Acts 7:59 - 8:8
And so it begins. Violence against the followers of Jesus.
In the church calendar we move abruptly from the story of the Incarnation, the birth of Jesus, to a story of a raging mob, excited by religious fervour, killing the deacon Stephen; a killing that unleashed a wave of state violence against those who became known as Christians.
Followers of Jesus, Christians, are by no means unique in being targets of hate and violence. Members of various groups seen as "other" have all been, and continue to be, targeted because of their religious or ideological beliefs, ethnicity or nationality, gender, sexual orientation, perceived disabilities, and more.
Our scriptures give one of the dead - Stephen - a face, a name, a story, a voice. This moves us beyond the mind-numbing numbers of the dead and the slaughtered in the mass persecution that followed. This stating of a name, giving voice to the story, and declaring the human impact of mass hate and violence remains critical today.
Earlier this year I had the immense privilege of meeting Javier Sicilia who is a Mexican poet, mystic, and protester. When his son was caught in the crossfires of the Mexican drug wars he began to work against the anonymity of the tens of thousands of people killed by giving a face and name and voice to his son and others. The resulting Movement for Peace and Justice with Dignity has given voice to many Mexicans, dead and alive, and continues to influence the Mexican, American and Canadian governments (read more about Sicilia's story here).
But why focus on this the day after Christmas? The story of Jesus' birth, and the good news he lived and taught, are not sugarplum sentiments. Our scriptures and church calendar push us to hold together, on one hand, the angel song and God's vision of peace on earth and good will toward all people and, on the other hand, the stories of Jesus, Mary and Joseph and all the baby boys in Bethlehem who were targets of hate and state violence and of a man whose name was Stephen martyred because he was a follower of that same Jesus. The good news is that God dwells among us in the midst of our suffering and each human face has a name and voice and a story known by God. How are we seeing, listening, and giving voice to the stories of our brothers and sisters?
Marilyn Malton
Thanks for this Marilyn. This year, I think more than any, I was tuned into the often dark, gritty, and very real and worldly aspects of the Christmas story. The story of St. Stephen further hits home how the Christian message isn't a "sugarplum" one that lets us keep our heads in the clouds (indeed, the point is that God left the clouds (figuratively) and entered the dusty, dirty stable of the earth. And the dusty, dirty stables of our hearts.
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