Daily Devotion for Lent 2020 - Second Sunday in Lent

Scripture Reading: Acts 7:35-60 (NRSV)

We pick up with Stephen where we left off yesterday.  He continues to address the council using their common religious history to make his point.  

He shows how their ancestors initially reject Moses and then went on to reject God by crafting idols and worshiping them.  Stephen quotes from Amos 5:25-27 to show how this behavior had the consequences of exile.

Stephen then follows the movement from Tabernacle to Temple in their worship of God but reminds them by quoting Isaiah 66:1-2 that this does not engender any control over God to the priests.  In fact, Isaiah goes on to speak for God in verse four concerning those who stray from God:

I also will choose to mock them,
    and bring upon them what they fear;
because, when I called, no one answered,
    when I spoke, they did not listen;
but they did what was evil in my sight,
    and chose what did not please me.   (NRSV)

By quoting from Isaiah, Stephen reminds them of this as well.  In case they missed it, he goes on to label them as rebels against God.  He tells them that they persecute and kill those who speak for God and as if to prove his point, they take him out and stone him to death.

Just prior to them dragging him off, Stephen projects the vision of the Son of Man (Jesus) at the right hand of God.  This would be from Daniel 7:13-14:

“In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence.  He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed."    (NIV)

Maybe our stones can become objects
of art rather than weapons to hurl.

We see Saul (prior to becoming the apostle Paul) present and seemingly approving of the stoning of Stephen.

We also see Stephen say things very similar to what Jesus said on the cross.  When Stephen says, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit" it reminds us of Jesus saying, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit" from Luke 23:46.  And when Stephen says, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them” it sounds very similar to when Jesus says, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing" from Luke 23:34.

Within the early church, this story becomes a martyr's tale.  We see Stephen stand firm in his faith and his witness even though it cost him his life.  He enters into glory, never recanting and even staying true to the mercy that is such an important part of the teachings of Jesus.  This becomes our example when we face persecution.

How do we stand firm in the faith today?  Our opposition in the United States does not lead to death but more likely embarrassment or loss of status.  We must ask ourselves what is the purpose of our witness today.  In Stephen's time, a stand of faith may have been what the movement needed.  In our time, a more persuasive stance may be in order.  Calling them out in Stephen's context was still an intrafaith argument rather than an outside critique of another religion.  Since Christianity is dominant in the United States, we must approach debate with a humility that would serve us well.  Defining a common narrative like Stephen did would be an ideal place to start but I would think it more convincing to end with a word of grace rather than judgment.

How might the grace you've received lend you a calmer demeanor when you are facing someone opposing your viewpoint?

Prayer for the day:

O eternal God,
in whose appointment our life stands,
and who committed our work to us,
we commit our cares to you.

We thank you that we are your children, and that you have assured us
that, while we are intent upon your will, you will heed our wants.

Fill us with that compassion for others' troubles
which comes from forgetfulness of our own;
with the charity of those who know their own unworthiness;
and with the glad hope of the children of eternity.

And to you,
the Beginning and the End, Lord of the living, Refuge of the dying,
be thanks and praise for ever. Amen.   


Prayer by James Martineau in Home Prayers, 1891, p. 90. Public Domain.

Photo by Sue Langford via Flickr.com.  Used under the Creative Commons license.

Daily Devotion for Lent 2020 - Day 10

Scripture Reading: Acts 7:1-34 (NRSV)

In the last chapter, we are introduced to Stephen as one of the seven who were devoted to the care of the Christian community.  He was listed as "a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit."  Stephen performed signs and wonders and he argued in the synagogue.  He was arrested and brought before the council and they charged him with blasphemy.

This is no small charge.  Leviticus 24:16 states:

One who blasphemes the name of the Lord shall be put to death; the whole congregation shall stone the blasphemer.

Stephen is left to defend himself.  And so he begins to remind the council of their shared history.

While they would already know all of this by heart (and may be thinking, "Get on with it, Stephen"), Luke may recount this here for the sake of his Gentile readers who would need a reminder in Jewish history.  Interestingly enough, Luke does not omit the covenant of circumcision that God makes with Abraham.  He could easily have left this part out as it was controversial among Gentile converts as we shall see unfold in future chapters of Acts.

Luke also specifically refers to the circumcision of John the Baptist and Jesus in his gospel.  This may be to show that Christianity has not broken so far from this covenant with God.

Stephen reminds them of the betrayal of Joseph by his brothers as well as the lack of appreciation of Moses by his fellow Jews.  We see that in spite of how his brothers treated him, Joseph is a forgiving man and brings salvation to the people that enslaved him.  We then see that God will send Moses to rescue the very people that tried to throw him under the bus when he was trying to help them.

Justice should be blind to our wealth, power and status.
Jealousy and envy should not influence it.

Stephen is beginning to craft the story to remind the council that their people have not always got it right.  In fact, the righteous have often been misunderstood and abused.  We'll see how this works out for Stephen as we finish out the chapter tomorrow.

All people have a common history or ancestry if we go back far enough.  There are commonalities among all humanity such as jealousies and envies as well as the striving for security and the love of family.  The preservation of one's community may be one of the strongest drives that we have.  We are social beings and we have formal and informal laws that help us to be able to live together.

When someone breaks these rules, we attempt to pull them back into community.  Sometimes we punish them and sometimes we exile them through either imprisonment or banishment.  If the threat seems great enough, we sometimes exercise a lethal sentence. 

How do we preserve our Christian community today?  What things do we tolerate and what do we find intolerable?   How do we examine ourselves to make sure that we are not ignoring or persecuting the prophets God is sending today? 

Prayer for the day:

Steer the ship of my life, good Lord, to your quiet harbor, where I can be safe from the storms of sin and conflict. Show me the course I should take. Renew in me the gift of discernment, so that I can always see the right direction in which I should go. And give me the strength and the courage to choose the right course, even when the sea is rough and the waves are high, knowing that through enduring hardship and danger in your name we shall find comfort and peace.  Amen.


Prayer by Basil of Caesarea, 4th Century

Photo by Tim Evanson via Flickr.com.  Used under the Creative Commons license.