A homily by: Fr. Gene Tucker
Given at: Trinity Church, Mt. Vernon, Illinois; Sunday, May 29, 2011
(Homily text: Acts 17: 22 – 31)
Hook – Book – Look – Took.
At first glance, other than the fact that the four words above rhyme, they don’t make much sense, do they?
So, I suppose an explanation is in order….
The four words are the outline of a scheme of preaching, as follows:
- Hook: Use some device or common ground with your listeners, so as to “hook” them into the subject of the text you are going to preach on.
- Book: Look closely at the text, drawing from it the points that seem important to cover.
- Look: Apply the implications present in the text to the congregation.
- Took: Give them something to walk away with.
In all honesty, I have to tell you that this scheme of outlining and drafting a sermon isn’t at all original. In fact, I think it was devised by a well-known teacher of homiletics (the study and practice of preaching) whose name is Fred Craddock.
And, in all honesty, I will admit that this is the scheme of drafting and delivering sermons that I most often use. Perhaps, if you’ve heard some of the sermons I’ve given in the past (assuming you can remember them!), you might recognize the pattern in what was said and in what was written.
So, let’s turn then to St. Paul’s sermonizing, as we hear it in the first lesson today, which is drawn from Acts, chapter 17. We can see that Paul used at least some of the major points in this scheme of sermonizing as he spoke to the audience that had gathered there in the Areopagas (which is Greek for Mars Hill).
Our text today begins at the midpoint of the event, so I think it’s important for us to back up a little, in order to set the scene.
We note, looking backward to verse 16, that Paul had entered Athens, having come there from Berea. Luke (the writer of the Book of Acts) tells us that Paul was very upset at the large number of idols that he saw while there. As was his usual custom, Paul went into the synagogue and preached Christ to the Jews there. He also preached in the marketplace.
In that setting, Luke tells that some Stoic and some Epicurean philosophers were among those who hear Paul speak. In response, some in the audience said, “What would this babbler (Paul) say?” while others said, “He seems to be a preacher of foreign divinities,” because Paul had been preaching about Jesus and about the resurrection.
At this point, it isn’t clear if the audience made Paul go with them to the Areopagas (as if he had been arrested), or if Paul willingly went along.with them.
Nonetheless, today’s text picks up with Paul’s address, given in the Areopagas.
Now, we see Paul’s strategy clearly as we examine what he said. He begins with the “hook”: “Men of Athens,” he said, “I perceive that you are very religious.”
So far, so good. Paul has gotten off to a good start, using a little flattery, and using his observations to make a statement of truth. Indeed, the Athenians were very religious, for their city was littered with idols!
Now, Paul introduces what we preachers call a transition statement. He says, “I found also an altar with this inscription,’To an unknown god.’”
Capitalizing on this transition statement, Paul then says, “What you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.”
Now, we enter the “Book” section of Paul’s address.
Using Holy Scripture, but not directly, Paul lays out the biblical concepts of God as creator of all that is. He might easily have quoted passages such as Psalm 19: 1, which says “The heavens are telling the glory of God, and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.”
So the God that Paul introduces is the creator of all that is, including the human race. (Perhaps Paul had the Genesis creation account in mind here.)
Having begun with what theologians would call the general revelation of God, which can be seen in the created order, and particularly in the creation of the human race, which is made in the “image and likeness of God”, Paul now moves into the special revelation of God, seen in Jesus Christ.. Luke tells us that Paul preached to them about Jesus’ resurrection from the dead.
Along the way, Paul has also been employed the technique of “looking”. He is asking the Athenians who heard him that day to look at their own religious practices. Paul indirectly assaults their idolatrous ways, saying, “The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in shrines made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all men life and breath and everything.”
The subtext that Paul is conveying here is “Get rid of those worthless idols!?
Well, what did Paul’s audience “take” away from his speech? Luke tells us that some mocked him, while others said, “We will hear you again about this.” Still others came to believe what Paul had said, and became believers. Luke tells us the names of two of them: Dionysis and a woman named Damaris. Others also believed.
So Paul’s address produced the fruits that Jesus spoke about in His Parable of the Sower (see Matthew 13; 3 – 9): Some produced no fruit at all, while others did.
Turning to our own situation, being Christians in the 21st century, what can we “take” from today’s text?
The first thing we might take away is the similarity of our cultural situation to that of the ancient Athenians: We live in a culture that is full of idols!
OK, I admit, we don’t drive down our streets and see row after row of statues. We don’t see idols like that. Our idols are much more sophisticated and less easily seen, for the truth is that people make idols out of all sorts of things today: cars, various possessions, status in life, addictions, etc.
The second thing we might observe is that the ancient Athenian culture was wildly syncretistic: Luke tells us that the Athenians loved nothing more than to discuss new ideas! And the presence of so many idols, including an altar which was dedicated to “The unknown god” shows that the marketplace of religious ideas was full of stuff to sample and buy.
Moreover, I think it’s safe to say that the Athenians cultivated an atmosphere of tolerance for differing beliefs. One implication of the existence of the altar which was inscribed “To an unknown god” is that the Athenians didn’t want to give offense to any possible diety, or to any possible system of belief or devotion. “We have all the bases covered,” seems to be a good way to summarize the attitudes of the Athenians.
We live in an age like that. We are encouraged to tolerate all sorts of ideas and beliefs, and for many, the one-and-only sin that someone might be guilty of committing is the sin of intolerance.
Finally, the atmosphere in which we live also cultivates much the same response that Paul’s statements provoked. For the response to Paul’s preaching was “What does this babbler want to say?” and “He seems to be a preacher of foreign divinities.”
Those who see us live out the Christian life will often think that what we believe, how we act, and what we say amounts to ‘babbling”. What we do, say and believe will strike many as strange ideas about a foreign God. The truth is that the patina of Christianity that once hung over our society is now all-but-gone, and the claims of the Christian faith seem foreign and strange to many. No longer is there a common foundation of knowledge about the basics of the Christian faith.
Nonetheless, we are called to be faithful preachers of the Word, which is Jesus Christ, just as St. Paul was. In response, some will mock, while others will say, “In time, I’d like to hear more about this,” and still others will come to believe.
May God empower our witness to Him, that we may find common ground with our hearers, and encourage them to take a closer look at claims of Christ.
AMEN.
