Sticks and Stones

Sticks and Stones

May 18/2017  Easter 5

Sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me and old adage, of unknown origin but something I remember as part of what we knew back when I was a kid.  My parents taught me to say it when anyone teased me.  I am sure that they meant well, but my memory does not have this catchy phase as being at all helpful – because as a young child I was teased a lot – what with having red hair and freckles, always being the new kid as we moved a lot, and having the type of personality that responded well to teasing, I used to chant sticks and stones quite frequently.  I was searching for stone quotes the other day and I discover that the writer Robert Fulghum in his popular book “All I Really Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten” took this simple children song and put truer words to it when he wrote:  ‘Sticks and stone may break my bones but words will break my heart.”  As a teased person I know this to be true as ugly word and unkind words made me feel bad about myself when I was a child – and you know- I don’t know about you but even as an adult unkind words can still break my heart.  

Just like a slingshot armed with a stone, words are powerful, words are painful, and they can be used as a weapon to inflict substantial damage on your intended target.  Words have been used to denigrate, humiliate, subjugate, chasten, embarrass, demean, shame, punish and subdue – I think words can do more collateral damage than sticks and stones any day.  Some words are so awful that we use them by only talking about their first letter – the ‘f’ word – the ‘n’ word.  But words also have the power to heal your heart as well and words can be kind and considerate, caring and loving, they can be used to build up a person, say your sorry, tell someone that you love them, they can educate, illuminate, share a story, tell a tall tale, or a joke or a funny story – words are powerful.

Stephen knows a lot about words that inform. It is very early in the life of the fledgling church and Stephen has become one of its greatest champions.  – he is an eloquent speaker for the newly emerging church – Pentecost has passed he spirit has come and fired up the witnesses to go and spread the Good News – the disciples are out and about talking up Jesus, telling others about their experiences – sharing with any one that will listen that the Christ is the new way – the new truth, the new life – and for some reason the ones who are living the old way, the old life and the old truth are a bit perturbed at what they are hearing – in fact  they are downright upset.  The words that Stephen is delivering are having the opposite effect on what was intended.  And Stephen in the midst of delivering what he thought was a live giving message – was heard by others as a death giving message - The words, the actions, the message is so radical for the officials that Stephen is sharing his words with – that it is more desirable to kill the messenger than to have the message continue to be spread – and so when Stephen spreads the message about Jesus the Christ / the messiah / the saviour / the holy one of God / the resurrected one-  and the worlds about the resurrection are some of the most powerful words that cause a lot of the consternation.  With these words, the authorities arrest him, and hold a council where he is tried and then convicted of blasphemy – which is a crime that is all about using the wrong words, blasphemy means:  ‘the act or offense of speaking sacrilegiously about God or sacred things; – It is at the council meeting that we join the story this morning and witness to just how words can cause fear and misunderstanding that in order to silence the words, the speaker must be silenced–and so Stephen a man of words, sharing the good news of Jesus Christ, son of God, redeemer, sustainer and liberator – these words that for Stephen are words of hope and love and peace and joy – these are according the men who have arrested and now tie Stephen, these words about God – are words to die for – and so Stephen is sentenced to be executed by a group of his peers which will be an angry mob who will pick up stones off the ground and throw them at Stephen so many times that his body will break and he will fall, and he will die from his injuries of the stones.  

The short five verses that we heard read this morning is the carrying out of his death sentence and Stephen’s words as he is being stoned to death.  It’s gruesome – it’s harsh – and a disturbing story– partly because although this is a 2000 year old story it still rings true – partly because still today we hear of people being stoned – woman who have been alleged adulterous in some countries – and partly I think because the line between us and the ones who send the stones flying is very thin.  Because the ones throwing the stones are not executioners, nor are they thugs hired by the authorities to take care of the problem – the stone throwers that stand around Stephen and hurl the rocks are ordinary people, like you and like me, ordinary people who maybe caught up in the moment, ordinary people who may spurred on by the words of the council that convicted him that Stephen was somehow a threat to the way things were.  Ordinary people who in the midst of the excitement and craziness of the moment were the ones that killed the messenger.  And death is perpetrated with the use of stones –Sticks and stones can break your bones.

The gospel reading contains other types of words, words of comfort, caring, compassion and calm – words that will never hurt you.  Jesus and his disciples are sharing a meal in the upper room – it is the day that we now call Maundy Thursday, and we are almost at the end of the story.  It is the Passover and Jesus and his disciples have come to Jerusalem to share the Passover feast there.  They have gathered in a room to share a meal but before they do, Jesus takes a towel and wraps it around his waist, gathers a bowl, water and kneels at his disciple’s feet and gently and with their feet with gentle care.  He then takes some time to share words of comfort and caring.  This section of the gospel of John-for the writer John – is a crucial time in Jesus ministry.  The Author takes many chapters to tell about these few short hours in this upper chamber.  And the author focuses on Jesus words – his final words to the disciples who have known and loved and followed him for three years now.  Words to comfort, words to inform, words to challenge and most importantly words to let them know that they are loved and even if Jesus is not there with them – they will never be alone.  

‘Do not let your hearts be troubled – believe in me, believe in God, in my father’s house there are many rooms, and I go to prepare a place for you….’

These words spoken to the disciples two thousand years ago speak to us today – these words of comfort are often words used at funerals and memorial services, they offer comfort to us as they offered comfort to Jesus friends and disciples.  What I think is most profound about the words that Jesus chooses in this moment is that they are not about what was, or what is to come, - they are about right now – this moment – they had just had the conversation about denial and betrayal – and they have not yet got to the place where they will break the bread and share the cup – or talk of things to come – but what Jesus does in that moment is ground them into their right there and right then – He says do not let your heart be troubled – let go of your worries, let go of your concerns – everything will be okay.  And when the disciples within a sentence or two of Jesus talk begin to question and worry –‘we don’t know where you are going – says Thomas – ‘show us the Father says Phillip – relax says Jesus – it is all here – I am here – everything you need and want is before, right now– be in the moment says Jesus and understand – understand who I am, understand who God is, and understand how connected both to God and Myself you are says Jesus, “so that where I am you may be also”.

I think it is ironic how these words which in the moment are so comforting – so healing, so peace giving that in a few short hours with a few short words – Jesus will be arrested, tried, sentenced and nailed to sticks that will try to break his bones all for words that broke the hearts of the disciples and breaks our hearts too.

Sticks and stones will break our bones and words can break our heart – but words heal our hearts too, and in the midst of the brokenness of Stephen, and in the midst of the brokenness of Jesus the words they used now– ‘Lord, do not hold their sin against them’ and ‘Father forgive them for they know not what they do’ – these final words of Stephen and Jesus heal broken hearts. 

Do not let your hearts be troubled – believe – and remember that sticks and stones and words carry a lot of power – use them well.