Acts 7:59-8:8
This passage conjures up some memories of the very first time I preached in church as an ordained minister. It was in fact St. Stephens day and I had just been ordained a Deacon (which is what St. Stephen was). The church itself was surrounded by small stones to assist in drainage and I had difficulty dismissing the image of the congregation grabbing those stones and aiming them me if my preaching was not up to their expectations.
As the Christmas season comes to an end, I wonder who will throw the first stone at us so that we will turn to a type of behavior that is perhaps more equated with the rest of the year. If Christmas is all holly and spice and everything nice, the rest of the year is a time when we may find ourselves waiving at total strangers as we drive but not with all of our fingers. We'll have an excuse though. Some one will piss us off and that will be the official end in our hearts of whatever holiday goodness and holiness we mustered. Our conviction to keep Christmas in our hearts every day will be gone in the wind.
What of St Stephen though and Saul. Saul? Yes, you probably recall him by the name Paul, as in Saint Paul. Persecutors of Christians then miraculously, the most fervent convert. The man in this passage that approved of Stephens stoning is the man who would become one of our greatest.
When we use whatever excuse to abandon our Christmas spirit or even our faith, we are really simply giving up. We certainly are taking the short view, the easy way out. Saul had a conversion of heart and that is perhaps what we really need to proceed with Christmas in our hearts all year long. Saul's conversion would not bring Stephen back no more than exercising patience will stop a knucklehead from cutting us off on the road or someone saying something less than nice to us. It really is not an excuse to abandon anything. If anything we must recognize our own failures and accept them as Saul certainly must have done so he could move forward. If we are asking everyone else to act perfectly then we must act perfectly ourselves. I don't think we can though. We are not perfect and we do sin.
Keeping Christmas in our hearts all year long is not about perfection of actions and not making mistakes. Christmas is about being human, making mistakes and having a heart big enough to embrace and love in spite of mistakes and being dissed.
In the early church there were a great many people who were very wary about accepting Saul as a convert because he was such a fervent hater. I am glad the early Christians came around. Where would we be otherwise? We need to maintain our open, loving hearts if we are to keep Christmas all the year long. So don't be picking up any stones, literal or otherwise.
This passage conjures up some memories of the very first time I preached in church as an ordained minister. It was in fact St. Stephens day and I had just been ordained a Deacon (which is what St. Stephen was). The church itself was surrounded by small stones to assist in drainage and I had difficulty dismissing the image of the congregation grabbing those stones and aiming them me if my preaching was not up to their expectations.
As the Christmas season comes to an end, I wonder who will throw the first stone at us so that we will turn to a type of behavior that is perhaps more equated with the rest of the year. If Christmas is all holly and spice and everything nice, the rest of the year is a time when we may find ourselves waiving at total strangers as we drive but not with all of our fingers. We'll have an excuse though. Some one will piss us off and that will be the official end in our hearts of whatever holiday goodness and holiness we mustered. Our conviction to keep Christmas in our hearts every day will be gone in the wind.
What of St Stephen though and Saul. Saul? Yes, you probably recall him by the name Paul, as in Saint Paul. Persecutors of Christians then miraculously, the most fervent convert. The man in this passage that approved of Stephens stoning is the man who would become one of our greatest.
When we use whatever excuse to abandon our Christmas spirit or even our faith, we are really simply giving up. We certainly are taking the short view, the easy way out. Saul had a conversion of heart and that is perhaps what we really need to proceed with Christmas in our hearts all year long. Saul's conversion would not bring Stephen back no more than exercising patience will stop a knucklehead from cutting us off on the road or someone saying something less than nice to us. It really is not an excuse to abandon anything. If anything we must recognize our own failures and accept them as Saul certainly must have done so he could move forward. If we are asking everyone else to act perfectly then we must act perfectly ourselves. I don't think we can though. We are not perfect and we do sin.
Keeping Christmas in our hearts all year long is not about perfection of actions and not making mistakes. Christmas is about being human, making mistakes and having a heart big enough to embrace and love in spite of mistakes and being dissed.
In the early church there were a great many people who were very wary about accepting Saul as a convert because he was such a fervent hater. I am glad the early Christians came around. Where would we be otherwise? We need to maintain our open, loving hearts if we are to keep Christmas all the year long. So don't be picking up any stones, literal or otherwise.
While they were stoning Stephen, he prayed, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’ Then he knelt down and cried out in a loud voice, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them.’ When he had said this, he died.
And Saul approved of their killing him.
That day a severe persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout the countryside of Judea and Samaria. Devout men buried Stephen and made loud lamentation over him. But Saul was ravaging the church by entering house after house; dragging off both men and women, he committed them to prison.
Now those who were scattered went from place to place, proclaiming the word. Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah to them. The crowds with one accord listened eagerly to what was said by Philip, hearing and seeing the signs that he did, for unclean spirits, crying with loud shrieks, came out of many who were possessed; and many others who were paralysed or lame were cured. So there was great joy in that city.
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