Postcard from Athens

I am writing this while lounging beside the beautiful turquoise water of the Aegean Sea in Greece, where Rob and I are wrapping up a week-long vacation to Istanbul and Athens. What a week! It has been full of breathtaking views, exotic cultures, and rich history.

Istanbul is a city of contrasts. Straddling the Bosphorus River with Europe on one side and Asia on the other, it is truly the crossroads of the world. In this land of East-meets-West, tourists from cruise ships walk the streets alongside women wearing burkas. Menus offer both fine French wine and strong Turkish coffee. The haunting sound of the Muslim call to prayer wafts down from a thousand minarets and mingles with "Call Me Maybe" playing on the taxi's radio.

Amazing Istanbul

I was especially excited to visit the Hagia Sofia church while in Istanbul. One of the most important churches in Christendom, the Hagia Sofia was the site of the reformation of 1054 (known as the Great Schism), which I write about in my book. It was so cool to see it in person after just reading about it  for so long!

Interior of the Hagia Sofia: over the centuries it has served as
both a church and mosque - here you can see a mural of the
Madonna and Christ child next to Arabic words of praise to Allah

But, the highlight of the trip - at least spiritually speaking - was definitely when we got to Athens and visited Mars Hill. Also known as the Areopagus, Mars Hill was the site of Acts 17, where Paul preached to the Athenians:

Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you. (Acts 17:22, 23 NIV)

Paul stood on this very site and proclaimed the gospel to the leading philosophers of the day. Acts 17 says that many "sneered" at him, but others believed and understood that the "Unknown God" they had been searching for was Jesus Christ. In fact, one of those who believed that day was Dionysos, who would go on to become the patron saint of Greece!

I'm standing on Mars Hill with the Acropolis behind me

Being here on Mars Hill made Scripture come alive, and know I will never read about Paul the same way. I can picture him, standing here on Mars Hill, preaching to the people of Athens. Acts 17 just went from black and white to technicolor.

Acts 17, Paul's sermon, in Greek!

We return home tomorrow, and I will be bringing experiences home with me in my heart that I know  will forever affect the way I read the Bible and see the world.