“And as they were stoning Stephen, he prayed, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’
And he knelt down and cried with a loud voice, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them.’
And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
And Saul was consenting to his death.” (NRSV Acts 7:59)
The 7th Chapter of Acts is Stephen’s expression of his faith before the Council of Jewish Leaders in Jerusalem. It got him stoned. And on the second day of Christmas, Christians celebrate the martyrdom of the Saint Stephen in an uncomfortable juxtaposition with our Christmas celebrations.
Stephen’s gift to us is agape love. It is the gift he received in faith from the child wrapped in swaddling clothes in that Christmas manger. God entered human time and space to be with us in the human struggle against evil and to ultimately triumph over evil in the promise of eternal life and relationship with God. Christ’s resurrection turned death on it head. Christmas and Easter are always tied together for the whole story. Stephen had his public moment of witness and trusted that Jesus was the promised Messiah coming into the world from God. He believed in Christ’s resurrection, and he knew he was going Home. Yet, in agape love he prayed for those who were killing him. That is an incredible witness! It is something only God can help you do.
And Saul must have desired and witnessed this stoning since he was a zealous persecutor of the early believers in Jesus as God’s Messiah. In fact, Luke, as the author of the book of Acts, could not have witnessed this stoning. We might even look to Saul who became St. Paul as Luke’s source for this story about Saint Stephen’s stoning because the record shows he was there. That is the power of God to transform people for good. Agape love is steady and persistent. Stephen and Paul are now brothers together in heaven. Earth was only the training ground for agape love to find the way home.
Mary’s child was given to us to turn our world upside down. Shepherds saw angels, wisemen followed a star to a baby in a stable. So don’t be surprised when people of faith intervene to overcome evil and injustice in this world. We believe God wants us to keep at that. It is what agape love does. It is persistent and even shocking. It is the power and force greater than war, strife, conflict, greed, selfishness and sin. Always has been and always will be. It is God’s way in our broken world. Thanks be to the Triune God for giving us this gift! Happy 2nd Day of Christmas and Happy St. Stephen’s Day.
For Your Consideration:
Choose one or more to celebrate St. Stephen:
- Pray for the people of Russia and Ukraine and for the leadership of the world to facilitate peace in these countries.
- Read the entire 7th chapter of Acts. It is a great summary of faith from Old Testament stories.
- Search your heart for someone you dislike in your family, community, or world. Pray for them.
- Ask God to help you express agape love more fully and more meaningfully in your sphere of influence.
I like the pictures you chose. They were meaningful and beautiful
Thanks. It’s almost my favorite part of blogging!