the streets when we open our church to AA and NA...when we have the fried dough booth at the Old Home Day…when we help any way we can at the food pantry, whether it is our time, our money, or even our toilet paper. But there are so many more out there that are waiting to hear the Good News. We must continue on the road we are on. I know that with God’s help we will continue to reach more for the kingdom.

But we must be careful and always on guard. You see…there are some people in the world who say that they worship the one true God but there worship may have gone cold and without feeling. There worship has become more idle than anything else. They go through the motions but to them it is just another day…just a ritual they follow once a week. It is these brothers and sisters that we must also reach out to. We need to help them find that “Pentecost Fire” they once had. We need to help them find reason to shout for “joy from the roof tops” that we serve a Risen Lord. We worship the God of creation and He loves what He has created…that the grace and salvation that we receive is for anyone who calls upon His name (As it is written “All those who call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”).

Oh yah…like Paul…we will get the scoffers…some will walk away, but also like Paul there will be some who will want to hear more…some who come to believe in the one true God that you and I worship. I think that’s worth all the scoffing and ridicule that may come my way. Call me a “Jesus Freak” but I can’t think of anything else I would like to be freaky about.

What or who are we worshipping? If it is the one true God…are we worshiping Him with our hearts or are we just idly going through the motions? We all have things that we “idolize”…things we put up on a pedestal…but I like to look at them as things I cherish…people I look up to. We, as Christians, have to remember that those things that we idolize will lets us down at some point but when we put our God up on that pedestal…when we worship Him with our hearts, minds, body and soul… He will never let us down. He will never leave us or forsake us. He is the same now as he was in the beginning and will be in the end of days.

AMEN