Martyrdom

Acts 7:55-60

Martyrdom

 

        I am drawn to the Stephen story because many of my heroes were martyrs. Unfortunately most of these folks became my heroes after they died. Such is the fate of most martyrs. I was transitioning from high school to college the year Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King were killed. While I was aware of each man, I can’t honestly say they reached hero status in my heart until after their assassinations. I knew nothing about Steve Biko until I read the story of his life and death. The same could be said of Bishop Oscar Romero. Only in death did he receive international status. When alive, each of these men, with the exception of Kennedy, had a small but loyal following. But in death their story became magnified. The argument could be made that what King, Biko, and Romero, accomplished in death was impossible in life. But their achievements were only possible because of the life they lived.

        The word martyr comes from the Greek word meaning witness. Without the witness of Steven Biko there is no Mandela. Without the witness of Oscar Romero I would argue there would be no Pope Francis. In death, their witness was amplified, allowing their cause to be understood on an entirely different level.

        This morning we read of the martyrdom of Stephen. Who was this guy? That is a question to which there is no answer.  We know nothing about his family or background. The book of Acts mentions that he was waiting on tables within the Christian community. For some reason he was picked out by a group of Jews who claimed he was slandering the name of Moses. This gave Stephen ample opportunity to share his faith and witness to the greater community. I invite you to read Acts 6&7 this afternoon. I am not sure if the writer of Luke placed these words on the lips of Stephen or if they were his. It hardly matters. In a polemical study of Biblical history, Stephen claimed his adversaries did not understand the path from the liberation from Egypt to the death of Jesus was orchestrated by God. It was his accusers who were slandering the name of Moses. This indictment was not taken kindly. It sealed his fate. An angry mob dragged Stephen outside the gates of the Holy City and stoned him to death. He was the first to officially die for Christ. He would not be the last. But that is all ancient history.  If I preached a sermon suggesting we become martyrs for Christ, it would fall on deaf ears. We polite, civil, mentally balanced believers aren’t going to drink the Kool-Aid. So what if I asked you to be a witness?

        The idea of being a witness is not prevalent in main-line Denominations. We have our martyrs, usually missionaries, who died in some foreign country. But if I were to say, “Can I get a witness?” from this pulpit, most of you would look at me as if I had lost my marbles.  Perhaps the closest thing we have to “Giving Witness” happens during joys and concerns. We share good news. We offer prayers for those who are going through difficult times. Then ever so often someone stands and gives witness. When this happens I begin to squirm internally and wonder if church is the proper place to raise such concerns.   Then I wonder how many churches in Nelson County regularly share concerns for refugees, the poor next door, Palestinians and Israelites, our President and the Presidents of other countries, drones, nuclear weapons in N. Korea, violence in our society, and the response to this violence. Those requests get under our skin.  We sometimes feel they are disrupting our worship. Perhaps another time would be more appropriate. But then again, when is it ever proper to exclude God from our conversations? And so we hear the witness, we squirm, often wishing their voice had remained silent.

        What was the witness of Stephen? It wasn’t the sermon. That was the reason everyone got upset. That was what led his stoning. But the witness of Stephen was expressed in his final words, “Father, forgive them.” You have to believe someone who had thrown a stone was stunned by those last words. You have to believe someone took those words home with them. You have to believe Saul, who was holding the coats of the stone throwers, never forgot those words. Perhaps later Paul shared those words with fellow Christians as they were sitting around a church home sharing joys and concerns. A witness stays with us.

        I mentioned one of my heroes was Oscar Romero. Allow me to share his story in case the name has escaped you. Romero was a priest in El Salvador. He seemed to have the gift of side stepping any difficult situation. This was fortunate because El Salvador was a dangerous place to live in the 70’s and 80’s. There was constant fighting between the government, the drug lords, the peasants and the aristocrats. Every group, except the peasants, used local henchmen to protect their investments. The position of Archbishop became open in San Salvador. The Cardinals in Rome wanted someone with an ear sympathetic to the government and the aristocrats rather than the local priests who lived among the local population. Romero seemed to be the obvious choice.

        He took office and became intent on keeping his head low. He made sure the bills were paid and baptized all the children of the aristocracy. Then one day he was approached by a priest who asked him to visit the barrio. Reluctantly Romero agreed. During that visit he observed the backbone of his church. On returning to San Salvador he announced he was leaving the safety of his house and would live among the people. Romero spent the last couple of years of his life living with and listening to the poor. This is what got him killed. But that was not his witness. In March of 1980, Romero was celebrating the Easter Mass when members of the militia broke into the back of the church. Knowing they had come for him, Oscar Romero took the bread from the table, stretched out his arms and said, “The body of Christ, broken for you.” Those were his last words.

        We are a people of a sacred witness. The word of the Lord has always been holy. To do so our voices must become confessional, sermonic, poetic, and sometimes even political. It is this witness which calls our community to be accountable and responsible in the eyes of God.

        In early April of 1945, just before Deitrich Bonhoffer was executed for crimes against the German State he wrote,        Dare to do what is right, not what fancy may tell you. Freedom comes through word and deed, not just thoughts taking flight. Faint not nor fear, but go into the storm and the action, trusting God whose commandments you faithfully follow. Freedom exultant will welcome you spirit with joy.

        I believe that is what Stephen and Martin and Robert and Steve and Oscar did.

So I ask again, “Can I get a witness?”              Amen.