"A Visit to Mars Hill in Athens" - by Rev. Weldon Bares

On a group tour, we had the privilege of visiting Athens, Greece. On the way to the magnificent Parthenon, we visited the Areopagus, the ancient meeting place of Athens' chief court.

The Areopagus, also known as Mars Hill, is of great significance in Christian history. It was here that the Apostle Paul, on his missionary journey to Greece, preached a famous sermon.

The story is described in the 17th chapter of the book of Acts in the New Testament. In a very bold way, Paul clearly and eloquently spoke about his faith in the divinity of Jesus of Nazareth.

He pointed to an inscription on a nearby altar that read, “To an Unknown God.” He then spoke about this unknown God to the Greeks, saying, “He is not far from any one of us.” (17:27)

It was inspiring to think that I was standing on the hill where the Apostle Paul so courageously preached the good news of Christ so many years ago.

I was amazed once again at Paul’s insight. I was amazed at his courage, eloquence, and reasoning, as well as his clear preaching about Jesus of Nazareth. I was moved once again by the presence of the Living God, who “is not far from any one of us.”

Jesus said, “The Kingdom of God is already among you.” (Luke 17:21)

Let’s look around us today and open our eyes and our minds. God’s presence is truly all around us. As Paul proclaimed, “God is not far from any one of us.”