Stephen spoke this morning from Acts 17:24-28, Paul’s sermon to the people at Athens. There, he addressed the people as ‘very religious’ and introduced them to the unknown God. Often, people perceive Christians as ‘religious‘, but there is much more to a life of faith than being religious.
A life of faith is not confined to services in a church building (as has been made very apparent during the pandemic.) Our God is not confined to a building or to any one space. ‘Church’ is not God’s home address; it’s the name given to His family! He does not need religious rituals or services, because He is the Lord who gives everyone life and breath. God is with us wherever we are (in English, the words ‘where’ and ‘there’ all contain the word ‘here’, and God’s presence with us is what makes us different.)
Rather than getting caught up in the trap of religiosity (which tends to put an emphasis on external rituals and outward behaviour), we need to be caught up in God’s presence. God’s presence is what makes the difference in our lives and will make a difference to those we meet.
