This sermon was preached at Bridlington Priory Church by Rev K. F. Godfrey during the Family Service on February 18th 2008.
Let us pray, Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be acceptable in thy sight oh Lord, our rock and redeemer. Amen.
Dear Friends, I am indeed happy to share the word of God with you this morning.
The prophet Isaiah says, "How beautiful, upon the mountains, are the feet of the messenger who brings good news." In olden days, people did not have cars or buses to travel like we have today. They had to walk long distances to see their relatives and friends. And they also did not have good roads and paths. They walked through the bushes, thorns and mud. And some people walked to tell good news of God to others.
As they walked long distances their feet definitely would have been filthy, unclean and filled with mud. They could also been bleeding because of the thorns and bushes that must have pricked on their legs. But then, Isaiah says that it is their feet, which are beautiful. He says, with enthusiasm, how beautiful, upon the mountains, are the feet of those who bring good news… Why does he say that? For Isaiah, it the good news about God that they spoke made their feet and their whole personality beautiful. Indeed, words and deeds bring real beauty.
Now, let us turn our attention to the book of Acts. The book of Acts is helpful because it is unique in portraying how Christianity grew and how the word of God spread in the second half of the first century. In this book we read of people being very bold in sharing what they believed as well as how they experienced God in their lives.
Precisely, Acts 6: 8-15, which was read to us, says that the face of St. Stephen looked like the face of an angel. In other words, St. Stephen's face shined and was beautiful. "Faces shine like Angels" could be a catchy phrase for advertising cosmetics or a Beauty Parlour. Today, we see people spending much money buying cosmetics as well as spending much time in making themselves look beautiful and glamorous. I do not deny the importance of all those things.
However, I don't think that St. Stephen spent any money in making his face look like that of an angel. Also, he would not have spent much time in decorating himself. But, still his face shined like that of an angel and was beautiful. Let us see what made the face of St. Stephen beautiful.
It is not anything else, which made St. Stephen's face shine, but it is the words that he used and the things which he did that made his face look beautiful. Acts 6: 10 says, "…his words were full of wisdom and full of the Spirit of God."
We do use many words everyday. But often we don't realise that our words are important and powerful. It is a fact that we can consciously change our words, if necessary. At times, our words can also change lives. Words of comfort, encouragement and truth can make a difference. Words of hope can empower lives. It is not only people, but also God listens to all our words and rejoices when inspiring words of love and faith come from us. Interestingly, Acts 6 tells us that our gracious words can help us look beautiful as well.
Where did St. Stephen actually speak? He spoke at a synagogue as well as before the council. Sometimes we limit speaking of God's love towards us and our love towards God in the context of church. In fact, we are called to inquire after God in all aspects of our life - in matters of education, work and other responsibilities. Biblically, our entire life should be an act of worship and thanks offering to God.
Significantly, St. Paul, who wrote much in the New Testament, was present during the talk of St. Stephen and he also saw St. Stephen's face look beautiful and shining. It is immediately after the speech and stoning of St. Stephen, Paul leaves for Damascus. It is likely that the words and the shining face of St. Stephen, are the factors, which opened the heart of Paul to Christ, through the divine light and voice on his way to Damascus.
St. Stephen spoke with divine energy and scriptural authority. In fact, he relied on history to make his argument. He talked of the guidance of God in the life of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph and also Moses and Joshua.
History is a tool with which we can find a support for our God centred life and its proclamation. England has a remarkable history of taking the gospel of Christ to many other countries. Several churches, hospitals and educational institutions reveal the dedicated passion and enthusiasm with which missionaries of this country, in previous centuries, worked. People remember the beauty in the faces of those missionaries, health workers, teachers and other workers even today. To give you one example…a medical college was opened very close to our home in 2002. It was named after Dr. Somerwel, who was a British missionary doctor who worked in India. The point is that people still remember the beauty of his face, gained through his dedication, words and work.
Even today, many churches around the world look at the Church of England as their model. It is good if it could continue to be a model. And, I believe that God calls each of us to gain back that spirit of mission and continue to teach our young people about God's purposes in our lives.
I am aware that we have some new comers with us today. Indeed, we have great pleasure in welcoming you here. We have a very good Sunday school. And we would encourage you to bring your children to Sunday school every week.
Now, back to St. Stephen. Even in a tough situation of standing before the council, the words of St. Stephen were loud and full of wisdom. Only if the voice of churches today become loud, powerful, wise and bold it can reach the ambiguity of the intellectual world, the heights of materialism and the depths of poverty and suffering. Of course, it is heartening that the churches in Bridlington have come together to work for the homeless in this town. I am sure that those who work for the homeless will not only look beautiful before those who benefit but also before God, their creator.
The presence of Christ, the living word with us - should help us speak. We can share about the friendship we find in him, the satisfaction we receive through him, the forgiveness of sins we enjoy from him, the peace with which we are blessed and the life which he shares with us.
Notably, even the apostolic church was not without problems. They had the practise of distributing food to the needy in the church. The church was growing and the distribution became unmanageable. Nevertheless, God's spirit guided them to solve the problem. They decided to share the responsibilities of the church, just like we do here. St. Stephen is introduced to us in this context. He was not only a person full of wisdom and spirit, but also a person with good standing. He was one among those selected for the distribution of food to the needy. Thus it is not only what he said but also what he did that brought beauty to him. Words and deeds bring us real beauty.
I believe that there is nothing greater that we could do than revealing God's love through our words and deeds. Only then God can say - how beautiful are the feet of those at Priory who proclaim my good news through their words and deeds. We are called to constantly put God and His church at the centre of our lives. Finally, Christian giving will also enhance our beauty before God. I hear that if each of us give £2 or £3 extra every week there wouldn't be any problem with paying our parish share in full. As a church we are called to become beautiful by earnestly and unitedly working towards reviving our giving and constantly strengthening God's ministry through our church. May God guide us, lead us and help us look beautiful, not just before people, but also before God Himself.
Amen