December 26, 2021 | 10:45 a.m.

THE FEAST OF ST. STEPHEN

The Christ is born in the land of Judah, but His own people will not receive Him. As it was in the days of Joash, so it is also in the days of Herod and Pilate. The Lord “sent prophets among them to bring them back to the LORD … but they would not pay attention” (2 Chron. 24:19). As Zechariah was being stoned, he cried out, “May the LORD see and avenge!” (2 Chron. 24:22). But the infant Jesus has come to save and to forgive.

Today, the Church remembers St. Stephen, the first martyr after Christ’s ascension. His confession recalled the stiff-necked, uncircumcised hearts and ears of Judah that would not receive the Righteous One (Acts 7:51–52). But as his body was being stoned and his spirit received by the Lord Jesus, Stephen cried, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them” (Acts 7:59–60), bearing witness to the One who also said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34).

On the second day of Christmas, our thoughts are already directed to Christ’s atoning death to save rebels like us, and to the vision Stephen saw: Heaven is open to us, Christ is reigning at God’s right hand, and no sin, death or foe can stop Him.

READINGS

Psalm 119:137-144
2 Chronicles 24:17-22
Acts 6:8-7:21, 51-60
Matthew 23:34-39

Message presented by Rev. Frank C. Ruffatto

+Points to ponder

Do you find any inspiration from St. Stephen’s story? If so, what is inspiring to you?
What is your reaction when someone opposes your faith – especially face-to-face?
How can we as the Church emulate the faith St. Stephen held?

+Sermon Transcript

Grace, mercy, and peace be unto each of you from God our Father and our Lord and King, Jesus the Christ. Amen.

Let us pray: Almighty God, You have poured upon us the new light of your incarnate Word: Grant that this light, enkindled in our hearts, may shine forth in our lives; through Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with You, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

At the time of Jesus there was a group of very faithful worshippers. This group of faithful worshippers were utterly dedicated to preserving the ways of God in their community. They loved their Bible (the Old Testament) and they were very vocal in their defense of the faith which had been handed down to them over many years. This group was regular in its worship, turning to prayer several times each day; and this loyal and faithful group of worshippers kept the Sabbath day. They would not dream of doing anything prohibited on the Sabbath. These faithful worshippers were known as the Pharisees; and they did not like to be challenged about the practice of their faith in God.

And when Jesus began preaching, they soon made plans to get rid of Him! Jesus was sent by God the Father, but after some three years of preaching and teaching the Pharisees got their wish; Jesus was hauled before a kangaroo court and then was mocked and beaten. And yet despite their machinations, our heavenly Father had bigger plans, even as they crucified Him.

But, how about Stephen? By his preaching and teaching Stephen made himself very unpopular with a bevy of worshippers, not very long after the death and resurrection of Jesus. And in a seemingly echo of Jesus’ sham trial, Stephen was hauled before the religious council (the Sanhedrin), “and they set up false witnesses who said, ‘This man never ceases to speak words against this holy place and the law.’”

Jesus and Stephen were rejected and condemned because of their faithful and truthful preaching of the Word – of Law and of Gospel.

“Writer Ernest Hemingway, whose novels The Sun Also Rises, For Whom the Bell Tolls, and A Farewell to Arms are an integral part of our American literature, was the son of devout Christian parents. His writing was forceful, action-packed, and often brutal but exhibited none of the belief his parents tried to instill in him. Hemingway professed a concern with ‘truth,’ but his truth bore little resemblance to Christian principles modeled by his parents while he was growing up. Early in his life, he rejected these principles as irrelevant.

A letter from his mother written in 1920 illustrates how completely he had [rejected] their beliefs: ‘Unless you, my son, Ernest, come to yourself, cease your lazy loafing and pleasure seeking ... stop trading on your handsome face ... and neglecting your duties to God and your Savior Jesus Christ ... there is nothing for you but bankruptcy; you have overdrawn.’

Hemingway told a writer for Playboy magazine in 1956 that ‘What is immoral is what you feel bad after.’ By his own standard, then, he was a man of unimpeachable morals – nothing made him feel bad. ‘People with different ideas about morality would call him a sinner,’ the article continued, ‘and the wages of sin, they say, is death. Hemingway has cheated death time and time again to become a scarred and bearded American legend, a great white hunter, a husband of four wives, and a winner of Nobel and Pulitzer Prizes… Sin has paid off for Hemingway.”

Ten years later, in a review of the book Papa Hemingway by A. E. Hotchner in the same magazine, the account of Hemingway’s life is a chronicle of repeated suicide attempts, paranoia, multiple affairs and marriages, and finally, on his return to his Ketchum, Idaho hideaway, his final – and successful – suicide attempt. How haunting and ironic the words written earlier about this man became. Ultimately sin [and rejection of God] did indeed pay off for Ernest Hemingway.”

We, beloved, do not have to follow that path of rejecting God and His truth. And yet sometimes we do. The Apostle John then reminds us of some good news: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Still, sometimes God’s Word to us is hard to receive and hard to act upon! There were occasions when followers of Jesus stopped following Him because for them His teaching was too hard. For example, after Jesus declared those famous words, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me will never go hungry …” some of His followers began to grumble and complain! They said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?” It was hard, and some rejected it as John tells us: “from this time many of [Jesus’] disciples turned back and no longer followed Him.”

What about Stephen? Who was he? Where did he come from? Why does he have such an important place in Church history? What does his story teach us today? Well, we may not be able to answer all those questions today, but the Bible’s account of Stephen does have a lot to teach us.

After the ascension of Jesus, the church grew rapidly. At the start of Acts chapter six we learn this: “In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.” So, even in the New Testament church, just weeks after the church began, there was grumbling, and there were holes in the pastoral care being offered by the church! So perhaps our churches are much closer to the New Testament church than we often think!

And so, the twelve found themselves in a spot where they could not spread themselves any thinner than they already were. So, they met together and agreed that as ministers of the Gospel they must not “neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables.” There were real pastoral needs in that first Christian community, and a team was needed. So, the disciples selected “seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom …” They were given responsibility for the food distribution, so that the twelve could devote themselves “to prayer and the ministry of the word.”

Stephen was one of the team of seven who took on the food distribution, and “the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.” The Word of God spread, and the Church continued to grow.

Stephen distributed food. He was “ full of grace and power, [and] was doing great wonders and signs among the people.”

It seems to me that something of Stephen’s renown is to be found in his passion for the faith and for acts of service; and as I look at our congregation, I think the same things about you. In God’s eyes something of your significance is found in your love of the Lord, a passion for the faith, and acts of service – loving your neighbor. And I confess that I have thought of the coming year and the opportunities God will give us to deliver the hope of Christ – the One born in Bethlehem, the One heralded by the angels – God will give us the opportunities to confess our faith before others, to encourage each other in the faith, and to serve and love our neighbors who have not yet joined us.

Like Jesus, Stephen was hauled before the Sanhedrin, and he was ‘hung out to dry’. He was ‘raked over the coals.’ Stephen was accused falsely by many people. But the God’s Word tells us that ‘all the council was gazing at him … and saw that his face was like the face of an angel.’

I wonder, if you or I shared the truth of our faith in our Lord Jesus and were then brought before a tribunal of belligerent people who wanted to get rid of us - would our faces be like that of an angel? That is to say, do we really relish the opportunity to share our faith with others regardless of what people might think of us. Are we willing to be used by the Spirit to be light in such a dark world?

Unfortunately, “some church members [throughout the country] seem to have enlisted only for the parade, not for the battle. At the first alarm of war, they disappear from the ranks. They seem to have been allured only by the uniform and the accessories of military life. When affliction or persecution arises, while the enthusiasm of others comes out [like a candle lit in a dark night], theirs goes out [with the slightest gust of wind.]”

Stephen had the opportunity to tell people about the Gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ, both in word and in deed. When he faced angry criticism and argument, Stephen had the face of an angel. He answered the charges by properly distinguishing Law and Gospel as he reminded them about the ways in which people have rejected God and God’s messengers ever since the dawn of time.

Stephen ended his defense by saying, “You stiff-necked people …You have betrayed … the righteous one” meaning Jesus. “Now, when they heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him.” We do not like to be reminded of the truth that we sometimes reject God. St. Paul reminds us that “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” No matter how good I think I might be; no matter how good you think you might be; no matter how good folks out in and of the world think they might be … The fact that we have all sinned, and all need the forgiveness and presence of Jesus does not always go down well!

Stephen was dragged outside of the city, and they began to stone him. “And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’ And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them.’ And when he had said this, he fell asleep.”

Stephen was the first Christian martyr, following in the footsteps of the Lord Jesus, praying for those persecuting him. We celebrate his faith and look to emulate his passion for the faith, his passion for sharing the truth of God’s Word, and his love for our Lord, Jesus.

And so, today, on the second day of Christmas, our thoughts are already directed to Christ’s atoning death to save rebels like us, and to the vision Stephen saw: Heaven is open to us, Christ is reigning at God’s right hand, and no sin, death, or foe can stop Him. Amen.

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”