Acts 7:17-29
Stephen is witnessing about Christ just before the crowd takes up stones to silence him. This story starts from Abraham to Joseph, and then onto Moses. Stephen retells Moses story gives us a reason for his fleeing. Everything is familiar except when it comes to Moses killing the Egyptian, then we get this new story of reconciliation Moses tries to bring between two Israelites and one of them asks if he will kill them if they don't reconcile.
Violence upon violence in the story building to Stephen's own death. My heart is heavy today as a friend has undergone violence and is trying to heal physically and emotionally. It is heartbreaking work. Yet love heals, this is the gospel message. When we are at our most powerless, when we surrender ourselves to being God's and returning to God we find pathways of healing we didn't know existed. We become attuned to the message of love from the cross. Not one which killed all its enemies, not one in which life stopped the day the Son of God died, but a love vulnerable enough to show us mercy and grace in the face of violence. May we remember the story and tell the good news, God loves us.
Stephen is witnessing about Christ just before the crowd takes up stones to silence him. This story starts from Abraham to Joseph, and then onto Moses. Stephen retells Moses story gives us a reason for his fleeing. Everything is familiar except when it comes to Moses killing the Egyptian, then we get this new story of reconciliation Moses tries to bring between two Israelites and one of them asks if he will kill them if they don't reconcile.
Violence upon violence in the story building to Stephen's own death. My heart is heavy today as a friend has undergone violence and is trying to heal physically and emotionally. It is heartbreaking work. Yet love heals, this is the gospel message. When we are at our most powerless, when we surrender ourselves to being God's and returning to God we find pathways of healing we didn't know existed. We become attuned to the message of love from the cross. Not one which killed all its enemies, not one in which life stopped the day the Son of God died, but a love vulnerable enough to show us mercy and grace in the face of violence. May we remember the story and tell the good news, God loves us.
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