More of the Story: Voices on the margins

(Stephen said): “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you are forever opposing the Holy Spirit, just as your ancestors used to do. Which of the prophets did your ancestors not persecute? They killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One, and now you have become his betrayers and murderers. You are the ones that received the law as ordained by angels, and yet you have not kept it.”
When they heard these things, they became enraged and ground their teeth at Stephen. 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. ~ Acts 7:51-60

More than anyone else in scripture, (prophets) remind us that those odd ducks shouting from the margins of society may see things more clearly than the political or religious leaders with the inside track. We ignore them at our own peril. ~ Rachel Held Evans

Those in scripture with the prophetic voice don't usually make it. Things often end badly for them.
Stephen knew this. And he pointed it out to the leaders of the temple. He pointed out the irony of the ones being given the law by God to also be the ones to abuse it.
The ones on the inside who should know better being the ones who miss God showing up.
The insiders, the ones in power, don't like being told they are wrong. They don't like having their power threatened, or being told they are ignoring God's kingdom of love, mercy and inclusion.
And sometimes that means shutting down the prophetic voice with persecution or death: Elijah, Ezekiel, Amos, Zechariah, John the Baptist, and Stephen.
But lest we get comfortable thinking that the Jewish leaders of the temple were alone in this thinking, a look at the news will show that God's kingdom is still ignored and threatened by insiders of all political and religious stripes.
Folks who get up in the face of the system - who speak a word of God's kingdom of love, mercy, and inclusion, are still persecuted or killed: Dietrich Bonhoeffer; MLK, Jr; Oscar Romero and others died for their threat to the political and sometimes religious powers that be.
And yet, here in the midst of the persecution of the first Christian martyr, is a sign that persecution and violence don't have the last word.
The young man, Saul, who took the coats of the killers and watched as Stephen was killed, became Paul.
And he himself would also end up being killed for his threat to the Roman Empire.
But along the way, he made a few marks on the faith of Jesus Christ.
Probably you won't be threatened with violence or death for your faith.
But the next time you hear a voice reminding insiders to reject violence and to lift up God's kingdom of love, mercy, and inclusion...
Stop and wonder if just maybe they might need to be listened to.

Prayer: Lord, let me not shut out the voices of those who call for your mercy for the marginalized. Amen


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