St. Stephen, the First Martyr

Acts 7.51-60; Matthew 23.34-39

St. Stephen Preaching

It seems odd that the day after we celebrate a birth we commemorate a death, that of St. Stephen, the first martyr for the faith. But just as God came right into the thick of life in His incarnation, so being a disciple of Christ keeps us right in the thick of life too. We are misguided if we want our Christianity to somehow lift us out of this life and keep us from all its harsh reality. The Acts of the Apostles says that when Stephen was preaching to the people, they 'became enraged and ground their teeth at (him)' and 'they covered their ears'. The Christmas story holds out an invitation and to make a choice. The invitation is to go the way of God, to, as it were, join in the story of Jesus Christ. The choice is to either do that or to continue in our own sweet way, in our own world, often feeling very unfulfilled and wondering what life is all about. Along the way of our religious life we might gain various pleasures and joys but they are often fleeting and shallow and leave us only partly satisfied if satisfied at all.

And every year this story of Jesus' birth and its message of 'good news for all the people' is put out there at Christmas and so many, on hearing it, do as those who were listening to Stephen; they become enraged, grind their teeth and cover their ears.' We've seen that sort of thing from those who call themselves atheists, on tv. When you watch them, you can see and hear them getting angry at the mention of the Faith and if not literally they figuratively cover their ears, because they don't want to listen. I really do wonder why that is. Why should a message of hope and joy and love receive such a response? It can't itself provoke that response, because love and joy and peace can only result in more of the same. As Jesus Himself said, a good tree can't bear bad fruit.

Atheists will say we are deluded; that we have got it very wrong. But how do they know they are right? They have no more certainty that they are right than we have. And yet such a strong reaction to the Faith; grinding of teeth and anger and covering their ears. Well, I'd like to suggest that it's probably pride that does that. And then they will say but isn't pride making us say that? Well, no, because the Christian gospel demands a doing away with pride in all its forms and you can't make the gospel real in your life if there is pride there. And you can only go to your death for faith if you've lost all sense of pride.

When we accept the invitation and make the choice to join in the story of Jesus Christ, to become His follower, His disciple, pride has to be put away. His will, God's will has to become the motivating factor in our life, the one and only principle upon which we live. We live His life in us. That's the whole point and the point I think those who cover their ears don't want to listen to. We give up our own life for Him, for Christ, for God. That's the beginning, middle and end of our Christian journey here on earth, the whole purpose of our Christian life; that God is glorified in us, so that we can say along with St. Paul, 'it is not I who live but Christ who lives in me.'

And that's the good news of great joy for all people; God coming right into our lives and our lives being lived in Him. For St. Stephen and others after him that was worth dying for. We might not be called on to die for Jesus Christ as Stephen was but we can choose to try and live for Jesus Christ while we have the chance. Lets try and live the good news for all the people, this Christmas and always, to God's glory, so that more might want to do the same.