That Didn’t Last Long

2 Chronicles 24:17-22

Acts 6:1-7, 7:59-8:8

Here it is, the day after Christmas, and our daily readings are full of conflict and death. The prophet Zechariah (2 Chronicles 24:21) and Stephen, one of the first deacons (Acts 7:59-60) are each stoned to death, a persecution breaks out against the church in Jerusalem (8:1) and the church itself is torn by conflict over the treatment of widows (6:1-2). Frankly a few readings about peace and prosperity would have been nice today. The baby Jesus still lies in the manger. The Wise Men haven’t even gotten to Bethlehem. Could we not have had some time to enjoy the ambient glow from the stable? But that is not what we’ve been given today.

Maybe that’s just the way it should be. Had the world been filled with peace and light and warmth all along there would have been no need for prophets or a Savior. But the world needed God’s grace and over and over again that is what we got. Jesus was born into difficult circumstances demonstrating that God had not given up on us. Centuries later there are still issues that confront us and challenge us as people of faith, and yet God remains active in our midst.

It is also worth noting that in each of our readings today there is at least a glimmer of hope. Zechariah began to prophesy because “the spirit of God took possession” of him (2 Chronicles 24:20), and though he was killed for his efforts, Zechariah died showing faith in God (v. 22). Even though the church was conflicted early on, “the word of God continued to spread; the number of disciples increased greatly in Jerusalem (Acts 6:7). And the persecution that followed Stephen’s death helped to spread to word of God as Philip, another of the disciples, began to proclaim the word in the city of Samaria to the joy of it’s residents (8:5-8).

We’d like a rosier picture today. We’d like to dwell at the manger for a bit and watch the baby sleep. But the world needs the word of God too much for us to stand idle, and we know too much about the grace of God to remain silent for long.

Prayer: Lord, we thank you for the birth of our Savior. Now give us the courage to spread the good news throughout the world that all may come to share the joy. In Jesus’ name. Amen.