Acts 7:55-60

Easter 5 - Year A

"I see heaven open wide," says Stephen. This is the best motivator I know of. The positive draw seems so much more graceful than the shove from behind, even from such supposedly good things as commandments. One of the visions of a wide open heaven are those six little words from UMComm - open hearts, open minds, open doors.

Heaven always needs to be specific or it is simply another failed utopian dream. We are called upon to measure our vision of heaven by the openness of heart, mind, and door. It would be interesting to have a Wesleyan Class Meeting not only ask "How is it with your soul?" but "Where did your find your heart opened or closed this day? What experience today led you to open or close your mind one more notch? How did people fare today in the presence of your hospitality?"

May we all see heaven open wide and follow that where it leads - even if it leads to being stoned by the religious powers that be.

http://www.kairoscomotion.org/lectionary/2002/april2002.html

 

 

Have you had teeth ground at you? What was your response?

Did you grind back? Did you see a better vision and witness to it?

What constitutes your better vision? Is forgiveness for yourself and others included in it? To what degree? To your first degree of relationships? your sixth?

In some sense this scene is about a martyr. It is also a stop on the way from least to greatest for the coming story of Saul/Paul. Out of Stephen's death grows a new shoot from the deadened root of Saul. Even as we recognize this we know that we are somehow glossing over the pain of others who are still being hurt by the religious righteousness of those who so clearly see deficiencies of everyone else. This phenomena is as ancient as Cain and Abel and as recent as Save Straight Marriage Proposals or preemptive wars based on false information.

An important part of the puzzle of life is how we are going live and die in the midst of such deadly jousting over so little.

In the current scriptural record, Stephen is the second disciple of Jesus to die. Judas was first and showed Jesus against a backdrop of unmet expectations. Stephen was next and showed Jesus against a backdrop of transfigured glory.

We have both Judas and Stephen within us. Are we giving up or moving on?

http://www.kairoscomotion.org/lectionary/2005/april2005.html

 

 

Which is the greater work?

1) "Do not hold this sin against them"
2) "Do not let me be put to shame"

1) "Let your face shine upon me"
2) "Deliver me from my enemies"

1) Jesus' way is the way, truth, life!
2) Jesus is the way, truth life!

There are many dwelling places.

1) Are you preparing a place for others?
2) Is a place being prepared for you?

- - -

god's own person, I
calling from darkness
called from darkness
mercy-less once
mercy-full now

expressing this call
evidencing this mercy
belief becomes life
works become greater
god's own person, you

god's own person, we
facing deliverance
agreeing to ask
agreeing to glorify
agreeing to participate

gazing toward paradise
unbelievable connections are made
forgiveness after forgiveness
even for
god's own I/you/we

http://kcmlection.blogspot.com/2007_04_01_archive.html

 

It isn't long after Jesus has promised good things, compassionate things, that his followers seem to have difficulty in remembering their own transformation and have as their operating principle, browbeating others into goodness.

Jesus and Stephen both die looking for better to come. However, their parting words, though similar, are miles apart.

I trust that Stephen's looking beyond those present to see glory was fulfilled. I can't help but wonder whether Jesus was able to see that glory while looking at those present in his final moments. Does this account for a difference in their forgiveness language? Stephen needing to already limit its use to a deliberate sin category and Jesus to recognize a universal such as ignorance?

I wonder what would happen if we didn't leave, "Lord, forgive . . ." until it is a final word. If we were to move it up in the conversation, would it change the dynamic? It is almost as though it is an afterthought that pales in comparison with what has gone before – like hating the sin, but loving the sinner.

At any rate, Saul is not convinced by Stephen's recounting of Saul's heritage or Stephen's spin on it. Sometime later a direct question from the sky becomes a bestowal of blessing, "How does what you are doing accord with an understanding of steadfast love (G*D), a.k.a., compassion?" Some can hear a straightforward statement of blessedness and others wait for a question before engaging it.

Stephen isn't ready to move to the deeper question of accountability, just blame, and I wonder where the church is today, or myself, or you? Is today's church more Stephen than Jesus?

http://kcmlection.blogspot.com/2008_04_01_archive.html

 

 

A violent end of life is always dramatic.


And so the ministry of Jesus followers in Jerusalem begins to close. What opens is the experience Saul had of the lynching of Stephen. This experience of pre-emptive forgiveness echoes in Saul and readies him for conversion - that which he was adverse to, becomes dear. Now Saul become Paul has two dear ones - his previous Jewish family and his subsequent Gentile family. Paul moves back and forth between these loves doing his best to live as forgiven of Stephen’s death. Paul’s emphasis on Grace continues to crack the Law Code.

http://kcmlection.blogspot.com/2011/05/acts-755-60.html

 

 

Stephen, “Look, tomorrow dawns!”

Church and Culture, “We won’t hear of it!”

And so Cain again slays Abel.

Go back to that story in Genesis 4.

Abel’s last words (not recorded but present and echoing anyway) are repeated by Jesus and Stephen. And so Cain is treated mercifully; no death penalty for murder. And so Saul is treated mercifully; conversion for a guilty bystander.

In question is whether we will carry on this tradition of being larger than privileged revenge.

Hold not sin; it burns the hand as well as the soul.

Hold not sin; this absence marks the hand as well as the soul. Hands are restrained and souls enlarged.

http://kcmlection.blogspot.com/2014/05/acts-755-60.html