Stoned because of a Sermon

It began back at the beginning of chapter 6 of Acts, when Stephen was one of those seven persons chosen to carry out the practical work of feeding the hungry on behalf of the disciples and the whole church.

“Stephen, full of grace and truth, did great signs and wonders among the people.”

That is what Acts reports.

And we know that words and actions always go together, not one without the other.

We will imagine that Stephen, as he is busy with the food distribution, was asked by someone “Why are you doing this?”

And when Stephen answered something close to ...“As a sign of the breaking in of the kingdom of God, because Christ Jesus is risen from the dead,”

we can be sure that this caused quite a stir.

Some may have heard this as Good News, for all who will pay attention;

others, however, would have heard these words as a threat, as bad news, as something that gets in the way of their working their own way up to God....

something that bypasses their efforts of being worthy of God's favor.

They might have thought: “This Jesus whom we thought was dead, supposedly has something to give, and he distributes it for free, to any who will listen and receive it!”

The exact details are not given us in the book of Acts, but it must have been something close to that, for Stephen to have been arrested and dragged to a hearing in front of the council of Jewish leaders.

Chapter 7 is Stephen's response to the charges and questions.

In this long sermon, he reviews salvation history from the time of Abraham to Solomon.

He recalls God's covenant promises, and also how the people again and again ignore the covenant and rebel from God and his intentions for them.

The problems are not just in the past, he concludes, they are with you, the leaders in that very day.

He minces no words:
“You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you are forever opposing the Holy Spirit, just as your ancestors used to do....”

It is hardly a surprise, then, that they become enraged against Stephen.

The final straw is when Stephen claims to be receiving a vision right then of seeing the Holy Trinity; in the Spirit, seeing the Son standing at the right hand of the Father.

Blasphemy! they shout and rush in to drop or throw heavy stones on him in order to rid the community of these words and thoughts.

It is a life-changing moment.

The vision leads directly to Stephen's death, and to the fulfillment of Jesus' promises to him.

But it was also life-changing for others who saw and remembered and retold these events for one another and for us.

It reinforced Jesus' warning that many things may be lost in the process of gaining greater things in his name.

Are there connections with things in our lives in these days?

We continue to be involved in the specific task which Stephen undertook.

We support and encourage the work of St. Anthony's Center, where anyone can walk in and get a noon meal with no hassles, questions, or paperwork.

The Food Pantry which we support has rules and procedures in order to make it as fair as possible for as many people as we can, but still it is a gift to many.

All the congregations who host and support Family Promise are directly feeding and assisting needy people.

In all these efforts, we are teaching the meaning of the word “grace”, as an undeserved gift.

It sometimes takes a while for the folks to understand that there are no entitlements here; that the recipients aren't owed anything, none of us deserve anything.

Each person is receiving food, shelter, and more as gifts.

This is the first step in preparation for the Gospel, and maybe, just maybe, there will be a right moment for the next step, a conversation about the gift of the Good News of Jesus and how it relates to us.

We are not always successful.

Some will grab all they can and run.

Some refuse to accept the offer of grace, and try to live by demands and entitlements, and anger and behavior which tramples others.

For whatever reason, they were not ready to hear what we have to offer in the name of Christ.

Now and again one might be stoned literally or figuratively for speaking the word of hope in Christ Jesus.

Perhaps at some later time they can listen!

We'll be persistent with that hope in mind.

Who is affected when grace, gifts, and promises are offered in Jesus' name?

It is like dropping a peddle in a pond; the effects ripple outward to affect everyone in one way or another.

Sometimes it is a very negative response, as Stephen received, to the point of having his life taken from him.

We would not seek out martyrdom, nor wish it to come upon us for what we say and do in Jesus' name,

but it does happen, all too often.

Each week in the prayer of the church we name saints of centuries past, and those who suffer for the name of Christ is our generation.

But those deaths are not in vain, for Jesus will hold them closely.

Very early in the church's history, someone observed that “the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.”

May their sacrifice have a place in our memory, and strengthen our resolve.

The vast majority of us will not be asked to face martyrdom, thanks be to God.

That presents another problem: how can we be faithful over a long period of time, how do we respond positively and appropriately to God's gifts?

Today we celebrate with some who have been answering that question with more than 50 years of life inside the promise of marriage.

It has not been easy, smooth sailing for them.

I know of a few of the bumps in their road, and I'm sure there are many more of which I have not heard.

But somehow, they have endured; they have responded positively to the gift of marriage, and that response has its ripple effect on others around them.

Thanks be to God for his gift, their response, and its effect on us!

One of those effects is the presence of children and grandchildren with us today.

And then there are the good wishes of friends and neighbors, and the greetings of other members of the congregation.

May we all exercise the gift of persistence as have our honored couples,

when we hear and receive the gift of grace.

May we get up in the morning and give thanks for the grace that has gotten us this far, and the grace of our connection with Jesus and thereby our connection to each other.

None of us have been stoned because of our holding onto God's promises to us and our promises to our spouses...

...at least not yet.

The 3rd stanza of our final hymn today is from the poet John Newton, reflecting a verse from II Corinthians.[13:14]

May the grace of Christ our Savior,

And the Father's boundless love,

With the Holy Spirit's favor

Rest upon them from above.

Thus may they abide in union

With each other and the Lord,

And possess in sweet communion

Joys which earth cannot afford.

[LBW# 288.3]

May we have the boldness of Stephen and the confidence of Paul as we sing this blessing to our honored couples, and also to all who hear God's grace and want to live within it.

In Jesus' Name. Amen

Please note: The preceding sermon is provided as a resource for the thought, prayer, and meditation of the members and friends of St. Mark's. It is the residue of a verbal event, and thus it does not have academic footnotes and other details that would be expected in a written document. The writer gladly acknowledges the prior thought and work of many Christians before him.