Acts 6:8-10, 7:54-60; Matt 10: 17-22
St Stephen’s Patronal Festival
Sun 5 Aug 2012
and the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man
Bp Barbara Darling
named Saul. 59 While they were stoning Stephen, he prayed,
St Stephen’s Mt Waverley
"Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." 60 Then he knelt down and
cried out in a loud voice, "Lord, do not hold this sin against
them." When he had said this, he died.
Acts 6:8
Stephen, full of grace and power, did great
wonders and signs among the people. 9 Then some of those
who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was
called), Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and others of those from
Cilicia and Asia, stood up and argued with Stephen. 10 But
they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which
he spoke…..
Matthew 10:17 Beware of them, for they will hand you
over to councils and flog you in their synagogues; 18 and you
will be dragged before governors and kings because of me, as
a testimony to them and the Gentiles. 19 When they hand you
over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you
are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you at that
54 When they heard these things, they became
time; 20 for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your
enraged and ground their teeth at Stephen. 55 But filled with
Father speaking through you. 21 Brother will betray brother to
the Holy Spirit, he gazed into heaven and saw the glory of
death, and a father his child, and children will rise against
God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 "Look,"
parents and have them put to death; 22 and you will be hated
he said, "I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man
by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the
standing at the right hand of God!" 57 But they covered their
end will be saved.
ears, and with a loud shout all rushed together against him. 58
Then they dragged him out of the city and began to stone him;
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good to see you continuing to reach out to those in your
Grant O Lord, that through the spoken word and in the written
community in these and other ways.
word we may behold the living word, our Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ.
Amen
It is a privilege to give thanks today for the life and witness of
St Stephen, in whose honour your church is named. I enjoyed
I am delighted to be back with you today as we share in the
reading about Stephen as I prepared this sermon. Not much is
special day or Patronal Festival for Stephen –last year I went
known about Stephen but he had a big impact on the early
to St Stephen’s at Warrandyte and the following week to
church. He is only found in the Bible in the book of Acts as
Bayswater, while the previous year I went to St Stephen’s at
with our reading for today. In Acts chpt 6, we are shown how
Greythorn.
the apostles, the twelve leading followers of Jesus, chose
So there are several churches throughout the
region and the diocese for whom this is a very special day.
seven men to be deacons to help them in the serving of the
people, including the distribution of food to the needy. The
Last time I was here it was at the very end of the liturgical
year – as we celebrated the feast of Christ the King, nearly
two years ago. It is good to be back with you and to see your
church and property looking cared for and welcoming to
first deacon listed is Stephen, who is described as full of the
Spirit and of wisdom. Later he is described as full of grace
and power, and doing great wonders and signs among the
people.
others, and to read your website describing your different
groups that meet and activities that you are involved in,
Stephen was someone who could preach eloquently and
including the Friendship Group, Gardening Group, Ladies’
with passion, and made a big impact on people who heard his
Guild, the Men’s Forum and the Network of Working Women
message and turned to Christ. However, the Jewish religious
which I have had the pleasure of speaking at as well. It is
leaders were not impressed by what he was saying about
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Jesus, so he was arrested and brought before the council or
opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of
Sanhedrin, where he gave his famous speech telling them who
God!”
Jesus was and his relationship with the Godhead. We did not
have all of Stephen’s speech in our Bible reading as it is too
long – I do encourage you to go home and read it this week
and see how persuasive he is. We are told in Acts 6:15 that
while he was talking to the council, Stephen’s “face was like
the face of an angel” – which reminds us of the
Transfiguration of Jesus and also the face of Moses when he
entered the presence of the Lord.
Stephen in his address
showed that he knew the Old Testament scriptures well and
also the history of Judaism. He tried to show his listeners that
the temple was only a temporary institution and would be
Then, as was the custom, his enemies dragged Stephen
outside the city wall and put him on an elevated place so they
could throw him down later. We are told that they threw large
rocks at him and he fell down on his knees. He then prayed a
very similar prayer to the one of our Lord on the cross as he
said: “Lord Jesus, receive my Spirit” followed soon afterward
by “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” We are told that,
having said this, he died. And so Stephen became the first
recorded Christian martyr – dying for his faith in Jesus Christ
as Lord and Saviour.
fulfilled in Christ, who was the prophet alluded to by Moses
Stephen had faith in his Lord and he was able to stand
and the long awaited Messiah. He attacked his hearers for
firm. He was prepared to live and to die for his faith and
resisting the spirit, and for killing the Christ.
They then
belief in Jesus as Lord. This made an impact on the young
accused him of blasphemy or speaking out against God.
man Saul who was there watching and minding coats for the
While he was speaking, he saw a vision of Christ on God’s
ones throwing stones. Saul did not actually hurt Stephen, but
“Look, he said, I see the heavens
by where he was and what he was doing, he was in support of
right hand. (Acts 7: 56):
these actions. Later he was to regret this when he had his
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encounter with Christ on the road to Damascus. This changed
his life and led to him becoming a leader of the Christians and
travelling around the then known world, preaching, teaching
and encouraging Christians in various places.
His name
changed from Saul to Paul as his life and beliefs changed.
We give thanks today that members of your parish
family, whether Australian born or overseas born, are prepared
to stand up in our modern world and affirm their faith in God
as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Stephen’s steadfastness and faith and the way he died for his
Many of us here have made that same promise or have had it
faith, must have been one of the encounters in Paul’s life that
made for us.
made a great impact on him.
Stephen, Mary and the other apostles and martyrs and to take
Since then, with James, with Paul himself and Peter,
and with hundreds of others, people have been willing to stand
firm for their faith and to be persecuted for it or even to be put
to death.
This has been in a variety of ways including
throwing them to the lions, hanging on a cross, in prison, in
the electric chair or in a concentration camp. Tertullian, one
of the respected early church fathers, coined the famous
saying that: “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the
church”. When people saw Christians like Stephen willing to
speak out and even die for their faith, this made an incredible
impact and witness to others, and led them to stand firm as
What does it mean for us today to follow
up the cross and follow Jesus? It means being prepared to
stand up and be counted as one of his followers, to try to live
life first for God and for others, and not just for ourselves. It
means trusting God to work in unexpected and wonderful
ways in our lives, even in the midst of troubles and trials. It
means realizing that no matter what happens to us, Jesus
understands as he also experienced at various times alienation,
mocking, cruelty, being looked down on, not being believed,
loneliness and poverty. As we look at other followers of Jesus
throughout history, and particularly today with St Stephen, we
can learn much from them – their humility, joy, obedience,
well.
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wisdom, simplicity and challenge to their community. Like
each other, as we seek to follow Jesus and to know his
them, we too can stand firm in our faith.
presence in each part of our lives, and as we seek to stand
firm.
How can we follow Jesus, take up our cross, and be firm in
our faith? We need to have guidelines and directions. If we
May each of us also be prepared to follow Jesus on the road to
go along a wrong path, we need to read the instructions again,
Jerusalem and through that to new life in Christ, living our
find the right route and kept on going.
lives with and for others. For those already faithfully doing
so, may you know the power of the Holy Spirit as you
In our Christian life as we follow Jesus we have the Bible to
give us direction – like a Melways road directory or a Sat Nav
for our Christian walk. Let us read it intelligently, study it,
listen to people explaining it, and seek to come closer to God
continue to walk with Christ in all you say and do; for any
who may not be sure if you have made this step, our Lord
Jesus Christ urges us in the Scriptures to Take up your cross
and to stand firm in the Lord.
through it. We also have the community of the church to help
us, with the advice and support of older or mature Christians
Where do you stand today as a group of people gathered in the
and the encouragement of family and godparents. We have a
Lord’s name and honouring St Stephen as your patron saint?
range of Christian literature, of Bible study groups, of
As many people seek to live life for themselves and no longer
theological study, of articles in TMA, of spiritual direction –
go to church or see their relationship with God through Christ
all ways of helping us to grow in our faith.
as something vitally important in their lives, this is a time
where like Stephen, you are asked to stand up boldly as
We promise in a baptism or confirmation service to support
those being baptised or confirmed, as they follow Jesus and as
Christians. Are you prepared to be the salt and light of Christ
in this part of God’s world?
You will continue to face
they take up their cross. May each of us continue to support
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challenges as you build up your relationship with the
surrounding neighbourhood and seek to reach out to those in
this community. May you step forward boldly into the future,
determined like Stephen to be followers of Christ who are
prepared to stand up for your faith. As you do this, may God
bless you and enable you to do many great things in his name.
Let us pray:
O Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of all our lives, help
each of us like Stephen to glorify you in all the thoughts of
our minds, in all the desires of our hearts, in all the words
of our lips, in all the works of our hands, and in all the
ways of our feet; as fits those who are seeking to follow
you, for your name’s sake and in your strength we pray.
Amen
(from the new MU Prayer Book, slightly adapted)
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