Pilgrimage Ponderings
Celebrating Stephen
I understand that today is the feast day for St. Stephen, hailed as the first martyr and revered as the first deacon of the Church. As the early church was forming, some folks began to fall through the cracks. People began to complain to the Apostles that the Greek widows were not being adequately cared for. Stephen and nine others were appointed to see to their care and to insure that in a community defined by the quality of love shared, no one else fell through the cracks.
The next time we see Stephen is when he is preaching a sermon that results in his being stoned to death. I find it interesting that when Stephen was called out from the community to serve, his duties were specific. He and the others were to serve the needy so that the apostles could take care of the ministry of preaching and prayer. But it appears that God had additional work for Stephen to do, and it included proclamation.
One of the things Stephen has taught me as I have reflected on his story over the years is that when we answer God's call to serve, we are stepping out in faith on a journey into an unknown future. And part of being faithful is being willing to say "yes" to the next step, even when you never expected to be heading in this new direction.
In The United Methodist Church, the ministry of ordained deacons is relatively new. The Order of Deacons was created at the 1996 General Conference. I celebrate the witness of Stephen to all Christians, but particularly to my sister and brother deacons who are still striving to understand what God has in store for us.
Thank you, Stephen, for reminding us that our community must not lose sight of those who tend to fall through the cracks, and that each of us must be open to new ways God is calling us to serve.
