Sixth Sunday of Easter

Acts 17:22-31; Psalm 66:8-20; 1 Peter 3:13-22; John 14:15-21

No God Left Un-Altared  (Acts 17:22-31)

                From Athens, Greece sometime during the 1st century.

There’s no god left un-altared in our time,

each one we can think of has a shrine.

If your sacrifice goes unheeded

or one god refuses what’s needed,

then just move on to the next one in  line.

For love to Aphrodite make pleas

at her temple your passion will increase

A Hugh Hefner design, 

in full relief so sublime,

if you don’t get excited you’re deceased.  

From goddess Athena comes our name,

wisdom and warfare are her fame

born from Zeus’s head, 

she wears armor to bed,

leaving romantics among us quite lame.

For war you need Ares by your side

son of Zeus and Hera their pride

If it’s bloodshed you’re after, 

or chaos and disaster,

then a sacrifice to Ares is advised.

A pretty young man with long hair

always the life of the party extraordinaire

Dionysus the god of wine

should be invited every time,

and your bash will be the envy of the debonaire.

No one wants to be dead

so to Hades you must give some cred…

that you are among the living,

still breathing, now giving

sacrifices so you don’t die in bed.

Hera is the wife of Zeus,

for his affairs there is no excuse

Though she is the goddess of marriage,

Her’s was a total miss-carriage, 

but she still might keep yours from coming loose.

Of gods Zeus is king on Olympus

in his hand your fate could be momentous,

but pass his shrine by

and most surely you will die,

his lightning bolts are accurate and plentious. 

But there is one god we don’t know,

Still a shrine we did build to bestow,

a modicum of honor

lest Athens be a goner 

and we would end up eating crow.

Now this fellow shows up named Paul

about this god we don’t know tells all

but while most don’t get it,

his words to his credit, 

echo our poets most eloquent call.

We live and move and have being, 

in this god who with our lives is weaving

a tapestry of love

pure gift from above

now children we are in God’s keeping.

All that sounds mighty good to be sure,

a god we don’t know is the cure

to our angst and seeking

to give purpose and meaning, 

but his resurrection is causing quite a stir.

Walt McCanless 2014