Uncover Your Ears

Are we reliving the story of Stephen every time we don't listen to the prophets of our own day?

When people ask me what is the best part of my work week many moments rush to mind. Sunday services, Christian Formation, Centering Prayer, Staff Meeting (yes, I said Staff Meeting), and Wednesday Night Series all stand out as marvelous, but one other very informal gathering also sits near the top of this list. Theology on Tap (TonT)—which happens most Thursdays at 5:15, although not this next one—provides  a space for fellowship and fun to be had amongst our Christian community.

As the clergy often remind those who show up at the Brick Deli on Thursday nights, no one comes for the question. Each week though, Evan or I ask something that hopefully sparks at least a small conversation about God, religion, spirituality, faith, theology, or life. Usually everyone talks for a moment about it and then returns to whatever it was they were discussing previously. Sometimes though the question sticks with you. Like a few months ago when something was asked that I am still pondering.

Evan enquired, “Who are the prophets of our own day?” After he asked this, instead of turning back to what we had talked about earlier, most people discussed this query for some time. One said, “Poor people who share what life is like below the poverty line.” Another stated, “Religious leaders who advocate for unity across religious boundaries.” My response was environmental scientists who tell us that our carelessness has consequences. Still others pointed to women, people of color, or others who have historically and even now still struggle to gain equality. I am still wondering, “Who are the prophets of our own day?” Especially on this St. Stephen’s Day we would do well not only to figure out who they are, but also to listen to what the Spirit is saying through them to the Church.

We remember on the day after Christmas the deacon and martyr St. Stephen. He is the protomartyr in the Church—the first one to give up his life in witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We heard the retelling of this story in today’s lesson from the Acts of the Apostles. What stands out today for me from this event relates less with Stephen’s actions and more with the response of the people around him.

God’s Spirit clearly shined in the works of Stephen who the Church charged with caring for the poor. When he came to the synagogue of the Freedmen those there did not have ears to hear Stephen’s challenging message. Like Jesus before him, Stephen challenged the status quo. He was a prophetic messenger of change—pointing to God’s grace instead of the law of man. When the elders heard what he said, they were livid. Stephen though did not back down, instead calling to mind the prophetic voices of the past.

Stephen pointed to the work of the Spirit, which has always been moving over God’s children. He also signified that those in this synagogue had their ears stopped up, such that they could not hear God speaking something new in their lives. Even as Stephen’s appearance was transfigured, like that of Jesus during the Transfiguration, the angry people around him could not see the Truth. When Stephen saw a vision of heaven opening up that was the last straw for his persecutors. Their response was to cover their ears, yelling, as they attacked the innocent deacon.

As I turn back to thinking of Evan’s TonT question, I wonder whose voice—whose prophetic voice—am I not hearing? Ones pointing to environmental crises? Transgender people who are persecuted for using the restroom? Female colleagues who say even the hiring processes in the Church are rigged against them? People of color who still cry out about police brutality? The elderly who have no one to advocate for them? Who is it? Who are the prophets of our age? How will we uncover our ears? Will we hear their voices or will we choose to stone them not with stones or violence, but with our silence and inaction?