The Feast of St. Stephen: January 30, 2012

My sisters & brothers, Saint Stephen's ministry was about making sure no one fell through the cracks ‑ let us do the same! 

In our first lesson we see Jeremiah calling the nation back to God from its sinfulness.  The people who hear him react violently and he is brought into court for trial.  There he gives his defense by simply stating that he is doing God=s will.  If they kill him they will make matters worse by Abring innocent blood upon@ themselves.  Stephen is likewise, falsely accused and innocent of the charges brought against him. 

In our second lesson we heard the story of Stephen=s arrest, trial and murder.  His speech is really not a defense against the charges but an evangelical speech.  It is important to note that Stephen=s dying words are the same as Jesus himself.  Luke is making an unmistakable parallel between Christ and the martyrdom of Stephen.  Stephen is following his Lord=s example to the fullest! 

In our Gospel story, Jesus be-wails the reality of Jerusalem who=s inhabitants regularly reject God=s messengers.  In the line of the prophets, Jesus himself is rejected and killed.  So is Stephen after him, and the long line of other martyrs. 

The quotation, "... your house shall be desolate...," is taken from Psalm 17 and most likely refers to the destruction of the temple by the Romans in 70 C.E. 

You may remember that I mentioned briefly last year that Stephen was one of the first deacons of the Christian church.  They were called and set aside to take charge of the charitable works of the church for its members.  The community was growing rapidly and the Apostles were becoming overwhelmed, they asked the members to elect several individuals to help in the ministry of caring for the widows and orphans of the membership.

The legacy of Stephen is not simply that of a courageous preacher, but of a servant of the neediest.  Deacons and others who follow Stephen=s example are a reminder to us that in serving the helpless we are serving Christ himself!  Today, ministers following Stephen=s example are involved in caring for: the bereaved, hospitalized, terminally ill, separated, divorced, unemployed, relocated, and others facing a crisis or life challenge.

We have talked many times about the different things we do as a congregation for sick and suffering people.  But the truth is that there is always more to do than people to do it.  Today is a very appropriate day for us to look at our individual involvement and to pray about what ells we might do.  We could certainly use more volunteers to bring communion to sick members of our congregation.  We also need more people in the Altar Guild who take care of setting up and decorating for our services.  Maybe God will inspire you to something completely different.  What we must do today is begin asking God for the grace to embrace and follow St. Stephen=s example of service to others.