…….The Unknown God
In Athens, Paul on Mars Hill stood,
. An ocean stirred by storm
That raged within his righteous soul
. To call for their reform.
For he had walked the city streets,
. And seen an army there,
As mute as wood and stone can be –
. Their idols ev’ry where.
Religious men, the Grecians were;
. They grew gods like the grain
That fills a golden field with heads
. Till numb’ring them is vain.
They had gods of both love and war,
. And gods of fire and light,
A god of travel, god of home,
. A god for help at night.
But what struck Paul strikes me as well –
. An altar all alone,
As if it were a diff’rent thing,
. One to a god unknown.
Since Paul knew Him they did not know,
. He told them of the Christ,
And how He conquered death and grave
. Post being sacrificed.
They sneered in scorn when they heard that –
. A man raised from the dead!
Their minds were stuck on wood and stone
. That can’t rise from a bed.
But He was there, among their gods,
. A god of “just in case”,
A token, just an afterthought
. They granted bit of space.
Not much has changed upon the earth,
. Though gone are gods of stone.
The faith of Christ drove them away –
. Jehovah stands alone.
But in the lives of most of men
. Who grant that He is God
They fill their city with all else,
. And give Him just a nod.
He’s still an amulet, a charm
. As idols have the throne
That sits within the hearts of men,
. And He? He’s still unknown.
——————————————–
© Dennis Lange and thebardonthehill.wordpress.com, 2014
The Bard on the Hill 