You Said What?
05-24-09
As I was preparing for worship this week, I must confess I had some difficulty choosing hymns. Nothing really fits nicely with the stoning death of Stephen. I told a non-Christian friend of mine my quandary about picking hymns for a story about Stephen being stoned and she was surprised to hear that Stephen was doing drugs in the first place, and she could think of a lot of songs about being stoned. Picking hymns about martyrdom and death by stoning, is on the other hand, a whole different story.
So I thought about the qualities that Stephen must have possessed to stay strong as our first Christian martyr. He must have had courage and commitment, and so that gave me some direction as I picked out some possible hymns for service. But you know, those selections also posed some difficulty, cause let's be honest here, if your anything like me sometimes, and were to sing these hymns from a place of authenticity, these days some of our traditional hymns might have titles like these:
I Surrender Some (All)
Fill My Spoon (cup) Lord.
Oh, How I Like Jesus
I Love to Talk About Telling the Story
Take My Life, and Let Me Be
Onward Christian Reserves
Where He Leads Me, I Will Consider Following
Just As I Pretend to Be
When the Saints Go Strolling In.
It seems to me that we at times, we are a little shy about sharing the message of Jesus Christ. It’s not that we don’t have definite opinions about things. We may not have the words. Or, maybe we fear consequences… embarrassment… rejection…stigma…breaking office rules… being cornered in a serious theological discussion. In the United States where there are nearly as many brands of Christians as there are Christians, maybe we fear being labeled as one of "those" Christians or offending sensibilities. So more often than not we seek to be status quo, we don’t want to be misunderstood. This is a legitimate fear for all of us who may have trouble articulating our theology, have ever been labeled, or don’t like potential conflict. I’ve always found it curious how sharing a gospel whose primary tenants include grace, love, reconciliation, and commitment can be offensive. I think it is when we emphasize judgment that people start to get wary.
With that said, I’m not sure Stephen would have fit in very well here. He would be that guy that we are either embarrassed to claim as "one of ours", or relieved that at least someone is telling others the radical news of Jesus Christ. You see, Stephen didn't choose to play it safe. That is exactly how he ends up in the situation we find him in this morning's text, in a pit with large, heavy stones pelting and crushing him.
Some context might be helpful to understanding the text this morning. Stephen was chosen for service as a deacon, in the early Christian church. He was chosen alongside seven other men who were commissioned to "wait on tables," which is the literal translation of the early Greek word diakonia. The word Diakonia comes from two words meaning "ministry" and "service. In the early church, the deacons served the widows in the community and made sure that their needs were being met.
Yet, our author tells us that out of the eight men commissioned in the first part of Acts, Stephen was singled out as "a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit" (6:5). He became more than merely a waiter serving widows, the story reports that he "did great wonders and signs among the people" (6:8). Stephen became one of the great early witnesses for Jesus Christ.
At the time of Stephen the Christians were becoming more and more controversial. For the most part people liked them. They took care of the poor and widows in the community. They talked about loving one another. Yet they crossed the line with some important Jewish priests and political leaders with all the animated talk about resurrection from the dead, and God’s love. Members of the Jewish synagogue argued with Stephen; but, because they strongly disagreed with what Stephen had to say, they charged Stephen falsely with blasphemy and brought him before the council.
Of all the charges, one was particularly important: Stephen dared to say that God’s love was open to all people. This proclamation was a threat to those who wanted to keep the circle of God’s love limited to the circumcised Jewish, non-resurrection believing followers. The Hebrew, or Old Testament, was and is very specific about participating in the community of God. With all the laws of purity and ritual sent down through Jewish history, to believe that a non-circumcised, non-Jewish person could be a part of what was considered "God’s chosen people," was one of the most radical Christian messages, and not at all a popular message. God’s love open to all? Jews and Gentiles? That was about as counter-cultural as the Christians could even dare to be This message weakened the power of Jewish leaders, weakened the societal power structures of the time.
So, Stephen was arrested for stirring up controversy…for sharing this exciting and freeing Word. At his trial Stephen gives a speech in his own defense; a recalling of God’s dealing with Israel, and a challenge to those who opposed the Holy Spirit. And that is where we join the story. The people are angry, and Stephen continues to shout out his testimony in the midst. "Look, he says, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!" And our author says, the people, "covered their ears, and with a loud shout all rushed together against him." The Greek literally means they savaged him like a pack of dogs.
This passage particularly resonates with me as today we celebrate Heritage Sunday in the United Methodist Church. Heritage Sunday is a Sunday in which we celebrate as a church, our history as a church and the important witness that we have been in this world over time. This year, Heritage Sunday and Memorial Day Sunday happened to line up. Whether you are United Methodist or not it is important to look at the history of our faith, the entire Christian story, because throughout that story we see a history of people speaking the challenging Word of God. God’s Word, if spoken authentically and courageously, will at times, challenge the status quo, which tends to make us a bit uncomfortable. God’s Word, however, should also be inviting to those who long for grace and belonging.
Miriam, Mary, Jesus, Peter, Stephen, Paul, Mother Theresa, John Wesley, and many others, all have demonstrated great courage in assuring that their generation knew about God’s expectations and about love and its healing power for all people. These men and women challenged the societal structures of their times, those structures that said that some people were not good enough to be loved…structures that allowed certain people to misuse the Word and the power of faith.
You see, the history of our faith is to shout out the powerful, yet often unpopular, Word of Go; to gently and boldly hold each other accountable, and to encourage each other to fully participate in the Gospel story, and the Christian story. This story is full of joy and challenge. This story is full of death and resurrection. This story is full of fear and faith. Our faith means, that some of us will risk the consequences of embarrassment, conflict, rejection, to step out occasionally from our comfort zones. God’s Word should always lead us toward discussing the difficult issues that challenge us. You see, to be witnesses of the Word does not have to mean that we shout out judgment, about the many messed up pieces of this world, but to offer perspective about how we see God’s good work at play in this world. God’s Word is complex, it challenges and it heals. To be witnesses of the Word may at times leave us exposed to the sharp edges of fear and of misunderstanding, but will never leave us alone. We are the body of Christ.
God and God’s strongest witnesses have paved the way for those of us who are a little more timid about entering the difficult discussions. Not all of us are the shout the word from the rooftop, kind of people. That’s okay. Not sharing your journey with God in some way with the world, is a loss for you and for the world.
We gather as a community each week to nurture and to be nurtured to feel safe in the midst of spiritual growth. I find it a great blessing to gather in this safe space, to find comfort in the midst of an overwhelmingly broken world, and the complexities of day to day life. You see, part of why this community exists is to so that we may, in the context of a safe space, grow in courage and equip each other with the knowledge and resources needed to shout God’s Word wherever we find ourselves. We are called to be the living Word of God in this world. Being a safe space does not mean that we do not challenge and encourage each other to develop in our discipleship, to continually reflect and pray about our ideologies and understandings of God and world.
Stephen dared to say that God’s love was open to all people. Do you know how many people need to hear that Word in their lives? People need to actually hear those words, audibly, through our actions, printed in our brochures and bulletins and newsletters. People need to know there loved no matter where they find themselves spiritually, emotionally, physically. Jesus dared to speak a difficult Word that challenged each and everyone to live justly. Do you know what difference we could make, what personal growth we would experience, if we had the courage to enter into the challenging conversations and speak to how God has touched our lives? Let us make a commitment this very day to help each other grow in courage and in wisdom, that we may be bold witnesses to the Love of God. Let us truly celebrate our forefathers and foremothers, Jesus and Miriam, Peter and Paul, Stephen and our contemporary witnesses. We are the body of Christ, and we have a Word worth sharing. So share boldly. Thanks be to God. Amen.
Blessings, Melissa