Observation: Paul begins his speech at Mars Hill this way. It is well-known that he called out this 'unknown god' alter and used it to then tell them about Yahweh and Jesus, effectively saying that they already do worship Yahweh but just don't know him. However, there is another interpretation, which is that the people of Athens - while being "religious" - are so desperate for help from any 'god' that they will even pray to empty and nameless nothingness in the hope that something might happen. It's a very literal "a hope and a prayer" action, or the original "Hail Mary".
It is this that Paul is then addressing with the Athenians ... hope. They have hope, in fact they have so much hope that it overflows into undirected vagueness. However, this means that they have hope for something, but they don't know to whom they should take their hopes and turn them into trusted help. Therefore, what the Athenians do in ignorance, Paul can now proclaim to them in a concrete manner so their hope can be realized through faith in Jesus.
Application: This remains the great truth of Jesus ... those who are lost and hurting, who wander through life in sadness and despair, who yearn for meaning and understanding about life ... they have undirected hope, but Jesus now gives them the Messiah to give their hopes to, and who will return to them trusted help and answers and comfort and direction and joy.
Paul was able to take a concept of nothingness and use it to speak to philosophers about faith, hope, and love. Still today, people are in their own minds as their own philosophers, and they still wonder about the nature of faith, hope, and love. May we find elements of the world that are already all around them and have the wisdom to introduce Jesus to them by those simple things.
Prayer: Lord, you are our wisdom, and you are our hope. May I and all of us have opportunities to tell others of the hope found in Jesus, and may your wisdom alone guide our words. Amen.
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