Fr Kevin Kilgore

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Acts: 6: 8-10, 7:54-59

Stephen, filled with grace and power,
was working great wonders and signs among the people.
Certain members of the so-called Synagogue of Freedmen,
Cyrenians, and Alexandrians,
and people from Cilicia and Asia,
came forward and debated with Stephen,
but they could not withstand the wisdom and the spirit with which he spoke.

When they heard this, they were infuriated,
and they ground their teeth at him.
But he, filled with the Holy Spirit,
looked up intently to heaven
and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God,
and he said,
“Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man
standing at the right hand of God.”
But they cried out in a loud voice, covered their ears,
and rushed upon him together.
They threw him out of the city, and began to stone him.
The witnesses laid down their cloaks
at the feet of a young man named Saul. 
As they were stoning Stephen, he called out
“Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Yesterday hundreds of millions of people gathered into churches around the world to celebrate Christmas.

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Today the Church takes us in what feels like the opposite direction.

We’re not celebrating the birth of a child, but the death of an innocent man, Saint Stephen, the first Christian martyr.

Why such an abrupt change?

To remind us that faith always comes at a cost. It’s one thing to believe in Jesus – and another thing to act on that belief.

As our first reading reveals, Stephen was a deacon who preached, took care of widows, performed miracles, and debated skillfully with the religious leaders of his day.

Much like his Lord, Stephen was put to death because of what he proclaimed. And as a final act of faith, he cries out: “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Words which echoed that of his Savior from Calvary.

Stephen gave his life willingly for the Gospel because he believed that, like his Lord who was raised from a dark, dusty tomb shortly beforehand, he would be raised, as well.

There is no greater – or more important – belief that should shape our lives as Christians than the resurrection of the dead.

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Yesterday hundreds of millions of people gathered into churches around the world to celebrate the birth of Christ in faith. Today we’re reminded to act on that faith.

What might that mean for me?

Saint Stephen, Deacon and Martyr, pray for us.

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Image credits: (1) Saint Stephen the Martyr, Carlo Crivelli (2) Saint Stephen, Public Domain Wikimedia (3) FreePik

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Gospel: Luke 2: 1-14

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus
that the whole world should be enrolled.
This was the first enrollment, 
when Quirinius was governor of Syria.
So all went to be enrolled, each to his own town.
And Joseph too went up from Galilee from the town of Nazareth 
to Judea, to the city of David that is called Bethlehem, 
because he was of the house and family of David, 
to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.
While they were there,
the time came for her to have her child, 
and she gave birth to her firstborn son.
She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, 
because there was no room for them in the inn.

Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fields 
and keeping the night watch over their flock.
The angel of the Lord appeared to them 
and the glory of the Lord shone around them, 
and they were struck with great fear.
The angel said to them,
“Do not be afraid;
for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy 
that will be for all the people.
For today in the city of David 
a savior has been born for you who is Christ and Lord.
And this will be a sign for you: 
you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes 
and lying in a manger.”
And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel,
praising God and saying:
    “Glory to God in the highest
        and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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“She laid him in a manger, because there was no room for him in the inn.”

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It’s hard to imagine any place being so full that it was impossible to make room for Mary, a peasant teenager on the verge of giving birth to her child. 

If we were one of the guests staying at the inn that night, wouldn’t we have made room for her and Joseph by sharing, if not giving up, our room?

Yet inns at that time were risqué places, certainly at night. There you’d find everything from loud noise and excessive drinking to mischievous behavior and theft. It was no place for a child – and certainly the Son of God – to be born.

So, Mary gives birth to Jesus outside in the cold, in the middle of the night. She holds him tightly, rocks him to sleep, and places him in a manger – or what was likely a feeding trough.

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Yes, our Savior was born in the dark. Yes, he was born in the cold. Yes, he was born into poverty. Yes, he became a refugee a short while thereafter, fleeing the wrath of Herod.

But that first Christmas night, while the smell and rancor of the inn lingered in the distance, our Lord was born in peace, surrounded by the most precious gift life has to offer: 

Love.

It’s what brings us here tonight. Like Joseph and Mary, we gather to gaze upon the Christ-child in awe, wonder, and love.

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Aside from Mary and Joseph, Luke tells us that the first ones to see the Lord were the shepherds. They were out tending their sheep on an otherwise ordinary night, when suddenly an angel appears to them, sharing the Good News.

A child has been born in Bethlehem, Christ the Lord.

What the angel says to them transforms their experience of the night. Prior to this angelic visitation, the shepherds would’ve harbored a certain fear of the darkness, of the night. Keeping watch over their flock after sunset was dangerous business.

There was the constant fear of being attacked, either by wolves searching for their next snack, or by thieves lurking in the bushes. Occasionally, violent storms would also erupt without warning.

Then there was the dark shadow of Herod’s reign hanging over the people. Like some leaders today, he’d do anything to stay in power.

But the angel reveals to the shepherds that there was someone else working in the darkness, in the night – God had come to visit his people as a child in Bethlehem. 

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We gather this Christmas all too aware of the darkness that still plagues our world – and, at times, our own lives. Whether it’s yet another war, another shooting, another hospital stay, another bill to pay, or just another stressful day as we try finding our way.

But the shepherds remind us, in spite of these things, that God is working in the night. He is Wonder-Counselor, Prince of Peace, Emmanuel, God with us. 

God for us.

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“There was no room for him in the inn.”

There couldn’t be. It wasn’t a worthy dwelling place for the Son of God. A quiet stable out in the cold was sufficient, for there he was safe and loved that first Christmas night.

This Christmas, may we welcome the warmth of Christ into our hearts, for he is not afraid of the night and has come to save us.

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Image credits: (1) WorshipHouse Media (2) Catholic Answers (3) The New Harvest Christian Fellowship

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Gospel: Luke 1:67-79

Zechariah his father, filled with the Holy Spirit, prophesied, saying:

    “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;
        for he has come to his people and set them free.
    He has raised up for us a mighty Savior,
        born of the house of his servant David.
    Through his prophets he promised of old
        that he would save us from our enemies,
        from the hands of all who hate us.
    He promised to show mercy to our fathers
        and to remember his holy covenant.
    This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
        to set us free from the hand of our enemies,
        free to worship him without fear,
        holy and righteous in his sight
            all the days of our life.
    You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High,
        for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,
        to give his people knowledge of salvation
        by the forgiveness of their sins.
    In the tender compassion of our God
        the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
        to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death,
        and to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Saint Luke makes fourteen different references to “peace” in his Gospel, the first coming from the lips of Zechariah in today’s passage.

After his wife Elizabeth gives birth to their son, John the Baptist, Zechariah praises God, saying: 

“You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way… to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

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This word resurfaces at the birth of Christ. 

After the angel appears to the shepherds, revealing the Good News of our Savior’s birth, a choir of angels erupts in heaven, singing: “Glory to God in the highest! And on earth peace to people of good will.” 

Throughout his public ministry, Jesus later imparts this same peace to those who welcome him, who approach him in faith, or who are healed by him.

“Go in peace,” he says.

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So, what is this “peace”?

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It’s inextricably linked with our redemption.

Meaning, in Christ humanity finds its rest; its restoration; its salvation; its communion with God.

In a matter of hours, we will celebrate the birth of Christ, the Prince of Peace. As we gaze upon him laying in a manger, may we rejoice that salvation has come in this lowly child.

God has ransomed his people. He has set us free! 

Day by day, he is guiding our feet into the way of peace.

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Image credits: (1) Hillsong Worship, YouTube (2) The Benedictus, Rembrandt (3) TheTeachableHeart.com, WordPress