ACTS 6:8-10, 12-15, 7:51-60
THE BACKGROUND
This reading is the conclusion of the story of the disciple Stephen; the account of his martyrdom. He is the first disciple to be put to death for his faith in Jesus. As he preached The Way (of Jesus), he ran into trouble. I suggest that you read the complete story of St. Stephen, in Acts chapters 6 & 7. What will be read on Sunday will be 7:55-60, but I will comment on the above verses, so you will get the whole idea.
Stephen is not one of the 12 apostles. In the first verses of chapter 6 we learn that he was part of the team appointed to care for the feeding of widows and orphans. The Holy Spirit, however, has other plans for Stephen.
THE DETAIL
- Stephen has just delivered a long and powerful sermon to the high priest and council in Jerusalem. He did not hold back. He made accusations, and called his listeners “stiff-necked”. They didn’t like it. (vv. 6:8-10, 12-15, & 7:51)
- Full of the Holy Spirit, he says “I see heaven open and the Son of God standing at the right side of God!” If you were a Jew who did not believe in Jesus, this would be blasphemy. The punishment for blasphemy is being stoned to death. This is exactly what they did. From the sounds of it, they enjoyed themselves, too. (v. 56)
- Here is an interesting anecdote. They put their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. This is St. Paul! (v. 58)
- As he is being pummeled with stones, St. Stephen prays to God to forgive them. Then, he dies. (vv. 59-60)
THE TAKEAWAY
Saints provide us with role models—good examples of Christians living a life of faith. St. Stephen is certainly a good role model for all of us, because:
- He is filled with the Holy Spirit, and choses to put this into action.
- He preaches with power, wisdom, and courage; in the face of fierce opposition. He knew that what he was saying would stir up trouble. Yet, he courageously pressed on, not mincing words.
- As Stephen is dying, he asks God to forgive his enemies. I cannot imagine doing this, while big rocks are hitting my head and body. Stephen most definitely was filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. I pray that if I am ever in a similar situation, that the Holy Spirit comes to my aid.
It is the Holy Spirit in action that does the work here. We all have just as much access to the Holy Spirit as St. Stephen. Let’s put our trust in God, to come to our aid, when the going gets tough.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
How can we be more like Steven, sharing the Good News with those around us?
1 PETER 2:2-10
THE BACKGROUND
Peter is writing this to a group of new Christians. Imagine this being read or told to you right after you accepted Jesus as your savior. This could be the sermon that you might hear at your baptism.
First, we need a vocabulary lesson.
- STONES: Cut stone was the basic building material of Jesus’ time. All buildings were made of stone. Wood was only used for roofs and doors. The building that Peter is referring to is the temple in Jerusalem—God’s house, which was built of stone.
- PRIESTS: Priests, at this time, were the religious leaders of the people. Today, at least in most Protestant circles, we do not use this word. Instead, think “preacher” or “spiritual leader”, when you see this word.
- LIGHT: In this instance, it refers to Jesus as the light of the world. It is through Jesus’ “marvelous light” that we can clearly see God.
THE DETAIL
- Just like last week, I like to replace the “if” in verse three with “since”. We know that Peter is talking to new believers. That said, he says that since they have tasted the goodness of the Lord (and become baptized Christians), they need to be fed with “spiritual milk”. I believe that by using “if” instead of since, he is challenging these new believers to stand up for Jesus. (vv. 2-3)
- Peter calls us Christians “living stones”. In his day, buildings and temples were built of stone. Peter states that the true church is no longer built of stones, but of living people. This was a radical statement. When we say that we are going to church, we usually are referring to the building. But Peter reminds us that the church is really not the building, but the people who gather inside that building. (vv. 4-5)
- Peter quotes scripture, calling Jesus our cornerstone. Our living temple is built upon the foundation of Jesus. (vv. 6-8)
- Now, Peter turns to the reader, reminding us that we are special. We are precious in God’s eyes. We have been called out of the darkness of our sinful lives to live in the light of Jesus. (vv. 9-10)
THE TAKEAWAY
When you build a house, you start with a corner. Back then, you placed a cornerstone, and the rest of the building was built from, and measured off of this stone. Today, we drive some stakes, and lay out strings, but we still start from a corner. This corner must be perfect, in order to construct a perfect building. Peter tells us that Jesus is our perfect cornerstone. Everything we do should start from our cornerstone Jesus. He is our reference point for living our lives. The church of Jesus is built upon this perfect stone.
Verse 9 is also worthy of comment. It states that not only are we a special chosen people, but that we are a holy nation of priests! In other words, we should be just as holy as our preachers, priests, and pastors. We are all the stones from which the new temple is built. We no longer need to go to Jerusalem to be near God. He dwells in each one of us. He is within us!
Verse 10 wraps it all up—without Jesus, we are nobodies. Now that we believe in Jesus, we are God’s precious people.
JOHN 14:1-14
THE BACKGROUND
This passage is taken from Jesus’ speech at the Last Supper. This is the last time that Jesus will eat with his 12 apostles. He has a lot to tell them, before he goes off to Calvary. Today’s reading is a portion of what he tells them. (The whole discourse is John 13-17.)
THE DETAIL
- It starts out with the famous “There are many rooms/mansions/dwelling places in my Father’s house.” He assures us that there is a place waiting for us in heaven, so we shouldn’t worry about the details that confront us in this life. (vv. 1-3)
- Jesus tells them that they already know the way there. Thomas, bless his heart, says “Not me! I don’t know the way.” He does, of course, and Jesus will tell him so. (vv. 4-5)
- Jesus tells Thomas “I am the way, the truth, and the life!” In other words, Thomas already knew the way to heaven; he just didn’t realize it. (v. 6)
- Then, Jesus talks about seeing the Father. The apostles are confused. “Where is He?” “Show Him to us! That’s all we need.” Jesus says “You dummies, I’m sitting here right here in front of you!” (But, he said it nicer than that, didn’t he?) His point is that since he and his Father are of one mind, when you see and hear God the Son, you see and hear God the Father. (vv. 7-11)
- Jesus makes an interesting shift. He started out talking about faith, but now talks about actions. He says that if we have faith in him, we will be able to do the same stuff that he did, and even greater things! (vv. 12-14)
THE TAKEAWAY
It is easy to lose sight of the fact that Jesus wasn’t merely a special, holy man. He was more than that—he was God on earth. God came down from heaven to teach us, and to show his love for us by sacrificing himself for us. If (or since) Jesus is in our hearts, we are capable of doing remarkable things. Not only are we capable of this, we are expected to put this ability into action. The good news is that the Holy Spirit is ready and waiting to help. So, let’s have courage and conviction, and do God’s work here in this place!