Remember the Martyrs
I hope you have been blessed as we've looked at Stephen this week - an ordinary man, who lived an extraordinary life, and died an extraordinary death.
If any of you are members of a very liturgical church - Catholic, Anglican, possibly even some Presbyterian or Methodist churches - you might be more familiar with Stephen than the rest of us. In liturgical churches that follow a strict yearly church calendar, it is tradition to celebrate the 26th of December as St Stephen's Day - a day to commemorate Stephen as the first Christian martyr, who died because he spoke up in the name of Jesus.
The Century of Martyrs
When we read Stephen's story, I think it's natural to begin to wonder if we could die for Jesus if it came to that. Before we start thinking that this was only happening in the time of the first disciples, let's remember that the 20th century is known as the century of martyrs. Many, many people died for their Christian faith in the last 125 years. Some estimate that more Christians died for their faith in that time than in all the previous years combined.
Two thoughts today: first - remember the martyrs. Give thanks to God for the brave men and women who gave their lives for the Christian message. We stand on their shoulders, truly. Stephen started it all off.
People are still dying for their faith today. Pray for the persecuted church around the world, where following Christ or speaking of Christ is illegal. Pray for strength and help for those Christians - and pray for their lives and even their deaths to be effective at bringing others to Christ.
Will You Live and Die for Christ?
Secondly, let's remember that we don't know what the future holds. Will we be willing to do what Stephen and the martyrs did?
I was touched by a Charles Wesley hymn, which I recorded last year. Listen to these words:
Now, O God, thy own I am!
Now I give thee back thy own;
Freedom, friends, and health, and fame,
consecrate to thee alone:
Thine I live, thrice happy I;
Happier still if thine I die!
That seems a bit like Stephen to me! Living as one belonging to God, happily - but happier still to get to die for Him.
Paul wrote that to live is Christ, and to die is gain. Will you live for Christ today? Will you die for Him, when your time comes to die?
I don't think Stephen would have changed his story, if people were brought to Christ through his martyrdom. May it be that we are willing to follow Jesus right to the end, if needs be.
What happens when we receive the Communion elements? We are reminded of the most important event of the past – the death of Christ as the Passover Lamb.