Eastertide

May 1, 2023

Scripture Reading: Acts 7:55-60
But filled with the Holy Spirit, he gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. ‘Look,’ he said, ‘I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!’ But they covered their ears, and with a loud shout all rushed together against him. Then they dragged him out of the city and began to stone him; and the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. While they were stoning Stephen, he prayed, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’ 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.

The stoning of Stephen is an interesting scripture to include in the lectionary well before Pentecost. It projects what is to come after the death of Jesus and his resurrection. The time before Pentecost for the Disciples surely mirrored our stages of grief, the shock of the women finding the empty tomb, and the denial of Thomas demanding proof that Jesus had been resurrected. Each person experiences the stages of grief in their own way, order, and time—sadness, depression, guilt, anger, and, hopefully, acceptance. Pentecost may describe Jesus’s followers’ acceptance. All these experiences were preparation for events like the stoning of Stephen. And all these stories are provided to prepare us for the challenges we may face in fulfilling our calling to continue Christ’s mission of creating the Beloved Community, the Kingdom of God, for all his people.

Prayer: Lord, give us the strength to do our part in building your Beloved Community. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.