Homily, May 17, 2026, Rev. Holly Cardone
The Sixth Sunday of Easter
May 10, 2026
We are working our way through the Books of Acts which we always do the weeks after Easter heading into Pentecost. Acts follow the work of the early Christian community in the years after the death and resurrection of Jesus. Pentecost is the day we celebrate the birth of the church, but we have been getting the story of the early church despite not reading about the Holy Spirit and tongues of fire, everyone speaking in their own language, and celebrating Pentecost. Which is on its way.
This morning’s reading, Paul, who in last week’s reading was sitting smugly by while men stoned Stephen to death, has become a convert to the teachings and message of Jesus and has been sent by the Holy Spirit to preach, teach, convert and baptize both Jews and Greeks throughout Greece and Turkey. He’s in Athens speaking to the Jews in the synagogue and with philosophers in the marketplace and the Athenians are receptive to his message.
Speaking to the council of Areopagus, the earliest aristocratic council of Athens, he says, “I see how deeply religious you are in every way.” He had walked through the streets viewing the shrines, when he came upon the altar that said, “To an unknown god.” Paul’s a street preacher. He didn’t write a sermon, or research historical documents in preparation for his homily, he spoke from his heart. A message that the people of Athens had not heard before.
You think you are worshipping the unknown god, but let me tell you, Paul says, the God that made all this, creator of heaven and earth, he doesn’t live in a shrine that we humans have constructed, as if he needed anything. It is God, creator of the universe, who has given humans life and breath and everything.
He goes on. God has made from one of our ancestors, nations to occupy the whole earth. He gave them a place to live so they would search for God, “and perhaps grope for him and find him, though he is not far from each of us. For ‘In him we live and move and have our being’…”
I love the idea of groping for God. Feeling one’s way in the darkness. We find him, Paul says, because he is not far off.
Then he mentions what their own poet, Aratus, wrote in 270 bce, “For we too are his offspring.” Paul is making the point that if they are God’s offspring, then certainly God cannot be a lifeless, sculpted or created object. And then he says God is so forgiving, God has overlooked our ignorance, our empty headedness, but God needs us now. God is asking us to turn our lives around, go in another direction, because Jesus has been here, and love is the final authority, because God has raised him from the dead. Jesus was with us, is with us, and will always be with us. Turn and see as one. Preaching to a Gentile group, Paul is making known the power of God’s love and grace for all people.
Peter this morning is encouraging the communities he is writing to in Turkey. Don’t be fearful or intimidated when it comes to living lives that reflect the teachings of Christ. Defend the hope you have but do it with gentleness and reverence. Make sure your conscience is clear, so if they talk about you, or malign your good name there will be no evidence to support their attacks. Suffer for doing the right thing, if that’s God’s will, because Christ suffered also. Peter writes, “He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit…”
Not only was Jesus made alive in the spirit in his resurrection but before he was killed, he promised his disciples that God would send the Holy Spirit to guide them and defend them. A very real need for the early Christians who were criminally charged for their beliefs. They needed the Holy Spirit, their defender, advocate and support.
Paul reminds us that God is living in us; thus, we are created, and in God we live, and move and have our being. Peter asks us to do the right thing, live with a clear conscience, standing up for what we believe in. John’s gospel teaches us that through the resurrection, Jesus is with us. God is alive in Christ, and Christ is alive in the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Trinity, three in one, is a dance of spirit that is available to us all the time. And that dance, or relationship with God, Christ and Holy Spirit, is our divine right. We may grope in the dark seeking God, but as soon as we turn the light on, we see God has been there the whole time.
What is happening in the world is very disturbing. A useless senseless war, in which innocent civilians are dying. People are struggling to pay their rent, buy food, put gas in their car, and pay for everyday necessities. Healthcare costs are rising and there have been threats to social security, which millions of senior citizens rely on to meet their basic needs. There is a loss of civility, care, and compassion. Many people I know are afraid they are going to lose their jobs when substantial budgets are instituted in July. We have no control over any of it.
What I remind myself of every day are the things I do have control over. What I put in my body, how much sleep I get, getting some exercise, letting someone in on the freeway, putting my grocery cart back in the grocery cart corral. Yes, I looked that up. That thing in the middle of the parking lot is called a grocery cart corral. Being patient with clients who can be very frustrating. Patience with myself when I’m mad at myself for being impatient with my clients. Cultivating unity where I can. Bringing a positive attitude to situations that really need it. Being hopeful amid despair and disillusionment. Doing whatever it takes, prayer, meditation, outreach, study spiritual material, to remind myself that everyone is a child of God, a beautiful creation of the Creator of the Universe and God is the infinite power of love. And love always wins.