Acts 13:1-3, 14:8-18 - April 30, 2023

“Almost not wrong.”
That is what one scholar said about the people of Lystra from this very weird story from Acts. “The gods have come down to us in human form!” They are… almost not wrong. 

But before we get to that part, let’s go through the story again to make sure we’re all on the same page. 

We start out in chapter 13 with Saul (whose name is changed to Paul) and Barnabas being sent out by the community and the Holy Spirit. We then skip to chapter 14 where these two apostles arrive in a place called Lystra - a very distant place from Jerusalem, full of people who had never heard of the God of Israel, let alone Jesus. As Paul was preaching, he noticed a man who was crippled from birth. Paul heals him; the man “sprang up” and began to walk.

It was a miracle! This man was healed! The crowds notice.

Now, let me paint a picture for you here. All these people start getting excited about this - and why wouldn’t they? But they start getting a little too excited. They start shouting things in a language Paul and Barnabas don’t understand. 

You can almost picture it, right?
Paul and Barnabas standing in the middle of a celebratory crowd,
not really knowing what is going on,
but rather pleased that the people are so excited about Jesus,
everyone trying to touch them and crowd around them.
But then they notice these excited people keep saying Zeus. And “did they just call you Hermes? No, wait…”
It’s too late. The crowds get swept up in excitement; Paul’s protests are drowned out by the people’s shouts of joy. Then the priest of Zeus comes out of the temple and tries to offer a sacrifice to them. 

It’s supposed to be a little comedic relief for those of us who know the real story. Paul and Barnabas aren’t gods at all, but mere mortals like the rest of the people. But to try and convince them in the midst of all that excitement was hard to do. 

After finally calming them down and regaining their attention, Paul preaches to try and set the record straight. Instead of looking to these worthless other gods, look to the true God who created everything you see, the rains and food and heaven and earth and the sea. 

So, the whole story - from sending to healing to preaching - is about God, about God being present in a bunch of different ways. And it’s important to note that Paul and Barnabus didn’t bring God to Lystra or to these people. God was already there and was always there. So, all Paul tried to do was point out God in ways they could see and know and feel. 

And this is a good way for Paul to begin. He doesn’t start with Trinitarian Theology or Atonement Theories or even the Incarnation. He starts with what they see and what they know. God did that, God did this, God did it all. 

God is present in nature - as Paul says, in the rain and sea, in earth and sky. God is there in the mountaintops and the crashing waves. And when we are in the right frame of mind, we get a sense of God’s awesomeness when we take in those views. You can feel the grandness of God in the beauty of all that God has created. 

So everywhere there is creation, there God is. This means that God is present, even there in Gentile-filled, non-believing, far-from-Jerusalem Lystra. God is present under the shadow of a grand temple to Zeus. God is present in misunderstood actions and foreign languages and misplaced ideas. God was there, God is there. And God has been there all along, even if these people didn’t notice or know. 

It can be surprising to hear that; it certainly was surprising for these people. God is there, even if we don’t notice or know. 

God is present in all of creation; God is present in unknown places.

And this is where we can get into that piece about the people being “almost not wrong,” because God did indeed come down to us in human form in Jesus. That is the whole point of Paul and Barnabus’ mission - to talk about what God has done for us in Jesus. But Paul doesn’t go there yet - at least not in our lesson - but we also see that God comes and works through Paul in preaching and healing. 

Maybe more surprising than God coming and working in Jesus is that God comes and works through mere mortals, too. God is present in people. God is present in you and in me. God works in us and through us to point to the healing and life that God brings. 

Much like how God is in places we might not notice, God is present even when we don’t notice at all. God is present in our lives, God is present despite our brokenness, God is present amidst anxiety, God is present in the very real, very beautiful, very uncertain, very messy, very personal lives. 

And God, who is present with us, who is present here, sends us out to “there.” Because God isn’t just here. God goes ahead of us, goes to places we think might be devoid of God. And God meets us there. And God does miraculous things there. God shows up. God heals. God brings life, life abundant. 

That’s why God came down in the first place. To bring life, and bring it abundantly. 

And wherever we go, whatever happens, God is already there - wanting to give life, to bring joy, to make things whole again. That’s what Easter is all about, after all. Despite us missing it all around us, God works to give life. 

God is present in the healing of a crippled man. 
God is present in the risen Christ.
God is present in the breaking of the bread and sharing of the cup.
God is present in the promise of life everlasting for us all.

We see today that God is present - with you, with them, wherever you go, in the midst of all that happens in our world, those places we don’t think God is, even those places the world claims God can’t be… we know God is present there. God is already there.  

And maybe knowing that can inspire us to see the unexpected ways God will call us to serve God and our neighbor in our everyday lives. God works through mere mortals. 

And so, yes, God is there; God is everywhere. But to make this news Good News, we should know God is here. God is with you. God is with you. Even if we misinterpret some of the things that are going on, we can trust that God is here. 

And where God is, there is beauty and awe and forgiveness and life.
And life abundant. 

Because through it all, that is what God does: God brings life wherever God is. 

God is there.
God is here.
And God always has been.