May 14, 2017
Easter 5
1 Peter 2:2-10
Acts 7:55-60
(prayer)
Last week (here in church at St. David's), we read about life in the
earliest weeks of the early church.
Acts, chapter two, describes a community of mutual support and care... All who believed were together and had all
things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute
the proceeds to all, as any had need. Day by day, as they spent much time
together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad
and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people.
(Acts 2:44-47)
//
Early on, the growing community of Jesus-followers were well-regarded
(had the goodwill of all the people).
//
Today, we heard about Stephen,
who was one of the people who was welcomed into that early Christian
community. Stephen was one of the
thousands of new followers of Jesus. The
passage today described the public stoning of Stephen... hardly an expression
of goodwill.
Obviously something happened between chapters two and seven.
//
//
The early chapters of Acts make it clear that the disciples were open
and public about their faith in Jesus.
In chapter three, John and Peter heal a lame man at a temple gate and
preached in the courtyard about Jesus as the culmination of their historic
faith. The disciples invited people to
repent and know God's forgiveness.
We get the first hint of opposition in chapter four. Led by members of the Sadducee sect and other
temple leaders, Peter and John were arrested for spreading a doctrine of
resurrection (something the Sadducees did not believe). The next morning, the two disciples faced the
high priest and were asked by what power
(or by what name) are you doing this?
Acts says that Peter answered with words that were similar to what we
heard in the 1st Peter letter this morning... using the metaphor that Jesus was
a once-rejected stone that became a
valued cornerstone.
They were released, with an order from the Council to refrain from
speaking and teaching in Jesus' name, even though this was something Peter and
John said they couldn't and wouldn't do.
Even though more threats, arrests and even floggings occured, more and
more people came to the disciples in the Temple for healing and teaching and
(as a result) the community of believers continued to grow... it is up to more
than 5000 at one point.
Acts 4:42 reads: every day in the
Temple and at home, they did not cease to teach and proclaim Jesus as the
Messiah.
//
The group was becoming too large for the disciples to manage -
especially when it came to ensuring that no one in need was ignored.
Seven new leaders were appointed to help with this work. Stephen was one of these additional
leaders. He was described as one who was
full of grace and power, who did great signs and wonders among the
people.
Stephen was a gifted defender of the early Christian faith and he is
said to have won an religious argument one day with some people in the Synagogue of the Freedmen.
//
The key event that lead to today's reading was that Stephen was arrested
for preaching against the Temple... blasphemy.
In his defense, Stephen recalled the faith of the people all throughout
history: Abraham, Moses, Joshua, David, Solomon.
Stephen noted that history is filled with examples of prophets of God
being persecuted by those opposing the Holy Spirit.
The implication in Stephen's words was that the current opposition
against to the message of Jesus was part of this sad history.
Stephen's words were pretty harsh to the Temple leaders (Acts 7:52):
"You stiff-necked people ... which
of the prophets did your ancestors not persecute? They killed those who
foretold the coming of the Righteous One, and now you have become his betrayers
and murderers."
This personal attack enraged Stephen's opponents and sealed the disciple’s
fate. The Torah punishment for blasphemy
is laid out in Leviticus 24:14 - Take the
blasphemer outside the camp... and let the whole congregation stone him.
As we heard today, that was the end result of Stephen's trial: a
crowd-frenzied, public execution.
//
Stephen is sometimes described as the first Christian martyr - killed as a result of his faith in Jesus.
//
//
I would dare to say that - for each of us - there is at least one moment
in every single day when we find ourselves at odds with someone else ... a
clash of opinions to some degree.
Sometimes, the dispute is significant (maybe even on-going). Other times, it might just be a situation
where we read or see something in the news that runs counter to how we feel.
If you enjoy social media, I am sure that you see things on a daily
basis that you might be tempted to respond with an angry face emoji.
We can find ourselves at odds with aquiantences or strangers.
In extreme cases, some of us avoid conflict at all costs, while others
refuse to back down.
Most us pick our battles.
//
A lot of the time, we let the moment pass without really engaging in a
debate. Or maybe you engage a bit, and
the counter-reaction is more hostile than you expected, so you disengage.
You may have found yourself governed by one (or more) of the following axioms:
- not
worth my time,
- live
and let live,
- I
shouldn't care more than they do,
- stupid
is as stupid does,
- is
this really a hill I want to die on?
//
Then again, there are some conflicts that - even the most timid among us
- choose not to avoid... times when leaving things unresolved is an
undesirable option.
//
As I said, there are some people who are never willing to concede
an argument (no matter how weak their position is)... and will keep at it,
never admitting defeat or showing any sign of weakness.
I'm not talking about that kind of person (another problem for another
day).
What I mean is... that there are times, in each of our lives, when we
decide that the stakes are so high, that we are willing to endure potential
hard consequences by embroiling ourselves into
the midst of conflict.
I see two times that this generally would be the case:
1.
The conflict has broken a relationship that we
desperately want to mend, or
2.
It is a matter of principle... a conflict over
ideas, ideals: beliefs for which we are not willing to compromise.
Of course, each of these has a full range of degrees to them. There are levels of conflict and our
willingness to be in conflict.
//
Commitment is also fluid.
Our level of commitment to the dispute might change over time. To borrow an Old Testament phrase, sometimes
hard hearts can soften. Old conflicts
might not seem as important after a while.
Who hasn't had cause to say... I
can't believe that we let 'that' come between us.
//
//
Conflict involves pain because conflict threatens us with loss.
//
It is a significant decision to willingly go down a path that has almost
certain hardship along its way.
The only reason we do this is for some greater good (as we see it).
//
//
//
Early Christians (like John, Peter and Stephen) so fervently believed
that the Kingdom of God had come near, that holy forgiveness was the gift of
that time, that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah, that Jesus had been
resurrected from the dead, that - on principle of those beliefs - they would
not recant their faith even after arrests, beatings, trials and hurled stones.
//
Not all of the 5000 members of the early church were so committed. The early chapters of Acts has some stories
about how certain members were less than forthright with their
involvement. And certainly, as the
decades passed, people began to question aspects of their faith... the New
Testament letters often address a call to remain watchful and committed; the
entire book of Revelation is written to churches on the brink of giving up (the
message being: don't worry... we have already won the battle, the slain lamb is
already on the throne).
//
Some - in the early church - had their faith tested more than others...
even at the cost of their lives.
//
There is one particular part of the Stephen story that always sticks
with me. As the stones pelted down on
him, just before his skull is crushed, he prays for his executors: Lord, do not hold this sin against them.
Stephen was so committed to a
belief in divine reclamation that (litetally) with his last breath, he preached
that gospel.
No wonder he was remembered for his above-and-beyond faithfulness and
held up as an example to others in the early church.
//
//
Few of us are face death in relation to our deeply held ideals, beliefs
and faith. In our part of the world, as
long as we are not violent or overtly hateful, the worst we might face is being
openly scorned or publicly shamed.
This is not true everywhere.
A fear of differences (of ideas or lifestyles) can bring real danger
into some people’s lives.
Right now, somewhere on this globe we share, someone is facing death,
based simply who they are or on the ideals they profess.
Right now, somewhere on this globe we share, someone is prepared to die,
rather than deny themselves or their convictions.
//
Flip this 180° and I suppose you could argue that someone is so
committed to what they believe that they are willing to kill for it. That's the crusades model.
I simply can’t accept these as two sides to the same coin.
Eliminating dissent does not strengthen faith. A truly strong faith should be able to endure
an environment of diverse ideals.
In a different context, Jesus put it this way: If you love only those who love you, what do you gain? (Mt5:46)
If you can’t hold to your faith when others around you disagree, how
strong is it, really?
//
//
What is so important to you that you will not back down or recant, no
matter the threat?
Where do you imagine that your martyrdom edge is?
//
Maybe you don’t have one. That's
okay… maybe even wise.
Maybe you have several martyrdom edges.
//
I would not expect us to all look at this the same way.
And, I refuse to tell you that you have to be prepared to die for
anything. In that situation, I would far
more judgmental toward the one wanting to kill for their beliefs than the one
wanting to preserve their life.
//
But, I do think... that taking time to discern what ideas, what relationships,
what hopes are truly important to us
that we have almost no room for compromise.
I invite us all - in the context of hearing Stephen's story today - to
imagine what hill we might be prepared to die on and why.
//
//
// end //
//
//
Let us
pray:
God of
Grace, Jesus calls us to live love with every fiber of our being. Be with us and give us courage to endure the
times when this ideal is risky. Amen
#161MV
"I
Have Called You By Your Name"
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