I see how extremely religious you are in every way.
For as I went through [your] city and looked carefully at the objects of your worship, I found among them an altar with the inscription,
'To an unknown god.'
(Acts 17:22-23, NRSV)
It's often the case that the words we use to describe a thing don't really say a lot about the thing in question in the abstract. That is, we often describe things very subjectively, mostly blind to our own prejudices and preferences. The same movie I thought was terrific would be panned by critics; I only use Duke's mayonnaise, though I'm sure someone out there actually likes Hellman's... Neither of us will ever be able to describe our choice in an objective way that would settle some argument. There may truly be no objective one way to describe anything.
At the end of Lookout Road in Montreat, North Carolina there begins a hiking trail. Where the pavement ends, vehicles park and their drivers take to their feet, climbing upward through the temperate Appalachian forrest toward a summit 3,800 above sea level - 1,200 feet above the town, college campus, and conference center below. From this height, one can see the buildings far below as only specks and spots dotting the hillside of the ridge opposite the valley below. It's a clear view all the way down, but from up there the details below are fuzzy. Likewise, when standing at the edge of Lake Susan and looking up toward the top of Lookout Mountain, you can't even make out the overlook above. You certainly can't identify specific trees, or even see people who are above peering down on the village.
Creation is like it's Creator only in so much as the way it's impossible to ever completely describe it. One reason for this is we can't know all the motivations of the Creator. When an artist renders a painting in a gallery, often they will provide some context or give some talk about their influences, state of mind, etc. When God created the heavens and the earth, such details about God's artistic choices and aesthetic preferences were left out of the record. We only have our, very subjective, observations to guide us.
Prior to being exposed to the gospel of Jesus Christ, the ancient world was at a loss to describe much about creation. Much about the natural world, especially, was a mystery. When the apostle Paul spoke to the citizens of Athens (Acts 17, et al.) he noted that he could tell how religious the people were by the way they attributed everything in the city to some one of their gods. He was particularly amused by the inscription by one stream, "To an Unknown God."
We might read this passage with our modern prejudices and think pitifully of these poor, ignorant, unsaved fools. Of course, part of Paul's argument to them was indeed based on the fact that they were attributing things to the wrong gods, and in this case to no god at all, when the Living God was responsible for all that is and was and ever will be. This teaching made an impression on these simple-minded ancient Greeks, we might think, as we know of the conversion stories and the churches born out of Paul's mission in the region.
What important items, conveniences, aspect of your life have you attributed to an unknown god? How often do we take for granted seemingly insignificant things in our lives, never attributing our thanks and praise to the true God who made it all possible? What items in your home are attributed to no god at all? Or worse, what items and aspects of life do you attribute to something other than our Lord and our God through Christ Jesus?
Pray that your eyes become open to the great gifts of God's creation all around you. Take nothing for granted. Praise the Living God who not only supplies your every need, but granted you life among this amazing creation.
In Christ,
J.D.