“The Moment of Truth”

First Sunday After Christmas – Commemoration of St. Stephen

December 26, AD 2010

Acts 7: 55-60

Today, just one day after our Christmas celebration, we commemorate the martyrdom of St. Stephen. It may seem jarring, but I think it fitting, that we hear about St. Stephen’s death hard on the heals of the beautiful Nativity narratives. It is so easy, isn’t it, to get caught up in the sentimental trappings that our culture wallows in regarding our Savior’s birth, not to mention the cultural accretions that have little or nothing to do with the real meaning of Christmas. I’m mean, what has more treacle than a baby lying in a manger because there’s no room in the inn, while farm animals look on in rapt attention as the angels sing and shepherds fervently do homage as wise men from afar follow a star, and foreshadow the coming of Santa Claus by bringing gifts. I think it is a beneficial tonic to hear that this God in the Flesh, named Jesus, has self-sacrifice at the very core of His being. This sacrificial way of living ultimately leads to the cross for Jesus. And for those who follow in the footsteps of the Master, the ultimate sacrifice may also be their end, in this life, that is.

This point is driven home by the parallels between Jesus and St. Stephen that we see in the passage from Acts that we heard this morning. But first, a little background. St. Stephen you remember was one of seven men selected by the original Apostles to help with distributing food to the poor and widows. This enabled the Apostles to focus on the ministry of the Word.  As noted in Acts 6, verse 8, St. Stephen was “a man full of God’s grace and power” and he “did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people.” Opposition among certain factions of the Jews grew and they managed to drum up false charges of blasphemy against St. Stephen, and they brought him before the Sanhedrin, the council of Jewish religious leaders. He is accused of saying Jesus will destroy the temple and change the customs of Moses. These are essentially the same charges that had been brought against Jesus. The high priest puts the question to St. Stephen and asks, “Are these charges true?”  St. Stephen then launches into a long speech that recounts the history of the Jewish people from the time of Abraham to the time of Moses. When he gets to Moses, he boldly tells his listeners how their ancestors refused to obey Moses, wanting to return to Egypt and making sacrifices to idols. He quotes Isaiah from Chapter 66, verses 1 and 2 by saying: “Heaven is my throne and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build for me? Says the Lord. ….Or where will my resting place be? Has not my hand made all these things?” The point is pointedly made that the Most High God doesn’t live in houses made by men. Then, in an echo of Jesus’ uncompromising language with the Jews, St. Stephen says, “You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are just like you fathers: You always resist the Holy Spirit! Was there ever a prophet your fathers did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him – you who have received the law that was put into effect through angels but have not obeyed it.” [Acts 7:51-53]

Of course, this does not endear St. Stephen to his accusers in the least. They are furious, in fact. Next, as we heard in the reading from Acts, “Stephen, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, and said, ‘Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.’” These words are similar to what Jesus spoke when he was in front of the council. Our Lord said, “Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.” [Matthew26: 64b] The religious leaders hearing St. Stephen are no less thirsting for blood than were Jesus’ accusers. They immediately implement the penalty for blasphemy, although without benefit of a trial. As St. Stephen is stoned to death, he utters words similar to Jesus on the cross. He asks the Lord Jesus to receive his spirit, and then with his last breath cries out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.”  He dies, and who is there witnessing his death with approval?  None other than Saul, who will institute a widespread persecution against the followers of the Way, until he is dramatically converted on the road to Damascus.

St. Stephen is first, but hardly the last, martyr in the history of Christendom. He is a reminder of the potential cost of true discipleship in the Faith, and its rewards as well. We may not be destined to become martyrs for the Faith, as St. Stephen was. But his example is still one we should take to heart whenever the Truth of Jesus Christ is assailed by those who choose to deny Christ and attack His followers. There will come a time, sooner or later, when we too will be confronted with uncomfortable questions from those who are not believers in Jesus Christ. Two thousand plus years of Christian morality and doctrine is under attack in countless ways and places. What will our response be when asked, “Are these charges true?” Will we boldly proclaim the faith once delivered to the saints as St. Stephen did? Will we stand firmly and courageously like the Christians in Iraq who live in constant fear for their lives? How would we respond to official government oversight, interference, and suppression of our Faith, as Christians in China experience? Oh, that’s way over there, you may say.  It can’t happen here. But think again. As reported in the press and compiled by Virtue Online, the web news service for Anglicans, there are some disturbing events in these United States for those who seek to uphold traditional Christian values. To quote from a recent communication:

“A religion instructor at a midwestern state university explains in an e-mail to students the rational basis for Catholic teaching on homosexuality. He is denounced by a student for "hate speech" and is dismissed from his position. (He is later reinstated - for now.) At another midwestern state university, a department chairman demurs from a student organizer's request that his department promote an upcoming "LGBTQ" film festival on campus; he is denounced to his university's chancellor, who indicates that his e-mail to the student warrants inquiry by a "Hate and Bias Incident Response Team."

On the west coast, a state law school moves to marginalize a Christian student group that requires its members to pledge they will conform to orthodox Christian doctrines on sexual morality. In the history of the school, no student group has ever been denied campus recognition. But this one is, and the U.S. Supreme Court lets the school get away with it.

The Southern Poverty Law Center, a once-respected civil rights organization, publishes a "report" identifying a dozen or so "anti-gay hate groups," some for no apparent reason other than their vocal opposition to same-sex marriage. Other marriage advocacy groups are put on a watch list.

On a left-wing Web site, a petition drive succeeds in pressuring Apple to drop an "app" from its iTunes store for the Manhattan Declaration, an ecumenical Christian statement whose nearly half-million signers are united in defense of the right to life, the tradition of conjugal marriage between man and woman, and the principles of religious liberty. The offense? The app is a "hate fest." Fewer than 8,000 people petition for the app to go; more than five times as many petition Apple for its reinstatement, so far to no avail.”

Yes, even here in this land of liberty, the winds of political correctness and moral relativism are blasting away at orthodox Christian beliefs. Where do we stand when asked where we stand on these issues? Our answers may not lead to stoning, here in this country, but they could certainly lead to social ostracism, or worse. Hopefully we won’t be milquetoasts, as St. Stephen certainly wasn’t. He proclaimed the Truth as revealed in Jesus Christ, not in anger but with firm, unshakeable conviction, and was willing to bear the consequences, and even forgive those who were literally killing him. That is true unity with Jesus Christ. The path is narrow indeed. But we can take heart from our brothers and sisters around the world who do not back down in the face of evil and put their entire lives in hands of Jesus. I’ll close with remarks from Canon Andrew White, Chaplain of St George's, Baghdad, who told the BBC this week:

"We lost many of our families who have disappeared or been killed." Some 500 of the formerly 4000-strong congregation were no longer present, he said. Canon White said it was important for the Christmas worship programme to continue, despite the current mood of fear: "Now it's Christmas, and we are going to have a wonderful time. The only thing we can concentrate on is the fact that Christmas is good news and a time of hope. When you have lost everything, Jesus is all we have left."

We must pray for persecuted Christians everywhere this Christmastide. And pray that our own Faith be strengthened to face the wiles of the devil with courage, humility, grace, and ultimately, with forgiveness and love. That is the higher path that St. Stephen took, and by doing so, he saw “…the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.” May we too have such glorious visions, whenever called to stand before false accusers in this life, or when that final moment of truth comes for us as we stand before our Lord and Master, and ultimate Judge, Jesus Christ, and give account of our lives.

And now unto God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost, be ascribed all might, majesty, honor and dominion, as is most justly due this day, both now and forever, Amen.