#idolatry — Public Fediverse posts

“You can either be god of certain areas of your life, or let Me be God of your whole life.”
― The Skit Guys

#Bot #Quote #Discipleship #Idolatry

A quotation from Truman

The Constitution and the Declaration of Independence can live only as long as they are enshrined in our hearts and minds. If they are not so enshrined, they would be no better than mummies in their glass cases, and they could in time become idols whose worship would be a grim mockery of the true faith. Only as these documents are reflected in the thoughts and acts of Americans can they remain symbols of a power that can move the world.

Harry S Truman (1884-1972) US President (1945-1953)
Speech (1952-12-15), National Archives

More about this quote: wist.info/truman-harry-s/63640…

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #truman #harrytruman #America #belief #Constitution #DeclarationofIndependence #idolatry #meaning #moralcode #patriotism #values

𝐘𝐀𝐇 𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐘 𝐓𝐕 100 𝐁𝐈𝐁𝐋𝐄 𝐎𝐋𝐃 𝐓𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐋𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐌 |𝐂𝐋𝐈𝐂𝐊 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐊 𝐁𝐄𝐋𝐎𝐖

https://youtube.com/live/KvqY1C820o0?si=ZWTYyjouhAm2eUKV

𝐘𝐀𝐇 𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐘 𝐓𝐕 100 𝐁𝐈𝐁𝐋𝐄 𝐎𝐋𝐃 𝐓𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐋𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐌 |𝐂𝐋𝐈𝐂𝐊 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐊 𝐁𝐄𝐋𝐎𝐖

https://youtube.com/live/KvqY1C820o0?si=ZWTYyjouhAm2eUKV

𝐘𝐀𝐇 𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐘 𝐓𝐕 100 BIBLE OLD TESTAMENT LIVE STREAM |CLICK THE LINK BELOW

https://youtube.com/live/N18xfP7lLKo?is=MWMN25jKuSzHnIDt

𝐘𝐀𝐇 𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐘 𝐓𝐕 100 BIBLE OLD TESTAMENT LIVE STREAM |CLICK THE LINK BELOW

https://youtube.com/live/N18xfP7lLKo?is=MWMN25jKuSzHnIDt

𝐘𝐀𝐇 𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐘 𝐓𝐕 100 𝐁𝐈𝐁𝐋𝐄 𝐎𝐋𝐃 𝐓𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐋𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐌 | 𝐂𝐋𝐈𝐂𝐊 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐊 𝐁𝐄𝐋𝐎𝐖

https://youtube.com/live/xQIVPAMc4XA?is=98E5VjW0OgrMIbVw

Some, like Secretary of #State #MarcoRubio & #JohnRatcliffe, the #CIA director, packed their speaking time with #praise, while others, like Vice President #JDVance, focused on #attacking Democrats. Many of these statements are exaggerated or not factually accurate [#lies].

Compared with his 1st term, … #Trump has emphasized the importance of #loyalty this time around. Admin ofcls have complimented him far more in #cabinet meetings than in his 1st term…

#vanity #narcissism #idolatry #despotism

The New York Times reviewed over a dozen hours of cabinet meeting footage to analyze how Trump’s administration spoke to him. On average, at least one of every six sentences either flattered #Trump, gave him credit or criticized his political opponents.

#POTUS #vanity #narcissism #gaslighting #propaganda #MentalHealth #dysfunctional #authoritarianism #autocracy #dictatorship #despotism #idolatry #tyranny #USpol
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/us/politics/trump-cabinet-meetings.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share

𝐘𝐀𝐇 𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐘 𝐓𝐕 100 | 𝐘𝐀𝐇 𝐢𝐬 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐘 𝐒𝐀𝐕𝐈𝐎𝐑| 𝐁𝐘 𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐄 𝐘𝐀𝐇| 𝐘𝐀𝐇 𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐘 𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐀…

https://youtube.com/live/fCw4NLksQTs?si=PSuuzJr9YW4ng3LJ

𝐘𝐀𝐇 𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐘 𝐓𝐕 100 | 𝐘𝐀𝐇 𝐢𝐬 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐘 𝐒𝐀𝐕𝐈𝐎𝐑| 𝐁𝐘 𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐄 𝐘𝐀𝐇| 𝐘𝐀𝐇 𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐘 𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐀…

https://youtube.com/live/fCw4NLksQTs?si=PSuuzJr9YW4ng3LJ

𝐘𝐀𝐇 𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐘 𝐓𝐕 100 | 𝐘𝐀𝐇 𝐢𝐬 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐘 𝐒𝐀𝐕𝐈𝐎𝐑| 𝐁𝐘 𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐄 𝐘𝐀𝐇| 𝐘𝐀𝐇 𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐘 𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐀…

https://youtube.com/live/fCw4NLksQTs?si=PSuuzJr9YW4ng3LJ

𝐘𝐀𝐇 𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐘 𝐓𝐕 100 | 𝐘𝐀𝐇 𝐢𝐬 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐘 𝐒𝐀𝐕𝐈𝐎𝐑| 𝐁𝐘 𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐄 𝐘𝐀𝐇| 𝐘𝐀𝐇 𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐘 𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐀…

https://youtube.com/live/fCw4NLksQTs?si=PSuuzJr9YW4ng3LJ

𝐘𝐀𝐇 𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐘 𝐓𝐕 100 | 𝐘𝐀𝐇 𝐢𝐬 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐘 𝐒𝐀𝐕𝐈𝐎𝐑| 𝐁𝐘 𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐄 𝐘𝐀𝐇| 𝐘𝐀𝐇 𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐘 𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐀…

https://youtube.com/live/fCw4NLksQTs?si=PSuuzJr9YW4ng3LJ

𝐘𝐀𝐇 𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐘 𝐓𝐕 100 | 𝐘𝐀𝐇 𝐢𝐬 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐘 𝐒𝐀𝐕𝐈𝐎𝐑| 𝐁𝐘 𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐄 𝐘𝐀𝐇| 𝐘𝐀𝐇 𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐘 𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐀…

https://youtube.com/live/fCw4NLksQTs?si=PSuuzJr9YW4ng3LJ

𝐘𝐀𝐇 𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐘 𝐓𝐕 100 | 𝐘𝐀𝐇 𝐢𝐬 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐘 𝐒𝐀𝐕𝐈𝐎𝐑| 𝐁𝐘 𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐄 𝐘𝐀𝐇| 𝐘𝐀𝐇 𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐘 𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐀…

https://youtube.com/live/fCw4NLksQTs?si=PSuuzJr9YW4ng3LJ

𝐘𝐀𝐇 𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐘 𝐓𝐕 100 | 𝐘𝐀𝐇 𝐢𝐬 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐘 𝐒𝐀𝐕𝐈𝐎𝐑| 𝐁𝐘 𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐄 𝐘𝐀𝐇| 𝐘𝐀𝐇 𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐘 𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐀…

https://youtube.com/live/fCw4NLksQTs?si=PSuuzJr9YW4ng3LJ

While no #law prohibits printing bills with Trump’s signature, #US #currency experts say that producing a $250 note featuring the president‘s image would run afoul of current laws. One states only a “deceased individual” may be depicted on US currency. Another specifies which denominations the bureau may produce.

Larry R. Felix, a former director of the bureau, said “a $250 note is not statutorily authorized” without an act of #Congress.

#Trump #vanity #narcissism #idolatry #USdollar

Solimene & her staff had consented to another #Trump administration request: to print $100 bills featuring Trump’s signature, according to the four employees. They said those bills — the FIRST in American #history to bear a sitting president’s signature — are currently being printed at the bureau’s downtown Washington facility.

#vanity #narcissism #idolatry #currency #USdollar #law

She added that she “never sacrificed the values or character of myself or the organization & always prioritized the #US #Currency Program & the value each employee brings to the mission.”

“The buck stopped here,” she wrote.

Solimene did not specify in the email why she was reassigned & did not return calls seeking comment. A 24-year Army #veteran, she had been the first #female director of the bureau.

#Trump #vanity #narcissism #idolatry #currency #USdollar #law

Solimene said she was abruptly “reassigned” from her post by Treasury management on April 27, writing the next day in an email to colleagues that she was leaving with a “heavy heart.” She wrote in her goodbye email, a copy of which was obtained by The Post, that she had been reassigned to another job in the Treasury Department & that her departure was “not my choice.”

#Trump #vanity #narcissism #idolatry #currency #USdollar #law

The two political appointees were dismissive in response, two of the current employees said.

“She had told them we’re not authorized to do this. We can’t progress any further, and all the stakeholders have not even met to discuss the next steps,” said one of the employees. “Currency often takes six to eight years to produce a new bill, particularly one of such high value.”

#Trump #vanity #narcissism #idolatry #currency #USdollar #law

#Legislation that would allow #Trump to appear on a $250 bill was introduced in #Congress last year to commemorate the nation’s 250th anniversary but has languished.

…The director of the printing bureau, Patricia “Patty” Solimene, & other staff repeatedly explained to Beach & Brown that there were legal & procedural obstacles to producing the note & that it would take years longer than they envisioned, the four employees said.

#vanity #narcissism #idolatry #currency #USdollar #law

British painter Iain Alexander said #Trump himself endorsed changes to his original design, such as adding the colors of the US flag & a logo commemorating the 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding.

…No living person has appeared on #US #currency since 1866, when it was #outlawed after the image of a mid-level #Treasury bureaucrat showed up on a 5-cent note.

#vanity #narcissism #idolatry #currency #USdollar #law

As part of the effort, Beach in August & September provided bureau staff with mock-up designs for the note, including one that shows Trump’s face in the center of the $250 bill between the signatures of the president & #Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, acc/to one of the employees & records reviewed by The Washington Post.

The artist who said he designed the mock-up told The Post that he had spoken with #Trump about it.

#vanity #narcissism #idolatry #currency #USdollar #law

Starting last year, 2 political appointees at the #Treasury Dept— US Treasurer Brandon Beach & his snr adviser, Mike Brown — repeatedly urged staff at the agency’s Bureau of Engraving & Printing to prepare prototypes of the note, acc/to the employees, who said the move raised concerns because #federal #law currently allows only deceased people to appear on bills.

#Trump #vanity #narcissism #idolatry #currency #USdollar #law

#Trump admin officials have pressed the office responsible for printing the nation’s #money to design a $250 bill featuring Trump’s portrait, acc/to 4 current & fmr employees, in what would be the first appearance of a living person on #US #currency in >150 years.

#vanity #narcissism #idolatry #USdollar #law

#Trump appointees push $250 banknote with his portrait

The printing director who resisted the effort said she was [coincidentally] “reassigned” last month. “The buck stopped here,” she wrote in her goodbye.

#vanity #narcissism #idolatry #currency #USdollar
https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2026/05/28/trump-250-bill-pushed-by-treasury-appointees/

𝐘𝐀𝐇 𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐘 𝐓𝐕 100 BIBLE OLD TESTAMENT 𝐋𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐌 | 𝐂𝐋𝐈𝐂𝐊 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐊 𝐁𝐄𝐋𝐎𝐖

https://youtube.com/live/quQ86niTqhA?si=sEkBjVBB7tzPK5do

𝐘𝐀𝐇 𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐘 𝐓𝐕 100 BIBLE OLD TESTAMENT 𝐋𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐌 | 𝐂𝐋𝐈𝐂𝐊 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐊 𝐁𝐄𝐋𝐎𝐖

https://youtube.com/live/quQ86niTqhA?si=sEkBjVBB7tzPK5do

𝐘𝐀𝐇 𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐘 𝐓𝐕 100 BIBLE OLD TESTAMENT 𝐋𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐌 | 𝐂𝐋𝐈𝐂𝐊 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐊 𝐁𝐄𝐋𝐎𝐖

https://youtube.com/live/quQ86niTqhA?si=sEkBjVBB7tzPK5do

𝐘𝐀𝐇 𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐘 𝐓𝐕 100 BIBLE OLD TESTAMENT LIVE STREAM | 𝐂𝐋𝐈𝐂𝐊 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐊 𝐁𝐄𝐋𝐎𝐖

https://youtube.com/live/93yHzVDVo08?si=bO0F_wcANwxGPyRk

𝐘𝐀𝐇 𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐘 𝐓𝐕 100 BIBLE OLD TESTAMENT LIVE STREAM | 𝐂𝐋𝐈𝐂𝐊 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐊 𝐁𝐄𝐋𝐎𝐖

https://youtube.com/live/93yHzVDVo08?si=bO0F_wcANwxGPyRk

𝐘𝐀𝐇 𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐘 𝐓𝐕 100 𝐁𝐈𝐁𝐋𝐄 𝐎𝐋𝐃 𝐓𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐋𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐌|𝐂𝐋𝐈𝐂𝐊 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐊 𝐁𝐄𝐋𝐎𝐖

https://youtube.com/live/YrFJwbMSrC0?is=QTEXwBG0asNNznPr

𝐘𝐀𝐇 𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐘 𝐓𝐕 100 𝐁𝐈𝐁𝐋𝐄 𝐎𝐋𝐃 𝐓𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐋𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐌|𝐂𝐋𝐈𝐂𝐊 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐊 𝐁𝐄𝐋𝐎𝐖

https://youtube.com/live/YrFJwbMSrC0?is=QTEXwBG0asNNznPr

𝐘𝐀𝐇 𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐘 𝐓𝐕 100 𝐁𝐈𝐁𝐋𝐄 𝐎𝐋𝐃 𝐓𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐋𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐌|𝐂𝐋𝐈𝐂𝐊 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐊 𝐁𝐄𝐋𝐎𝐖

https://youtube.com/live/YrFJwbMSrC0?is=QTEXwBG0asNNznPr

𝐘𝐀𝐇 𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐘 𝐓𝐕 100 𝐁𝐈𝐁𝐋𝐄 𝐎𝐋𝐃 𝐓𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐋𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐌|𝐂𝐋𝐈𝐂𝐊 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐊 𝐁𝐄𝐋𝐎𝐖

https://youtube.com/live/YrFJwbMSrC0?is=QTEXwBG0asNNznPr

𝐘𝐀𝐇 𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐘 𝐓𝐕 100 𝐁𝐈𝐁𝐋𝐄 𝐎𝐋𝐃 𝐓𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐋𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐌|𝐂𝐋𝐈𝐂𝐊 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐊 𝐁𝐄𝐋𝐎𝐖

https://youtube.com/live/YrFJwbMSrC0?is=QTEXwBG0asNNznPr

𝐘𝐀𝐇 𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐘 𝐓𝐕 100 𝐁𝐈𝐁𝐋𝐄 𝐎𝐋𝐃 𝐓𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐋𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐌|𝐂𝐋𝐈𝐂𝐊 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐊 𝐁𝐄𝐋𝐎𝐖

https://youtube.com/live/Q6MITQRUyLY?is=jMzfE29OuMPYOYxF

𝐘𝐀𝐇 𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐘 𝐓𝐕 100 𝐁𝐈𝐁𝐋𝐄 𝐎𝐋𝐃 𝐓𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐋𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐌|𝐂𝐋𝐈𝐂𝐊 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐊 𝐁𝐄𝐋𝐎𝐖

https://youtube.com/live/Q6MITQRUyLY?is=jMzfE29OuMPYOYxF

YAH ONLY TV 100 BIBLE OLD TESTAMENT LIVE STREAM|CLICK THE LINK BELOW

https://youtube.com/live/8iN04Fu49Nw?is=19cmjRDUuvMxBczW

YAH ONLY TV 100 BIBLE OLD TESTAMENT LIVE STREAM|CLICK THE LINK BELOW

https://youtube.com/live/8iN04Fu49Nw?is=19cmjRDUuvMxBczW

YAH ONLY TV 100 BIBLE OLD TESTAMENT LIVE STREAM|CLICK THE LINK BELOW

https://youtube.com/live/Zh5zPLnfdrc?si=qU8wb6e1qp8o-iHy

YAH ONLY TV 100 BIBLE OLD TESTAMENT LIVE STREAM|CLICK THE LINK BELOW

https://youtube.com/live/Zh5zPLnfdrc?si=qU8wb6e1qp8o-iHy

hello duck tape my old friend
I've come to sew with you again

#sewing
#idolatry

The top Dawg weighs in on the White House ballroom:
"I am the Lord your God. I am Yahweh, Adonai, El Shaddai, the Almighty, whichever name you wish to use. And I promise you, from the bottom of My heart, that I do not give a tinned shit about the White House ballroom."
He went on to express great displeasure at the ungodly display of false piety and hypocrisy at Sunday's "Rededicate 250" blasphemy on the US National Mall.
https://www.wonkette.com/p/i-am-the-lord-thy-god-and-donald
#Idolatry #Redidicate250 #WhiteHouseBallroom

YAH ONLY TV 100 BIBLE OLD TESTAMENT LIVE STREAM|CLICK THE LINK BELOW

https://youtube.com/live/aMJfu_JQ8J8?is=OYZUBdEZbw4ytXKo

YAH ONLY TV 100 BIBLE OLD TESTAMENT LIVE STREAM| CLICK THE LINK BELOW

https://youtube.com/live/WE1K0RrkTkM?is=LgRFq9H-MsNWSYfV

Why Trump’s Spiritual Adviser Dedicated a Golden Statue to the President

https://web.brid.gy/r/https://www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/why-trumps-spiritual-adviser-dedicated-a-golden-statue-to-the-president

The Unknown God

A Sermon about the Idols of Yesterday and Today

Acts 17:16–31

(Note: Sermons can be heard in audio format at https://millersburgmennonite.org/worship/sermon-audio/)

In our scripture this morning, Paul walks into Athens, a city overflowing with religion, beauty, ideas, temples, shrines, altars, arguments, and gods.

Athens is not empty.

Athens is crowded.

And Paul is deeply troubled.

Paul is not troubled because Athens is secular. He is troubled because Athens is religious in all the wrong ways. The city is full of worship, but empty of surrender. Full of gods, but not the living God. Full of altars but still haunted by absence.

For among all those altars, Paul notices one inscription:

To an unknown god.

What a haunting phrase.

In the middle of all the Athenians’ certainty, there is still this admission: we may have missed something. We may not know as much as we think. There may still be a God we have not recognized.

And I wonder if that is not where many people are right now.

Not atheists necessarily. Not even irreligious. But uncertain. Searching. Guarded. Spiritual, yet suspicious of certainty. Curious yet afraid of being closed off or closed in. Open and yet not really able to surrender to truth. Religious and yet still missing God.

La Atenas de Pablo no es solamente historia antigua; también describe nuestro mundo de hoy.

So Athens is not just ancient history.

Athens is now.

Let us pray.

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O God, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen.

Homily

Like the Athens of Paul’s day, our world today is full of altars too.

Altars to nation. Altars to wealth. Altars to image. Altars to safety. Altars to tribe. Altars to ideology. Altars to the market. Altars to the screen. Altars to the self.

We, like the Athenians, have all kinds of gods.

One reason I think our public discourse feels so fractured is that we are not just arguing about small things. We are bringing completely different belief systems into the room.

In Athens there were Jews who worshiped the one living God; God-fearing Greeks drawn toward that God but not fully committed; Epicureans who sought calm and freedom from fear; Stoics who valued reason, virtue, order, and discipline; and this strange altar to an unknown god, an altar that says, “We do not want to miss the divine. We know there is more than we can name.”

Paul proclaims a God who is not vague, not distant, not merely a principle, not one more option in the marketplace of ideas. Paul proclaims the God who made the world and everything in it, the God who gives life and breath to all, the God who cannot be reduced to shrines or captured in gold or silver or stone or circuitry, the God who is near to all, the God who now calls all people everywhere to repent because God has raised Jesus from the dead.

Pablo anuncia que Dios no es una idea vaga ni un ídolo más, sino el Creador que da vida, aliento y resurrección.

Some may believe truth is revealed and binding. Others are spiritual, but indefinite. Others have been wounded by the church and do not know whether the word “God” is invitation or threat.

And into all of that, Christian witness says: the world belongs to its Creator, and history has turned in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

When Paul is brought to the Areopagus, we might imagine a cozy invitation. Maybe there is curiosity there, but there is also something more serious. Paul is being examined. Tested. Weighed. Asked to explain himself in public.

Paul is heard, but under suspicion.

And how does he respond?

Not with coercion. Not with panic. Not with silence. Not with flattery. Not with domination.

He responds with witness.

Paul pays attention. He listens. He observes. He starts where the people are.

Pablo no responde con poder o miedo, sino con atención, humildad y testimonio.

Paul does not begin by quoting Moses. He does not begin where he is most comfortable. He begins with what his hearers can recognize: their altar, their poets, their longing, their language of divine nearness.

My friends, that is not compromise. That is faithful witness.

And this matters for us, because our witness cannot always sound exactly the same in every place, in every room, in every forum.

The gospel does not change. “Jesus Christ is Lord” – that doesn’t change either. The call to repentance, reconciliation, mercy, justice, truth, and abundant life this side of the resurrection does not change.

But the way we bear witness may depend on where we are and who is in front of us.

El evangelio no cambia, pero la manera de dar testimonio puede cambiar según el lugar y las personas.

When Paul is in the synagogue, he reasons from the scriptures. But when Paul is in Athens, among philosophers, idolaters, seekers, and skeptics, he begins somewhere else. He begins with creation. He begins with breath. He begins with longing. He begins with the altar they already have. He begins with the poetry they already know.

Paul does not start by asking them to enter his world. He first enters theirs.

That is not watering down the faith. That is speaking the truth in love. That is incarnation-shaped witness.

Pablo entra en el mundo de sus oyentes para poder anunciarles fielmente al Dios vivo.

Paul does not introduce Athens to a God who was absent until Paul arrived. Paul reveals the presence of a God they have already been brushing up against.

The God they called unknown has been waiting to be revealed.

Paul says this God gives to all mortals life and breath and all things. Paul says this God is not far from each one of us. Paul says, “In him we live and move and have our being.”

So maybe the question is not simply, “Will God show up?”

Maybe the deeper question is, “Will we recognize how God is already showing up?”

Which brings us to a question worth asking every day:

God, how are you going to show up today?

Not, “God, are you going to show up?”

But, “God, how are you going to show up?”

La pregunta no es solo si Dios aparecerá, sino si tendremos ojos para reconocer cómo Dios ya está presente.

Because Acts 17 reveals to us that God may already be present before people have the right language. God may already be at work before someone has the right doctrine. God may already be stirring longing before anyone knows how to name that longing.

God may already be there in the question. God may already be there in the difference. God may already be there in the ache. God may already be there in the crack in someone’s certainty.

Paul sees an altar to an unknown god, and he does not only see idolatry. He also sees longing. He sees an opening. He sees a place where witness can begin.

Dios puede estar obrando en la pregunta, en el dolor, en el anhelo, aun antes de que sepamos nombrarlo.

And then Paul does something just as important:

He does not stay there.

He builds a bridge, yes. But he also tells the truth.

He says, in effect, “The God you do not know is the God who made you. The God you have not recognized is the God who gives you breath. The God you have left unnamed is not contained in your temples. The God you seek cannot be reduced to your idols.”

Because idolatry is not just about statues.

Idolatry is whenever we try to bind God to our own systems of power and belief.

Idolatry is when nation becomes ultimate. Idolatry is when wealth becomes sacred. Idolatry is when violence is blessed. Idolatry is when “they” usurps “us.” Idolatry is when “my people” become more important than “humanity.” Idolatry is when our beliefs matter more than relationships. Idolatry is when our politics, grievances, fears, and identities begin to function as gods.

And let us be honest: the church is not exempt.

Athens is not only out there.

Athens is in here.

Athens is in us whenever we want a manageable god. Athens is in us whenever we want a useful god. Athens is in us whenever we want a god who blesses our side, confirms our assumptions, secures our system, and God forbid, never ever, disrupts our loyalties.

But Paul says the living God does not dwell in temples made by human hands.

That means God is not mine, yours, ours to manage.

Dios no pertenece a nuestros sistemas; nosotros pertenecemos al Dios vivo.

Which begs the question:

God, how are you going to show up?

Because we often want God to show up in familiar ways. Predictable ways. Comfortable ways. Worshipful, yes, but also manageable.

But what if the living God shows up in ways that unsettle us?

What if God shows up in the person we dismissed? What if God shows up in the hard conversation? What if God shows up in the exposure of an idol? What if God shows up in a call to repentance? What if God shows up not to decorate our little altars, but to overturn them?

There are some places where our witness begins with Scripture. Some where it begins with service. Some with silence. Some with apology. Some with saying, “Tell me more.”

There are some places where our witness begins not by answering a question no one is asking, but by noticing the altar in the room, the longing in the room, the wound in the room, the fear in the room, the unknown god in the room.

And yet, Christian witness does not end with vague spirituality.

Paul does not say, “Well, you have your gods, and I have mine, and maybe underneath it all we mean the same thing.”

No.

He moves to repentance.

He moves to judgment.

He moves to resurrection.

Because resurrection means God has shown up in Jesus Christ.

The unknown God is unknown no longer.

Not because we figured God out, but because God has acted. Because Christ has been raised.

El Dios desconocido se ha dado a conocer en Jesucristo, crucificado y resucitado.

Because death is not lord. Caesar is not lord. The economy is not lord. Violence is not lord. Fear is not lord. (Fill in the blank) is not lord. Like we say down South, those dogs don’t hunt.

Jesus Christ is Lord. Jesus Christ is Lord. Jesus Christ is Lord!

The Cosmic Christ is more than just our own personal Jesus. And that means resurrection is not just good news for me, or my private soul. Or you and your private soul.  It is the announcement of a new humanity under a new Lord. A new community. A new allegiance. A new public witness.

La resurrección anuncia una nueva humanidad bajo el señorío de Cristo.

That is who the church is meant to be.

Not simply a chaplain to the culture. Not another little religious booth in the marketplace of ideas. Not a baptizer of empire. Not a slave to ideology.

The church is the gathering of a resurrection people.

A people who do not only say, “God, show up.”

But a people who say,

God, help us recognize how you are showing up.

La iglesia existe para reconocer y encarnar la presencia del Cristo resucitado en el mundo.

So ask the question.

Ask it every morning. Ask it before worship. Ask it before the meeting. Ask it before the conversation. Ask it before you enter the room.

God, how are you going to show up?

And then ask the next question:

God, how are you calling me to show up?

To show up in worship, to show up in our community, to show up in the public square, to show up in the hard conversation, to show up in the awkward silence, and to show up in the uncomfortable moment when it would be easier to walk away.

My friends, we are the church of God. We are resurrection people, and resurrection people do not hide behind rose-colored stained-glass windows.

We show up because God first showed up.

We show up not because we are fearless, but because we are faithful. We show up not because every moment is easy, but because love is present. We show up not because we control the outcome, but because Christ is Lord. We show up not to dominate, not to coerce, not to win, but to bear witness.

Nos presentamos no para dominar, sino para dar testimonio con fidelidad, amor, humildad y paz.

And our witness may look different depending on where we are.

In worship, we show up with praise. In the neighborhood, with service. In conflict, with humility. In public life, with truth and peace. Among the wounded, with gentleness. Among the arrogant, with courage. Among the uncertain, with patience. Among the idols, with discernment.

Paul showed up in Athens.

He showed up in a city full of idols, in misunderstanding, under scrutiny, in the awkwardness of difference.

He showed up with a witness shaped by the place he was in.

He did not abandon the gospel.

He embodied it.

He trusted that God was already there ahead of him.

Pablo confió en que Dios ya estaba presente antes de que él hablara.

Maybe that is our calling too.

Not to have every answer. Not to control every room. Not to force belief.

But to show up with courage, humility, truth, and love, because the God who seemed unknown has already come near.

So this week, before you enter the room, begin the conversation, make the assumption, or speak the word, ask:

God, how are you going to show up here, in this moment, today?

And then ask:

Lord Jesus, how are you calling me to show up, here, in this moment, today, with you?

Because the God who was unknown has been made known, and the God who has been made known is still showing up, in us and in the people around us, in our homes and in the homes next door, in our neighborhood and in the communities down the road, in our nation and in all the nations of the world.

May God grant us open eyes and willing hearts to see and serve.

Let us pray.