In the Name of the Father, and of the +
Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Lord has blessed us today, though maybe not in the way
you had hoped. A storm descended upon our region, and much of our nation,
during the last days leading to Christmas. The days were dark and dreary. When
the sun did shine, it was dimmed by clouds and the dust of snow in the air, not
to mention the bitter cold.
Although Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were likewise cold,
they presented a certain calm in the weather. God gave us a physical picture of
what we sang together on Christmas Eve, “When all was still and it was
midnight, your almighty Word, O Lord, descended from the royal throne.”[1]
He has continued with His gifts as we heard proclaimed on Christmas Day, “In
[the Son of God become the Son of Man] was life, and the life was the light of
men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend
it.”[2]
After celebrating the coming of the True Light into the
world, the main body of the storm has passed. The temperatures, although still
cold, are slowly rising. The sun has a new glimmer to it. The light seems
brighter. In the ordering of the universe, God set the seasons such that the
days would begin to lengthen at the same time that His Son descended into the
world. The True Light has come, and we can now expect longer days of light.
This evening, we celebrate the faith of St. Stephen. Stephen
was one of seven to be ordained deacons in the Acts of the Apostles. He, like
the other deacons, set about caring for the sick and the poor, but also
preaching, teaching, baptizing, and performing miracles. It is because of his
bold preaching and great miracles in the Name of Jesus that the Jews from the
Synagogue of the Freedmen seek to have Stephen killed.
In imitation of our Lord, Stephen is dragged before the High
Priest and accused of falsehoods with no proof. When his preaching cuts to the
hearts of those listening, they grind their teeth in wrath, carry Stephen
outside the city, and stone him to death. It is the death of Stephen and the
ensuing persecution that led the Church to grow rapidly outside the walls of
Jerusalem. In this case, the blood of the martyr is clearly the seed of the
church.
The false accusations against Stephen should be no surprise.
He is accused of blaspheming against the Temple and against the Law of Moses.
He is accused of blaspheming God and proclaiming that Jesus would change the
traditions of Moses.[3]
These accusations aren’t particularly clever or original. In our times, they
rank right up there with “If abortion is murder so is the death penalty. You
stupid Christians, you don’t even know your own beliefs.”
Then, rather than telling the stories of Isaac or Jacob,
Stephen speaks next of the Patriarchs and how they came to dwell in Egypt. What
the brothers meant for evil, God meant for good in sending Joseph into Egypt.
Israel came to dwell in Egypt and greatly prospered, until the coming of a
Pharaoh who did not remember the Patriarchs.
Despite dwelling in Egypt, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob dwelt with His people. He struck Egypt with the plagues and drew His
people out of that foreign land. Before He could draw them into the land
promised to their fathers, however, the children of Israel rebelled against
God. They rebelled against Moses. They desired gods of their own making,
worshiping the creations of their hands rather than the hand of the True God
who had delivered them.
So you see, the Tabernacle and the Temple are not the
exclusive dwelling place of God. It is a true statement to say that God is on
the golf course just as much as He is in the Church, or the home, or the
restaurant, or the prison cell, or the death bed. Heaven is His throne and the
earth His footstool. How could the Almighty God, who places His feet upon the
whole earth, be confined to one Temple, Tabernacle, Church, or Cathedral? He
cannot.
At the same time, God is the one who commanded the building
of the Tabernacle. When David desired to build a home for God, the Lord refused
to allow it. It wasn’t until God had given this task to Solomon that the Temple
was built. These places were given to man so that man could be confident in the
presence of God. Prayers said in the Church building are not more readily heard
by God than those said at home. However, as man is a fleshly creature, the
Church building is a space that has been set apart for prayer. It has been set
apart for the worship of the Triune God. It has been set apart for the
receiving of God’s Word and Holy Sacraments.
Thus, the Church building is different from all other
buildings. It has its own furniture, features, sights, smells, textures, and
sounds. It is different for the sake of man. The Church is built for man, not
man for the Church.
As such, it is to be a physical embodiment of God’s Word.
This physicality is something objective, brought to you rather than supplied by
your desire. To look in any direction ought to direct one’s mind toward the
Word of God. The sounds that emanate from the Church should recall nothing but
the Word of God, His glory, His grace, and His Sacraments. Even the smells of
the Church are to be unique. Scientists will tell us that smell is the sense
most closely related to memory. Whether that is true or not, all our sense
should be active when we worship God. The totality of our mortal flesh is
engaged in this worship. Thanks be to God that He has not forgotten any of our
senses when bringing to us His Word and Sacraments.
In such a situation, you ought to be ready to confess your
faith. Every service we confess our faith in the words of either the Nicene or
Apostles’ creeds. These are an outstanding place to begin but if you are only
practiced at reciting them as part of a large group, it will be difficult to
remember in a private conversation. Even if you can remember it at the
opportune time, there will inevitably be questions to follow.
Therefore, we must be practiced in our faith. We must spend
time reading, hearing, and speaking God’s Word. Begin by having conversations
concerning Godly topics with your husband, wife, parents, friends, or
neighbors. Having lunch with another member of this church and discussing the
sermon or the readings from the previous Sunday is a wonderful opportunity to
exercise the faith of your tongue in a safe environment.
The Word of God and
holy conversation are habits. The more you attend to them, the easier they
become. The less you attend to them, the easier they become to ignore. We are
not given the topics of St. Stephen’s lunch conversations, but we do know that
he was full of faith and the Holy Spirit.[4]
We know that when called to confess what he believed concerning the Law and the
Temple, he was able not only to proclaim the truth of God’s dwelling and
righteousness, but also to call the false teachers of the Jews to repentance.
The zeal of the Lord consumed him and for this, the
reproaches of those who hate God fell upon him.[5]
The wrath of the High Priest and the Jews is directed toward God, not Stephen.
He is simply the mouthpiece proclaiming the divine truth. Yes, this hatred fell
upon Stephen but not because of his person. This is the reason he can pray for
his murderers, even as they bend to pick up the instruments of his death, “Lord,
do not charge them with this sin.”[6]
We have the holy privilege of the same. We have the holy
calling to proclaim God’s Word to all. If they hear and receive that Word,
thanks be to God! The angels in heaven will rejoice as one sinner repents. But
if they reject the words of our mouths, if they spit upon you and shame you, if
they cast you into prison, it is not because of you. It is because they hate
God. They hate the Word you speak. They have hardened their own hearts against
you and against God. For these, there is no hope.
But for you there is. There is certainty. As the mob is
grinding their teeth, Stephen looks up and sees the glory of God and Jesus
standing at the right hand of the Father.[7]
After reciting the many and various places God has dwelt with His people, St.
Stephen now sees the Incarnate Lord dwelling with him. He sees the heavens
opened and the Son of God welcoming Stephen to his eternal home.
Whether visible to your eyes or not, the same Son of God is
near to you. He is with you at home, in the Church, at prayer, and at the
hospital bed. He is with you wherever His Word and the Holy Spirit are present.
You, beloved of the Lord, are the Temple of the Holy Spirit. The Word of God
has entered your heart and filled you with faith. Treasure up this Word and
hold it dear, for it is the certainty that Jesus is with you always, prepared
to receive you into glory.
In + Jesus’
name. Amen.
