Waiting on messages from an ‘Unknown God’

Norah Summers May 10, 2026 0 1

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Acts 17: 22-31 (NIV-UK)

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.”

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.’

I am never sure if it is irony or serendipity that hands me a theme to reflect on.

Typing? Well, I am typing now. But I am useless at the kind of typing that is obviously meant in the theme – messaging and texting and writing on the phone. I have a mobile phone, for emergencies only, I do not do social media or scroll or text or do any of the things that I understand normal people do. I cannot read small print, and my hands are shaky.

I can write stuff like this, because I have a nice large keyboard and screen on my desk. I can cope with email, it just sits there and waits for me. I am not looking for ‘instant gratification’ Am I weird? Or just old?

So what about the ‘Unknown God’ in the reading?

The people worship multiple gods. Do they know which one will answer which prayer? Do they scroll through all the gods when they want to pray?

Ah, but they have a sneaking feeling that there might be a God they haven’t accounted for. Always a good idea to hedge your bets, so an altar is provided.

And do they get any more satisfaction? How quickly does the Unknown God answer them?

Paul is very astute, He focuses on the ‘Unknown’, and instead of berating these heathens for their mistaken worship, he confirms that they are right, there is indeed another God, not any kind of graven image, but the living creator and sustainer of life, who is present, and listening, and will answer prayer.

Sooner or later, yes - there is no guarantee of an answer by return, but there is always an answer. Just listen and wait.

Keep watch.

Take heart.

Words to reflect on from a wonderful song/prayer from Taizé (It can be found in Church Hymnary 4, 276) - it has 7 verses so there is one for each day of the week. Serendipity!

“Prepare a way for the Lord. Make a straight path for him. Prepare a way for the Lord.

Wait for the Lord, his day is near.

Wait for the Lord, keep watch, take heart.”

Prayer:

Loving God,

may I have patience to wait upon you, to wait for you,

to prepare myself and be ready for your answer.