Almost 100 years ago, on November 11, 1921, exactly three years after the end of World War I, The Tomb of the Unknowns was dedicated in Arlington Cemetery in Virginia, on Armistice Day by President Warren G. Harding. Two days earlier, an unknown American soldier, who died somewhere on a World War I battle field, arrived at the nation’s capital from a cemetery in France. The Unknown Soldier was buried with highest honors, and as he was lowered to his final resting place, a two-inch layer of soil from France was placed below his coffin so that he might rest forever on the earth on which he died.
In the Book of Acts, Chapter 17, we read about the apostle Paul standing in the midst of Mars Hill and addressing the residents of Athens, Greece. He told them that he had passed by an altar in their city inscribed with the words, “To The Unknown God”. The Greeks had 12 main gods that they worshipped, along with innumerable lesser deities. To make sure they did not accidentally overlook some god, they erected the altar to one they named “the unknown god”.
Paul used this as an opportunity to declare to them that this “god” they ignorantly worshipped was the Lord of heaven and earth, and that He did not live in temples made by human hands. Paul described Him as the God who made the world and everything in it, and that He did not need anything from them. He told them that God had given them life, and breathe, and everything they needed, whether they realized it or not. He also told them that the same blood ran through the veins of every person who ever lived on the earth. He further told them that God had appointed a time for everything to happen, as well as a place for everyone to live.
God did not need anything from them, according to Paul, but God did want something from them. What He wanted was for them to seek after Him until they found Him, even though he said God was not very far from every one of us. Paul wanted them to realize that they owed their very existence to Him, telling them that in Him we “live, and move, and have our being”. He reminded them that some of their own poets called them the “offspring of God”, which meant that they should not think of Him as being made of gold, or silver, or stone, graven by men’s art and device.
Paul concludes by telling them that God would no longer overlook their ignorance, but that He is now commanding them to repent, which meant that they needed to acknowledge His identity and worship Him for who He was for real. In other words, they needed to prepare for a day when He would judge them and hold them accountable for doing what is right.
Larry R. Steffee is pastor of the Center Hill Brethren In Christ Church on Miller Road in Smithville. Everyone is welcome to attend. For information, you may email lrsteffeetn@yahoo.com.