Acts 17:16-34
Paul in Athens
16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. 17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. 18 A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to debate with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others remarked, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. 19 Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? 20 You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we would like to know what they mean.” 21 (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.)
22 Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. 23 For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you.
24 “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. 26 From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. 27 God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. 28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’[c]
29 “Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill. 30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. 31 For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”
32 When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, “We want to hear you again on this subject.” 33 At that, Paul left the Council. 34 Some of the people became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others.
Luke 15:1-32
Parable of the Lost Sheep
1 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
3 Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn't he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.
The Parable of the Lost Coin
8 “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn't she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ 10 In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
The Parable of the Lost Son
11 Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.
13 “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
17 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ 20 So he got up and went to his father.
“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.
25 “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27 ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’
28 “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29 But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’
31 “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”
When Paul gave his sermon on Mars Hail, in the meeting of the Areopagus he mentions to us that God gives us a choice...God wants us to seek Him and He wants us to find Him...He is seeking us as we are seeking Him...St. Paul in his sermon said, “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious...For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god...So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you...“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands...And He is not served by human hands, as if He needed anything...Rather, He Himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else...From One Man He made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands...God did this so that they would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from any one of us...‘For in Him we live and move and have our being...As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are His offspring.’...“Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill...In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now He commands all people everywhere to repent...For He has set a day when He will judge the world with justice by the Man He has appointed...He has given proof of this to everyone by raising Him from the dead.”...
St. Paul says that we are the offspring and children of God...Yet, He does not force His will on us...With His great humbleness He allows us to make the choice to find Him...No He has placed us on earth so that we will seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him...He is not far from any one of us...For in Him we live and move and have our being...God LOVES us, and He wants us to seek and find Him...He makes Himself available to us...But He let's us decide whether to seek Him and find Him...And He has to make Himself available to us...For if He is not near us or available to us, then there could be no LOVE...If God is never available, what good is that, in the sense of LOVE...All those who love one another make themselves available...For when we love someone and never make ourselves available to them, what kind of love would that be...God is near and is always available for us, and He gives us a choice, with the free will (He has given us) to seek and find Him...And we are also given the freedom not to think about Him, and not to seek Him...But without question, God wants us to seek Him and to find Him...
And God pursues us, even though we sin...The Pharisees muttered about the sinners Jesus was around and ate with...And in spite of our sinful ways, St. Luke gives us three examples of God wanting us to be found, and to be near Him...Jesus in His Parables of the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin, and the Prodigal Son -all is lost...God is near and available, in all these parables...And when a sinner has found God, the angels and He in heaven rejoice...Because when we do not have Him in our lives, we are lost...And even though we do sin, He is there and near wanting to rejoice, when we are found...And when we seek and find Him, we are alive...
From One Man God has made all nations...That One Man is His Son...God has marked the appointed times that we live on earth, and where we shall live...So we could not have found Him first, because He created us -and He wants us to be right here, right now at this particular time, for a reason...It maybe to help others...God by putting us in the here and now is involved in our lives in this very discreet and subtle way, but nonetheless quite involved...He want us to be found and to be alive...We are here today, and living where we are, because of Him...We are created by Him and in His Image...He has given us some of His Entity, some of His characteristics, His LOVE, and some of His imagination in our thinking...He has put us here at this time to perhaps not only find Him for our own personal faith, but maybe to show others how He influences and impacts our life (in how we live)...This may show others and influence and impact their lives in a certain way...Perhaps through you, one can seek God better, by watching you...Perhaps through you, God might be nearer to someone through you, by your Godly actions, because you are made in His Image -and somehow they can see this and better relate to Him...And perhaps through you, others may seek and find God...