May 16, 2004; The Sixth Sunday of Easter Readings: Acts 14:8-18; Revelation 21:22-22:5; John 14:23-29; Psalm 67.   The Rev. Dr. Hilary B. Smith Not A Clean Slate In today’s reading from Acts, we see one of the challenges faced by the infant church. The response given to the misunderstandings about the Christian message, focus our attention on the message about God that Paul and Barnabas sought to convey. From the very beginning of the church’s formation, all preaching that is focused on the Gospel seeks to make clear who God is and our relationship to God. Paul and Barnabas are engaged in ministry. Paul is speaking to a crowd; he notices a man who cannot walk. Paul commands the man to stand up and the man is healed. Now maybe this healing moment interrupted Paul’s proclamation of the Gospel at a critical moment because the crowd’s response was not what a minister of the Gospel seeks. The crowd shouted: "The gods have come down to us in human form." Not the reaction that you are hoping for as a preacher. Barnabas they called Zeus and Paul they called Hermes. Hmmm... the priest from Zeus’ temple come to help the crowd offer sacrifice. Quite comical really. What confusion Paul and Barnabas must have experienced, wondering: "What went wrong?" We can still learn about the nature of proclaiming the Good News from Paul and Barnabas’ experience. When we speak about our faith, we are speaking to people who already hold beliefs. The crowds gathered around Paul and Barnabas believed in the Greek gods. They would not only need to learn a new truth, they would have to give up ideas that had shaped their lives and ordered their concerns. In many cases, the people we wish would hear and understand the good news of God’s love and salvation already hold beliefs about Christianity that keep them from joining a faith community. Many people believe that all churches are judgmental. People believe that church is not relevant to post-modern life. Or people simply believe that church is boring and not worth getting up for on a Sunday morning. Just this last week, I was talking with a twenty-one year-old woman new to my neighborhood. I had been saying hi to her for weeks, and the last time, she asked me if I worked at a church. I said yes, and she said that she was surprised because I seem so laid back. Now I was the one she met, any of you would also have surprised her with your warmth and welcome. Her childhood experiences with church had been negative. The clergy seemed judgmental and distant because they presented themselves as perfect and so holy. When Paul and Barnabas were engaged in ministry, the crowds applied their knowledge of religion and life to what occurred. The people wanted to worship Paul and Barnabas. It seems to be part of human nature to seek something thing or someone to worship. The desire to worship is a deep need. We have been created by God, and, therefore, the desire to connect with God and praise God is part of us. For those who are not able to worship God, the need to find meaning will be satisfied in other ways. Some of these ways are not so bad; some are harmful. None will meet our need as God does. None will fill the void and give us meaning the way that God does. As distressing as the turn of events must have been for Paul and Barnabas, it was a great opportunity to make a clear statement about God. First, they said, don’t confuse the messenger with the message. We are mortals just like you! Turn from worshipping worthless things, Paul said, to the living God. Who is this God? The one who made heaven and earth the sea and all that is in the sea. Paul goes on to say that God have us the rain, fruitful seasons, food and joy for our hearts as witness to God’s love for us. This morning has broken. This day is a witness to us of God’s presence and love. We did not make this morning. It is God’s gift to us, and a reminder of God’s care for us. Amen.