Readings
for Easter 4A:
Acts 6:1- 7:60
April 17, 2005
The Rev. Karen Siegfriedt
St. Jude the Apostle Episcopal Church, Cupertino,
CA
Christianity is experiencing a large-scale reformation. [A reformation is a movement aimed at correcting or improving what is faulty, defective, and objectionable.] Today's reformation of the Church is perhaps on a grander scale than the Protestant Reformation of the 16th Century which attempted to correct the abuses of the Roman Catholic Church. On a national as well as international level, there is a great struggle going on in the Church between those who hear God's voice only in the traditions of the past and those who hear God's voice in the new wind of the Holy Spirit. This Spirit is challenging age-old religious assumptions about hierarchy, liturgy, sexuality, economic justice, political power, ecology, inclusivity, methods of biblical interpretation, and personal relationships. No wonder the Church is in such a flux!
How do we as a Christian community, faithfully respond to the changing world in which we find ourselves? How do we discern the voice of God among the many other voices that demand our attention and allegiance? And what can happen when people (whether in a community of faith or in a marginalized group or even in a nation) cover their ears to prophetic words that challenge their unexamined belief systems? Let's take a look at today's episode from the Book of Acts. Perhaps we will gain some insight into human behavior and be able to hear the voice of the Good Shepherd whose pasture is one of abundant life.
The Book of Acts is perhaps one of the most exciting and challenging books in the Bible. In it, we read the profound and colorful story of the Church's early beginnings. We hear about the Church's dramatic growth from Jerusalem to Rome. Through its history, theology, and spiritual insights, the Book of Acts continues to be an important document in shaping the identity of today's Church. You will notice in the Book of Acts, that even the early Church was in a state of constant reformation as it interacted with new people, places, and needs. Even though it can be unsettling, reformation need not frighten us if we are truly grounded in God's truth and compassion. Let's take a closer look.
Today's episode from the Book of Acts begins with a struggle with the early church's outreach program. The early church had a kind of "meals-on-wheels" program that apparently involved daily food distribution to the hungry. However, the food is not being evenly distributed. The Hebrews (i.e. Aramaic speaking Jews) are receiving their "food trays" while the Hellenists (i.e. Greek speaking Jews) are being overlooked. The Hellenists are those who have more recently moved into Jerusalem and their widows are not receiving their needed food allowances. There is definitely a problem between two different ethnic groups within this community of faith that needs to be resolved.
I think that in any church community, it can be very difficult to address the needs of the newcomer, especially when that newcomer is different than we are. Age-old programs and traditions (which initially were set up to meet the needs of its members) are no longer sufficient to meet new demands. Times change, people change, needs change, and so the way we "do church" also needs to change also. There is also a tendency in a church community to listen to the wishes of those with the loudest voices, overlooking the needs of those who are quiet, new, needy, or different. Those who are overlooked are often the folks who do not run for vestry, do not get up to the microphone at an adult forum or annual meeting, and do not have leadership positions. So the question for us today is this: What are the current needs in our community of faith that require our focus? Who is being overlooked? Where is the hunger? Is it a spiritual hunger? A hunger for intimate friendships? A hunger for honesty? Is there a need to help families with the raising of children or is there a need to be more hospitable to a more inclusive demographic?
Fortunately, in the case of the 1st C Hellenists, seven new church officers were elected and installed to better administer the food distribution program. The twelve apostles were simply overwhelmed by the administrative details of running a church. In order to be more effective, they needed to spend their primary time and energy on preaching and teaching. So, a new core staff of leaders, persons of "good standing and full of wisdom and the Spirit" were chosen. Stephen, the main character in today's story, was one of the newly elected leaders. This new administrative arrangement seemed to work because "the word of God continued to spread; and the number of the disciples increased in Jerusalem."
There are a few things that I find interesting about this leadership arrangement. First, the new leadership within the church was selected only by those whose needs were not being met; not by the whole congregation. Second, the qualities sought after for these new leadership positions were wisdom, character, and spiritual wholeness. Faithfulness, not personality or particular skills, was the criterion. Being grounded in the Lord was the most important quality for leadership in the early church.
Personally, I certainly can relate to the apostles who are overwhelmed with administrative details. I know that I am from time to time. The details of our many programs can be overwhelming. Fortunately, at Saint Jude's, we have a cadre of dedicated lay people who help out with the administration and with the day to day duties of running a parish. This includes a core staff which I selected (to meet my needs), the vestry which this congregation selected to represent its needs, a pledge secretary, counters, and all of the many leaders of the various ministries within our parish. For your service, I am very thankful. The more I am freed from administrative details, the more time I have to be a pastor, priest, teacher, preacher, and to attend to the spiritual heath of the parish.
Evidently, Stephen is much more than a program person in charge of food distribution. Full of grace and power, Stephen did "great wonders and signs among the people." However, his prophetic preaching angered the hard line traditionalists (i.e. right-wingers from the Jewish synagogue) who did not want their belief system challenged. In order to punish him for his progressive ways, they haul Stephen before the council, claiming that he spoke blasphemous words against Moses and God.
In today's "uncertain" climate, it is very difficult to speak prophetic words, introduce new ideas, or to challenge the power structures of the Church or nation. We are looking for stability, not challenge. Even in the United States (a country in which freedom of speech is a vital piece of constitutional rights) people are being silenced. Musicians are boycotted, newspapers are threatened, and citizens are being investigated, simply for criticizing the current power structure. It happens in the Anglican Communion too. Thank goodness, Saint Jude's is a very accepting congregation, (although we have lost a few families in response to sermons about economic justice and issues around peace and war.) And while most of us here are open to a more inclusive agenda, many of us balk at conservative tongue lashings that criticize our lack of values or our situational ethics that is narcissistic at times. It is hard to have one's belief or value system challenged while at the same time remain open to possible new insights and growth. For instance, many people search for a church where the preacher already agrees with their agenda. Think about this! If the preacher simply supports what we already believe, then how can we gain new insights and be transformed? In order for transformation to happen, some things must be challenged and die.
Well, once Stephen is before the council, he preaches a hell fire sermon. He reviews with the council, God's saving acts in history and Israel's chronic rejection of God. Today's lectionary skips most of this rather lengthy address in order to focus on his concluding words. Stephen ends with some scriptural name calling- "stiffed neck", "uncircumcised in heart and ears" and then proceeds to accuse the council of opposing the Holy Spirit & the killing of prophets by their ancestors. These are fighting words! How did Stephen's sermon go over? "When they heard these things, they became enraged and ground their teeth...They covered their ears, and with a loud shout all rushed together against him. They dragged him out of the city and began to stone him."
I would say that his sermon really didn't go over very well. It was one of those bad preaching days. We all have them. There is a rule in preaching: You can comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable but you can only go so far ahead of your congregation if you want to have a pension plan. Any preacher who insists on accusing the congregation of being unfaithful, hard hearted, and killers, (even if it is true) can expect a violent reaction. This is exactly what happened to Stephen. He became the scapegoat and the object of mob violence. Stephen was martyred for speaking the truth.
Scapegoating is part and parcel of the sinful human condition. Scapegoating is projecting our pain and insecurities outwards by punishing someone else. We all do it, particularly when our value system is challenged or we are afraid. Scapegoating can be done verbally with insults, physically with violence, or politically with the denial of human rights. Whether we demonize the witches of the 17th century or the American Indians of the 18th century or the African slaves of the 19th century or the Jews and Japanese of the 20th century or the Muslims and homosexuals of the 21st century, the psychology of scapegoating remains the same. We attack the integrity and dignity of another human being in order to relieve our anxiety and pain while trying to restore our pride, and integrity. This act of violence toward another is an attempt to overcome what is perceived as evil or threatening. Whenever we cover our ears to new ideas, new voices, challenging reprimands, we run the risk of becoming smaller, meaner, stiff-necked, and unfaithful to the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit.
Today, Christianity is experiencing a large-scale reformation. Is this reformation of God? How do we as a Christian community, faithfully respond to the changing world in which we find ourselves? How do we discern the voice of God among the many voices that demand our attention and allegiance? How do we know when a sermon contains the movement of the Holy Spirit, especially when it challenges traditional beliefs? One of the ways to discern whether God's spirit is incorporated into a new voice is by listening to what that voice is praying for. In today's episode, we get a glimpse of what Stephen prayed for in the midst of being attacked by the mob. He simply prayed for his enemies, that they might be forgiven, in spite of their violence.
Whenever I am challenged for my beliefs and values, I look at the intentions of my accuser and ask the following questions: What is the goal of the challenge that is set before me? Is the challenge to become more generous, peaceful, compassionate, justice oriented, striving for the dignity of every human being? Or is the challenge to become more exclusive, self-serving, and stuck in tradition for the sake of tradition? Will the challenge make me a better person, filled with the fruit of the Holy Spirit- love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, self-control? Or does the challenge come from a place of fear and scapegoating? There is no need to fear challenge when one is steeped in God's truth and compassion.
"O God, whose Son Jesus is the good shepherd of your people: Grant that when we hear his voice, we may know him who calls us each by name, and follow where he leads." [BCP 225]
| Updated 4/25/05 |
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