Just What Is This Worth Dying For: Sermon Preached at Oakley UMC 5-22-2011

Acts 7 Monologue

Hey, did you hear what has happened outside of Jerusalem today. Gather in closely, I’m kind of old and my vocal chords don’t let me speak too loudly. What’s that, oh who am I? My name is Lysandra. I’m really not all that important. I am Just a widow. But I’ve got to tell you what happened to that dear boy Stephen today? Who is he? Well he was my deacon. He brought my food distribution every week, like clockwork. Those preachers, Peter and John and all of them, they got too busy to keep up with the food distribution so they had this idea to set apart 7 other men for this task. I got lucky. I got Stephen. He was such a nice, sweet boy. You could just see God radiate in his face. He did more than just give out food. Why my cousin was visiting one day and he laid hands on him and prayed for him in Jesus’ name and he got to feeling better real quick like. I just can’t believe this has happened to him. I just don’t understand those people over there at the Freemason synagogue, spreading all those rumors about him. Well, don’t they know that they are Greek just like Stephen was? They weren’t born Jews and they want to get all high and mighty about their laws and traditions. I just don’t get it. Stephen had some wonderful stories about Jesus, how he rose from the dead and sits at the right hand of God the father in heaven now. He is so excited about all he has learned being a follower of Jesus. He says this is the new way, the way to salvation, the way to live life. Why he even says if we follow the way of Jesus we could have heaven right here on earth. I always enjoyed hearing these stories and learning more about this man who healed the sick, made the lame to walk again, why he even turned water into wine at a wedding banquet one time so the reception wouldn’t run out before it was over. It seems no worry was too small or too trivial for him. He wasn’t too much for the laws and traditions though, Jesus wasn’t. Why he would heal on the Sabbath, he would eat with sinners; he was good friends with a prostitute. But Stephen says that is what he came to do, he came to teach us to Love everyone. He says there are no Jew and No Greek, no male and no female. Why Stephen said before he died Jesus told Peter and John and all those boys to go into the world and share this good news of his resurrection of his kingdom. He isn’t like any king those Jews were expecting. What? Oh, you want me to get on with the story. Well, you know Peter and John have already had to go before the Sanhedrin about teaching in Jesus name. They were not too happy about it but ended up not being able to find them guilty of anything and had to let them go. They told them not to be teaching in this name again but Peter and John were straight up with them and told them that they had to share the news, they couldn’t keep it bottled up. Well, those people down there at the temple of the freemasons. You know all those Roman Slaves that were set free and those Greek Jews from Asia Minor and from Africa. Those guys didn’t like what Steven was doing either so they made up some stuff about Stephen opposing the temple and opposing Moses’ law. They went to the Sanhedrin with these charges and the Sanhedrin brought Stephen in to be tried for these charges. Do you know what he did when they asked him if the charges were true? Why he wouldn’t say yes or no, guilty or not guilty he had to go and preach a sermon. He covered everything from Adam and Eve to Abraham, to Moses to David. He didn’t leave anything out. He reminded those Jews that their forefathers have been opposing God from the very beginning and persecuting God’s messengers. When things would get tough they went with their old ways. And then Steven basically said obviously the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. He told them they were so busy worried about the law that they don’t even obey it themselves. Oh, that made the crowd mad, the next thing you know a riot broke out. People were screaming and yelling and gnashing their teeth and growling. Steven just said, “look I see the heavens open and there sitting at the right hand of God is Jesus.” Wow what a vision. Oh and did that just incite the crowd that much more. They charged at Stephen, found him guilty right on the spot and drug him out to the rock quarry and stoned him to death. Those people laid their coats at Saul’s feet. You know what that means don’t you. They were assigning responsibility for this stoning to Saul. Why Saul even congratulated them on the kill. Can you imagine that? Poor Stephen. I am going to miss him so. But here is the crazy part. You want to hear this……He prayed right during his stoning. He asked God to receive him and you know what else he did. He asked God to forgive those people that were executing him. Unbelievable. Oh, I am going to miss him so.

END OF MONALOGUE

Focal Passage: Acts 7:54-60
And that is the background and story that we enter into today. Just what is this that is worth dying for? I have a confession to make, what I am about to tell you is not something I am proud of but it goes to prove a point. I was fortunate to be born into a family that values family highly. Both of my grandfathers set a grand example of family loyalty and unconditional love. With those kinds of roots it is of no surprise that my brothers, my sister and my parents I consider my best friends. About 15 years ago my best friend was playing in a co-ed ball tournament and asked my baby brother to play with her. He was catching and there was a play at the plate. The runner was a big man; he was 250-300 pounds of solid muscle. As the ball came into the plate and he ran into beat it, rather than sliding he just ran right through my brother, knocking him down and knocking him out. Without a single thought I ran onto the field to check on my brother only to hear the man defend his action saying, well if I would have slid, I would have gotten hurt. Once again with out thought I charged this 300 pound man of solid muscle, shouted some things that aren’t appropriate and began punching him. Thank goodness he just stood there. The only thing that snapped me out of this rage was my brother’s voice. He had woken to see this action and was calling me off so to speak. I am generally a very peace filled person but that day on that ball field when this person that I love so deeply was hurt, with no thought for my own safety, I took action. I am not endorsing violence here but what I am saying is that we have people and passions that we would die for and one of mine is family. We have thousands of men and women deployed in the Middle East right now who are risking lives for their country. We have police officers and firefighters that risk their lives daily to protect the citizens of their communities. In today’s story we have one who is willing and does die for his passion for the Way of Jesus Christ. Just what is this Way that he has died for?

1. Jesus is the way to the Father. (John 14)
2. Jesus calls us to submit to the prompting of the Holy Spirit, a spirit that we can not see, we can not touch, and we can not feel.
3. Jesus is the cornerstone of our life, if we don’t allow ourselves to be tripped up worrying about the things of Jesus that go against the popular belief. (I Peter 2)
4. The Way of Jesus can be summed up in a word……Love. (I John 4:7-8)
5. The Way of Jesus is a call to discipleship, a call to go to Samaria, to Judea and to the ends of the earth to share this love.
6. The Way of Jesus is a call to “feed his sheep” In one interaction with Peter Jesus says Peter do you love me? Yes, Lord, of course I love you. Then feed my sheep. He repeats this 3 times.
7. The Way of Jesus is a call to interact with “the least of these” To feed the hungry, to give water to the thirsty, to clothe the naked, to visit the sick, to visit those in prison.
8. The Way of Jesus is to open the doors to all with no regards to male or female, Black or white, Jew or Gentile, rich or poor, the list can go on; you fill in the blanks.
9. The Way of Jesus is to reach out to those who have felt rejected or oppressed by the very institution that claims to be the followers of Christ. Have you seen the bumper sticker that says, Jesus please save me……..from your followers. How did that come to be?


What is the return for following this WAY? It is a promise from Jesus to never leave us nor forsake us. It is being taken care of, protected, comforted, healed, accepted, pushed to grow beyond what we could do ourselves. Those things, my friends, are what Stephen died for, what he yearned to share with whoever he met.

Stephen gives us another attribute of Jesus. Jesus is present with us even unto death. Maybe, especially in death. Steven knows he is facing death and what does he say? He says I see the heavens opened up and God with Jesus on his right side. My first job as a social worker was with Hospice. I learned a lot about death and dying during that time. I am pretty in tune with when a person is facing their final days. Recently the time came for us to bid farewell to my grandfather. The last week of his life I am certain we were standing on Holy Ground whenever in his presence. It radiated on his face. What a comfort it is to know that Jesus will never leave us or forsake us. Bad things happen in this world. Bad things happen to good people. We don’t know why. We don’t have those answers but the one thing we can be sure of is that through it all God is there with us, crying with us, carrying us, and working to bring out the good in bad situations.

So how do we follow Jesus, how do we make him the cornerstone of our lives? Stephen gives us another clue with his final words before Death. “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” Where have we heard similar words? As Jesus hangs, dying on the cross, his words are “forgive them father for they know not what they do.” Stephen emulates Jesus. He knows that living the kingdom way, is to live as Jesus taught. Not only through his words but through his very life. Spend time in this word, get to know Jesus and his Way then practice it, and walk in the Way that Jesus walked.

Thanks be to God for this word today. Thanks to you for allowing me to share it with you!