St. Paul's Woodstock NB - May 10, 2026 with Rev. Shirley DeMerchant

Devotional

Day 1: Altars to Unknown Longings

Paul stood in Athens surrounded by temples. His eyes fixed on an altar inscribed “TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.” The city overflowed with idols, but this marker confessed their deepest fear: What if we’ve missed a god? Paul seized this admission as common ground. “What you worship as unknown, I proclaim to you” (Acts 17:23). He saw their altars not as threats, but as cries for the true God. [32:21]

The Athenians built altars to appease distant, needy gods. Paul revealed a God who needs nothing yet gives everything—a Creator who placed their longing for Him in their hearts. Their religious efforts, though misplaced, pointed to the vacuum only Christ fills.

Where do you see “altars” in your neighborhood—places, habits, or pursuits people hope will fill their emptiness? Name one conversation this week where you could ask, “What do you think is missing here?”

“People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. 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.”
(Acts 17:22-23, NIV)

Prayer: Ask God to reveal one “unknown god” in your community—a shared longing you can address with Christ’s hope.
Challenge: Write down three cultural “altars” you observe today (e.g., wellness trends, career idolatry, social media obsession).

Day 2: The God Who Needs Nothing

Paul gestured toward the Parthenon as he spoke: “The God who made the world doesn’t live in temples made by hands” (Acts 17:24). Athenian priests bathed and fed their statues daily. Paul dismantled this logic—the true God gives breath to all, requiring no service. Their gods demanded rituals; Yahweh offered relationship. [36:09]

Zeus needed worshipers to sustain his power. The biblical God needs nothing yet generously sustains life. Paul contrasted transactional religion with divine grace—a jarring concept to those who believed gods competed for human attention.

When do you slip into treating God like a deity who needs your performance? How might your prayers change if you truly believed He desires you, not your sacrifices?

“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. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.”
(Acts 17:24-25, NIV)

Prayer: Confess one way you’ve reduced God to a transaction (“I’ll obey if You bless me”). Thank Him for His self-sufficient love.
Challenge: Spend 10 minutes in silence today, focusing on God’s gifts of breath and life rather than your requests.

Day 3: Poets and the Divine Breath

Paul quoted their poets: “In Him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). The Athenians knew these lines praised Zeus. But Paul hijacked their poetry to reveal Yahweh—the true source of existence. He bridged their culture to Christ, finding gospel echoes in unexpected places. [39:16]

The Greeks saw gods as capricious forces. Paul reframed their art to show God’s intimate presence. Every heartbeat, every creative impulse, testified to a personal Creator. Even their flawed worship contained seeds of truth.

What songs, stories, or traditions in your culture hint at deeper spiritual truths? How could you use these as conversation starters about Christ?

“For in him we live and move and have our being. As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’”
(Acts 17:28, NIV)

Prayer: Ask God to help you recognize His “fingerprints” in today’s music, films, or books.
Challenge: Share a secular song/movie with a spiritual theme with a friend, then ask, “What do you think this says about our need for God?”

Day 4: The Judge and the Empty Tomb

Paul’s voice tightened as he declared: “God commands all people to repent. He has set a day when He will judge the world” (Acts 17:30-31). The crowd stirred—judgment unsettled these philosophers. But Paul grounded hope in Christ’s resurrection: the empty tomb proved God’s authority over death. [43:24]

The Greeks feared Hades’ underworld. Paul transformed their dread into anticipation—the Judge is also the Savior who conquered the grave. Resurrection wasn’t myth; it was historical proof of God’s power to redeem.

Where do you hesitate to mention judgment or repentance? How might pairing these truths with Christ’s victory soften hearts?

“In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. 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.”
(Acts 17:30-31, NIV)

Prayer: Ask boldness to share both God’s holiness and His mercy this week.
Challenge: Text one person today: “I’ve been thinking—what gives you hope when life feels uncertain?”

Day 5: Sneers and Secret Seekers

Some Athenians mocked the resurrection; others whispered, “We want to hear more” (Acts 17:32). Dionysius the judge and Damaris the merchant believed. Paul’s speech seemed to fail—yet the hungry found bread. The gospel thrives not in crowd approval, but in surrendered hearts. [44:09]

Revival often starts small. Paul didn’t measure success by conversions but by faithfulness. Two believers in a pagan city became living altars—testaments to the God who meets seekers in their confusion.

Who in your life seems resistant but might be one question away from faith? What patience is God asking you to practice today?

“When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, ‘We want to hear you again on this subject.’… A few men became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others.”
(Acts 17:32-34, NIV)

Prayer: Thank God for the “Damaris” in your life—quiet seekers needing time to trust.
Challenge: Note one person’s spiritual curiosity this week (e.g., questions asked, books read). Pray for them daily.

Sermon Summary

We gather around the story of Acts 17 and see how the gospel meets a city full of gods and a people full of longing. We stand with Paul in Athens, noticing first how pervasive idolatry distorts life and how that provokes righteous grief. We move from synagogue into the marketplace because faith belongs in public life, not only behind sacred doors. We present God as the Creator who made the world and everything in it, a God who does not need human service yet gives life and breath to all, who determines times and places so that people would seek him. We show that the true God is both more powerful than the idols and intimately involved in human affairs, inviting a relationship rather than demanding cultic maintenance.

We watch how the gospel engages culture by starting where people already live. Quoting familiar poets and language, the proclamation connects present shadows of truth to the reality of Christ. We then unfold the claim that God has fixed a day of judgment and has validated his claim by raising the appointed man from the dead. The empty tomb becomes the decisive answer to every altar to an unknown god. Some hear and scoff, but others receive and follow, proving that seeds planted across time and cultures can bear fruit when the risen Christ is named.

We commit to a posture of respectful engagement. We will listen to stories, learn cultural touchpoints, and point out how longings and half-truths culminate in the resurrection. We will be prepared to give reasons for our hope, and we will do so with gentleness and clarity. The gospel speaks to the restless heart by naming the Creator, offering life, and calling people to repentance. We embrace the mission to bring the risen Christ into marketplaces, neighborhoods, and conversations so that the unknown God they seek becomes the known God who saves.

Key Takeaways

1. God is creator and sustainer The true God made everything and does not depend on human worship for existence. This God gives life, determines our seasons, and sustains every human being. That reality inverts cultural hierarchies and calls us to worship the One who authors being rather than an idol fashioned from it. [33:32]
2. Idols reveal a restless heart Altars to unknown gods expose a fear that something essential remains missing. That restlessness points to created desire for relationship with the living God, not merely religious ritual. When we see idols, we should see opportunities to name longing and offer the resurrection as the solution. [26:32]
3. Meet people where they are Public faith requires moving into marketplaces rather than waiting for seekers to enter sacred spaces. Listening to rhythms, words, and writings of a culture creates bridges for truth to cross. Presence and humility open doors for the gospel to be heard and tested. [29:40]
4. Use shared language and hope Quoting familiar poets or cultural touchstones lets truth resonate instead of sounding alien. Connecting those kernels to the Creator and the risen Christ helps people move from vague longing to specific faith. Such bridges respect listeners and invite reflective response. [39:16]
5. The empty tomb answers longing The resurrection turns religious curiosity into saving knowledge by showing God’s power over death and his personal reach to us. The empty tomb insists that God redeems our incompleteness and calls us to repentance and life. Where hearts ache for more, the risen Christ offers reconciliation and hope. [42:53]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[24:27] - Athens and the Gospel Context
[26:32] - Idolatry Provokes Distress
[29:40] - Taking Faith into the Marketplace
[31:49] - Areopagus Inquiry and Unknown Altar
[33:32] - God as Creator and Self Sufficient
[39:16] - Quoting Poets to Bridge Gap
[42:53] - Jesus, Resurrection, and Repentance
[47:17] - Longing, Mission, and Engagement

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Acts 17:16-34 (ESV)
1 Peter 3:15 (ESV)

Observation questions

In Acts 17:22-23, how did Paul use the Athenians’ altar to an “unknown god” as a starting point for sharing the gospel?
What two key attributes of God did Paul emphasize in Acts 17:24-28 to contrast Him with the Greek gods? [33:32]
How did Paul connect the words of Greek poets (Acts 17:28) to his message about the true God? [39:16]
What were the two distinct reactions to Paul’s message about the resurrection (Acts 17:32-34)?

Interpretation questions

Why do you think Paul began his message by affirming God as Creator rather than immediately mentioning Jesus? How does this approach address the Athenians’ worldview? [33:32]
The sermon states, “Idols reveal a restless heart.” How does idolatry (ancient or modern) expose humanity’s unfulfilled longings? [26:32]
Paul quoted pagan poets to build bridges for the gospel. Why is understanding cultural “touchpoints” vital for meaningful spiritual conversations today? [39:16]
Why might the resurrection have been a stumbling block for some Athenians, and how does it uniquely answer the fear behind their “unknown god” altar? [42:53]

Application questions

Where do you see modern “altars to unknown gods” in your community (e.g., cultural obsessions, anxieties, or pursuits)? How could these become opportunities to point others to Christ? [26:32]
Think of a friend or neighbor with little biblical knowledge. What shared language, values, or cultural references could help you start a gospel conversation? [29:40]
The sermon emphasizes “public faith.” What is one practical way to move your faith beyond private rituals into everyday spaces (work, hobbies, community)? [29:40]
When have you encountered skepticism or rejection when sharing faith? How can Paul’s response in Athens (gentleness, clarity) shape your approach? [47:51]
The resurrection calls for repentance (Acts 17:30). What area of your life might God be inviting you to surrender to His authority this week? [42:53]

Sermon Clips

But why would anyone have an altar to an unknown god? The only reason I can think of is out of fear. Fear that of all the gods they had, what if they missed one? What if they didn't know the name of a certain god? And so there was this altar just to cover all their tracks. This was a religion based on fear and this belief that you had to keep the gods happy. And what Paul said challenged their whole system of belief. [00:32:48] (34 seconds) #FaithNotFear

The Greeks believe they are superior to all other men and this this god makes us all equal. The god that Paul was describing was so powerful that he even determined where people would live, when they would be born. He was not just powerful but involved in the affairs of men. He was involved in the lives of men. He was personal and not just powerful. In verse 27, Paul states that God does this. He's involved in the affairs of men and women so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out to him and find him. [00:37:18] (46 seconds) #GodIsPersonal

The Christian faith is is not knowledge that you just repeat on Sunday. It's a way of living. It's a worldview. Our faith was never meant to be private. Jesus' ministry wasn't private and his death was not private. So Paul goes out into the marketplace and it tells us that he preached Jesus and the resurrection. Well, while he was preaching and talking about Jesus in the marketplace, he caught the attention of philosophers. And it tells us in verse 18, they were concerned about what he was teaching because he seemed to be advocating foreign gods. [00:29:56] (43 seconds) #FaithInPublic

We're told in verse 17 of Acts seventeen, first he went to the synagogue. He went to the to the place where he was most comfortable. And there it says he reasoned with the Jews and the god fearing Greeks. And then it says, then he moved out into the marketplace, the public square. Paul did something that many Christians don't seem to understand, that the Christian faith isn't meant to to be expressed only in a place of worship. The Christian faith is is meant to be lived out in the public areas, in our workplaces, where we do banking and shopping. [00:29:19] (38 seconds) #FaithEverywhere

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