A WORD FOR TODAY, December 26, 2025
Peggy Hoppes
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Blessings. Peg
A WORD FOR TODAY, December 26, 2025
“They threw him out of the city and stoned him. The witnesses placed their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. They stoned Stephen as he called out, saying, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!’ He kneeled down and cried with a loud voice, ‘Lord, don’t hold this sin against them!’ When he had said this, he fell asleep.” Acts 8:58-60, WEB
Christmas is over; all that is left is the clean-up. The presents are unwrapped and put away. The leftovers are in the refrigerator. The decorations are a bit worse for the wear; the outside lights have been blown about; the tree is beginning to drop a few needles. There is no more shopping to do, presents to be wrapped, or parties to attend. Though many people will have the week off and New Year’s Eve is soon, the world is ready to pack away Christmas for another year.
I am sure that some people are relieved that Christmas is over. Christmas is supposed to be a time for “peace on earth, goodwill to men”, but I imagine that there at least a few people trying to get over struggles with family. We gather together because that is what we should do, but our differences often make those reunions uncomfortable. We open presents, eat a meal, and then run off to do other things because we just can’t deal with those differences. Jesus came to bring forgiveness, but on this day after Christmas, many have forgotten the purpose for Christmas, grumbling today about the things they don’t like about those they are supposed to love most.
We think of this day after Christmas in secular terms, as another shopping day or a time to clean up, but today is also St. Stephen’s Day. Stephen was the first Christian martyr, the first of the disciples to die for his faith in Christ. It almost seems odd that we would go from the peaceful story of the Nativity right into the martyrdom of Stephen. It seems too soon to be thinking about those who have risked everything for their faith. However, that is what it is all about. Christ died that we might live to forgive.
Perhaps it is good to follow the joy of Christmas with the stoning of Stephen so that we’ll remember that our faith in Jesus leads us to follow the example of people like Stephen. At the moment of his death, Stephen did the unthinkable: he forgave those who killed him. He asked God for mercy on them. Stephen gave a stirring sermon about the faith of their forefathers, and they lived to see the day of the Lord which had come, but it is in these words of forgiveness that we see the true witness of his faith. We can all be great evangelists, but the best way to live our faith is to forgive those who have hurt us most.
We use the word martyr in reference to those who have died for their faith, and yet the word simply means witness. The martyrs who have been stoned, beheaded, burned or who have died in other ways give us an example of extreme devotion to God. We are not likely to be asked to live or die in such extreme circumstances. We are, however, called to be witnesses. We are called to speak the story of God into the lives of those who are still living in darkness even while the light shines so brightly in the world. We might have to make sacrifices for our faith, but that is the cost of discipleship. It isn’t enough to celebrate the Nativity with a trip to church on Christmas Eve and a battle at city hall for a manger display. Our faith calls us to tell the story of Christ, to bring forgiveness and reconciliation to those who are lost and separated from our God.
The life to which we are called is never going to be easy. We may be taken out of our comfort zone and put into a position of risk and difficulty. We may have to do something that shocks and upsets the world around us. We may have to say the very things that will bring scorn from our neighbors, sometimes even from people who are meant to be most dear to us. We are not likely to be martyred, but Christians are dying for the sake of the Gospel of Christ. We cry out for peace, and we strive to work for peace, but the peace that God promises is not something we can achieve by doing this or that. It comes from God.
As we live in that peace, we are called to be holy and chosen people, growing in the grace of God and becoming the visible manifestation of His love in the world. We are told to clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. We are told to bear with one another, to forgive as we have been forgiven and to put on love above all else. As the peace of Christ rules in our hearts and we live in thankfulness, the world will see the word of Christ dwelling in our lives, like Stephen. For some, this life of peace will be offensive, and they will seek its end. We might be tempted to hide that peace or to work toward a false sense of people, but as Christ dwells amongst us, we will grow in grace and will naturally live the life to which we have been called, the life of thanksgiving and praise, uttering the most difficult words, “Lord, don’t hold this sin against them!”
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