God Spotting - Sermon for Easter 5 - May 18

I've fallen behind on posting but a few folks have asked about sermon posts so I'll try to get back in the habit.

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Here is the sermon for last Sunday,

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God Spotting

In confirmation we’ve been talking about two key questions. “Where do you see activity of God at work in the world” and “What is God calling you to do in the world.” We’ve short-handed this as “God Spotting.”

Through the lens of the Small Catechism and scripture we’ve been sharping our God spotting skills. You’ll see some of their artistic responses to those questions in narthex and back of the sanctuary.

Lets make that our theme today. Where do you see God’s Activity in the world, and lets us the Stephen as out lens.

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Stephen enters the scene as the church grows from the few who followed Jesus to the thousands being baptized after Peter’s sermon on Pentecost.  The church rapidly gets organized.

It all started with expanding ministries. This has always been how church grows - expanding the ministries.  The growing Jerusalem church has a ministry of feeding widows.  Without SSI or family for support, widows became vulnerable to starving.  The church decided to feed them.

But feeding the hungry requires organization, so the disciples call together a congregational meeting and suggest a mission division.  The Apostles will focus on preaching and teaching and a newly created body called “Deacons” will see to the feeding of the widows. 

Stephen was one of these Deacons. And this ministry was blessed.

“Stephen, full of grace and power, did great wonders and signs among the people.” 

Some folks from the synagogue must have gotten jealous of such good work because the Bible says that they “stood up and argued with Stephen.” Of course, when a person is hard at working feeding the hungry in the name of Jesus Christ, you don’t want to argue with them.  They have the power of God with them.

“They could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which Stephen spoke.”

God Spot 1- Yesterday some of us from OSLC were in St Cloud. We helped food for the hungry in our community. Over 150,000 meals where packed. If people wanted to engage us in religious debate we’d probably told them, “Go away! We’re busy feeding people.”

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These folks who argued with Stephen must have been poor losers, because they set him up on charges of blasphemy, which carried the death penalty. In the Sandhedrin, the religious court for a religious crime, Stephen gives his defense speech. 

This is a God Spot. Stephen pointed them, not to himself, but to Jesus. When Followers of Jesus are about his business – like feeding the hungry – some people will ask questions. When they are pointed – not toward self, but toward Jesus – you’ve spotted God at work, making the kingdom come.

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On Pentecost when Peter preached his sermon, people were struck in their hearts and asked, “What can we do?”  Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized.” 

Stephen gives about the same sermon, but this time folks are not struck in their heart. They become so enraged that they grind their teeth. They cover their ears so they cannot listen to any more of Stephen’s sermon. Then, they rush and grab Stephen, dragging him out of the city.  There, they stone him to death.

This is a God Spot – Opposition. Luther said that this is a very good sign that God is at work – because this world will oppose God’s activity.

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Did Stephen resist or struggle? We don’t know. All we know is this.

Stephen said in invocation, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he knelt down and said aloud, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And with these words he fell asleep.

Who also said these words just before he died? It was our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. 

On the cross, Jesus had the legitimate option of exacting vengeance for his wrongful crucifixion. “Vengeance is mine says the Lord God” and Jesus had the option of executing that vengeance upon those who set him up for crucifixion.  The words from the cross could easily have been, "Father, kill them." 

What Jesus said was, “Father, forgive them!  Do not hold this sin against them.  Grant them acquittal!”

Stephen heard these words well and lived by them. 

Stephen becomes the first martyr of the Christian church.  He was not the last. 

He is not called a martyr because he died confessing Jesus Christ.  He is a martyr because he died speaking Jesus' word of forgiveness.

You don't have to die to be a martyr. When you grant acquittal to those who sin against you, it feels like a part of you does die.  Yet, in that death the resurrection to life is given as a gift.  That is God's power in you, working the same work in you as in Jesus.

I chose to use the word 'acquittal' here because the word 'forgiveness' comes too easy to our lips, failing to come from deep in our spirit.  Acquittal is a grace that includes forgiveness, yet it goes far beyond it. It is the ability to nobly wipe clean any blame for an offense.  It is granting exoneration even before there is a need to forgive and forget.  Acquittal means “Case dismissed!” even before a case has been built.

Acquittal is the surest sign of God

Miracles of healing, feeding and even raising the dead can make a difference in the world. But when we are willing to lay down our right to revenge the world is made new.

We can look all over the world and see that.

·      In and around Jerusalem today the children of the two sons of Abraham are getting ready to go to war again over who owns which olive tree.

·      And in Syria, South Sudan and Little Falls retributions are being worked out.

·      In each of our schools, streets, and workplaces – every day we have people holding on to wrongs done to them.

In each of these places God can be spotted – working through the Followers of Jesus – laying down their right to revenge, acquitting the sins, trust that the God’s grace is enough to trump all violence.

+AMEN+