The Martydom of St. Stephen
"In all my years of going to church," he told me yesterday, "I don't think I've ever known a pastor preach a sermon on Ananias and Sapphira." The way he said it made it clear that he thought I was either very foolish ... or very brave ... or both! I told him I knew I was the former, and hoped I was being the latter.
For the last several weeks, we've been journeying through the Book of Acts, one passage at a time, one Sunday at a time. I never realized how many pitfalls there would be on this road. The story of Ananias and Sapphira is just one such moment. Try preaching a sermon about Ananias and Sapphira and watch what expressions you get from the people. Confusion if you're lucky. A few angry stares if you really push it too far. This all seems just so severe. And I'm not just talking about this one incident.
Whole crowds being swept over by the powerful wind of the Holy Spirit.
Tongues of fire descending upon men and women.
Men whose shadows heal the lame.
Prison guards mystified by midnight escapes.
Acts is seething with the supernatural.
So, what's going on here? What was Luke trying to do when he wrote this letter to Theophilus? And isn't this all just too dangerously close to that other "s" word: superstition.
What's going on is something you can see all around you. If you have eyes to see that is.
Think about it.
Everywhere you look right now, you can see Acts, just dressed up in different clothing. Good vs. evil stories. Stories of cosmic battles. Stories of deeply entrenched forces of injustice and deep movements of righteous strength.
The Justice League.
The Marvel Universe.
Even Stranger Things.
Malicious, evil forces are incidiously working their way into the world, taking innocent children hostage and bringing a cloud of fear over whole communities. These are the "truths" that our cultural diversions are driving at. And, rightfully so. People can't help but look around today and see that the struggles we are engaged in are both a result of our own doing, but also seemingly larger than any of us can tackle or answer.
Global warming.
The continued proliferation of violence and stockpiling of weapons both personally and nationally.
The re-emergence of angry nationalism all over the world that is unearthing old racisms we thought we had moved past in the era of the politically correct 90's and the interconnected internet.
Gross inequality resulting from an economic system that produces unbelievable wealth for a few and creates desparate pools of poverty for billions across the globe.
Shoot, remember when we actually thought Facebook might be a good thing.
My point is that we're already living and experiencing deep forces of darkness aligned against a better way of virtue, truth and justice. So ... most Americans are turning to cultural mediums as a way to find either escape or even answers to give them orientation in such a world. Movies. Television. Netflix.
That's why, if you ask any Millenial, there's a strong chance they were up on Game of Thrones this year. It's why Star Wars VIII will once again break box office records.
The question is not whether or not there's answers to the things we see and that scare us. The question is why aren't we, as Christians, offering our own tales of promise and hope that speak about God's light and truth overcoming forces of darkness and injustice.
I have a few ideas as to why that is. The first reason is that "s" word I mentioned awhile back. Since American Christians are so fascinated with maintaining the scriptural "inerrancy" of the Bible, Christians have spent far too much time trying to defend "their position" rather than gently and humbling opening up these stories to young people or even those who've been pushed aside by judgmental Christianity.
Secondly, I don't think the American Church is really ready to let the whole truth of Acts come spilling out of its pages. We are a nation of individuals, and we like to talk about personal responsiblity ... and personal conversions. We like our Christianity to line up well with individuals making life-changing decisions. And, yes, there's plenty of that in Acts.
But, do you know what else is in there?
Ongoing stories of counter-cultural movements that puts the early Christians much more in line with those who take a knee during the national anthem than those who don't.
Empire-resistant believers who have the courage to live another reality and who hold to their confession of Jesus over and above their national identity.
A people of prayer living a new economy that isn't completely consumed with whether or not they get to keep their tax breaks.
That's dangerous stuff. That's the stuff that will shake the pillars of the earth.
That's probably the biggest reason we avoid really getting into Acts.
But, consequently, we also end up missing the really life-changing and hope-infusing truths that spill out of its pages. Just think about how many lessons from Acts speak directly to our own day and age.
Like this one ... in a world of entrenched divisions and shortages of resources, perhaps there is a way to find true community and bread enough for all. #koinonia
Or this one ... in a world of power-brokers who still think in terms of peace through military strength, perhaps there's something to those who call themselves "the way" of Jesus that can help us model a new, empire-resistant option. #theresistance
Or this one ... in a world where we are endlessly enticed to live the Ananias and Sapphira method through wealth accumulation, maybe there is something to the radical poverty of those who can find their strength not in this material, transitory world, but in a heavenly realm armed with spiritual powers for spiritually people. #slavestocharity
We're going to take two more Sundays to stick with the Book of Acts. We're going to look specifically at the story of Stephen. And, if you're looking for a good ending to a modern day cosmic drama, there's not one much better than Stephen seeing the heaven's open up before his very eyes as the light of God's glory falls upon him and the stones of avarice and malice pile on top of him.
Then, we're on to the stories of Jesus' birth and Christmas. Not that there's anything cosmic or relevant in those stories. I mean, Christmas is just about a little baby boy born to two humble parents in a manger. Yeah, maybe. Or, maybe it's also about a hero figure emerging on the scene at the precise moment Caesar clutches the controls of human economies with military force and Herod shakes at night with anxious dreams.
Stay tuned, friends. There's more to come.
~Wes
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