This
weekend we celebrate St. Stephen’s Day, one of the first Deacons and the first
martyr of the Christian faith. I think
it is fitting that the Church, after celebrating the rapturous joy of the birth
of Jesus, remembers the first martyrdom of Christianity. Christian spirituality is always playing with
light and shadows; in order to be a bearer of light, it is always honest about
the shadows and darkness in this world. In
Christianity neither joy or suffering are avoided; both are embraced and
revered.
Stephen
was one of seven men chosen by the apostles to be in charge of administering
the distribution of food and to aid in setting the table. In the early church of the apostles it came
to the community’s attention that the Greek-speaking widows were being neglected
by the church. Whether the offense was
intentional or unintentional their cry came to the apostles’ attention, and the
apostles brought the community together to come up with a solution. The solution was the ordination of seven men
who would administer the food and aid in setting the table for the Eucharist
(meal). Though the word “deacon” is not
used as it is in later Scriptures, these seven are traditionally recognized as
the first deacons. What is important is we
see the rites of Christian ordination being used for the first time: “They
had these men stand before the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on
them. (Acts 6:6).” In churches who
maintain the apostolic succession, this tradition of ordination still takes
place. So in the first part of Stephen’s
story we see that he was ordained and set to administer and serve; he was a
servant. This, however, is not why he
was executed.
“Stephen, full of grace and power, did great
wonders and signs among the people. (Acts 6:8)” We also learn that Stephen was a preacher and
defender of the Christian faith in synagogues.
We read he was very talented in debating, which eventually led him to be
brought in front of the Council of Priests on charges of blasphemy. In front of the council, Stephen goes into a
long speech reciting the history of the covenant with God and Israel. He ends with:
“You stiff-necked
people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you are forever opposing the Holy
Spirit, just as your ancestors used to do.
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 murders. You are the ones that received the law as ordained
by angels, and yet you have not kept it. (Acts 7: 51-53)”
THAT did it. Challenge the authority and you are bound to
suffer the consequences; and he did. He
was dragged out of the city and stoned.
“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 said this, he died. (Acts 7:59-60).”
There
are a few reflections I have on St. Stephen. One is that he was a servant. He did that job which the apostles thought
themselves too important to do: “It is not right that we should neglect the
word of God in order to wait on tables.”
And though he took on the role of “least” among them, he became the
greatest: God honored him with being the
first martyr.
Second, you cannot separate
Stephen’s servanthood from his faith, his very ardent and courageous faith. I was reading “Unexpected Consequences” by
Susan Watson-Epting (a book on the modern Episcopal Diaconate) and she told the story of someone being interviewed to be a
deacon. The question was asked, “What is
the difference between Christian Charity and Social Service?” The young lady’s
answer after a reflective pause, “Jesus.” Stephen’s faith and his
servant-role could not be separated. Third, and like unto the second, you
cannot separate his ardent preaching and witness from his servanthood. You cannot look only at his speech or only at
his martyrdom…you will miss something of this man. As a Deacon he was both a proclaimer of the
Kingdom of God, and a servant to all in the community.
Lastly, I think it is important to reflect on Stephen’s
Christian Witness of Forgiveness. He
ended his life with a vision: “’Look,’ he
said, ‘I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand
of God!’” And then Stephen, though demonized
and brutally murdered, ended his life by forgiving others and interceding for
them before God. This witness is so
different from what we see in religion today.
So today, as we eat leftovers, and come down from the
Christmas “high” (though Christmas does continue for 12 days), let us remember
another aspect of being Christian; it is not just about celebration (as we do
for Christmas), but it is sometimes about witness, servanthood and suffering
(as we see in the example of St. Stephen).
Life, like God, usually demands all of our humanity.
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