Festival of St. Stephen, Deacon and Protomartyr
Posted on December 26, 2019 by under
Scripture: St. Luke 1:57-66 (NKJV)
1:57 Now Elizabeth’s full time came for her to be delivered, and she brought forth a son. 58 When her neighbors and relatives heard how the Lord had shown great mercy to her, they rejoiced with her.
59 So it was, on the eighth day, that they came to circumcise the child; and they would have called him by the name of his father, Zacharias. 60 His mother answered and said, “No; he shall be called John.”
61 But they said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who is called by this name.” 62 So they made signs to his father—what he would have him called.
63 And he asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, saying, “His name is John.” So they all marveled. 64 Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, praising God. 65 Then fear came on all who dwelt around them; and all these sayings were discussed throughout all the hill country of Judea. 66 And all those who heard them kept them in their hearts, saying, “What kind of child will this be?” And the hand of the Lord was with him.
Devotion
On this day of the protomartyr—the first martyr for preaching the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ—St. Stephen, we read of the birth of another man who would be martyred for his preaching the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ—St. John the Baptist.
His mother, Elizabeth, would have him be called “John.” The name John means “the grace of God,” or “in whom there is grace.” This child is to be named the one “in whom there is grace” because He would go before the Lord and prepare the way for Him. He would be the one giving out the Lord God’s grace by preaching repentance toward the forgiveness of sins, and baptizing all those who came to him.
St. John the Baptist would deny himself the pleasures of the flesh, putting on a camel’s hair garment tied with a leather belt, and eating locusts and honey, because his preaching was not to be about him. People were not to be drawn to him because of his fancy clothes and fine foods, but were to be drawn to him because of who he preached—the One whose sandal straps he was unworthy to loosen, and who would bestow grace upon all those who believed.
We pray: Grant, O Lord, that in all our sufferings here upon Earth for the testimony of Thy truth we may steadfastly look up to Heaven and by faith behold the glory that shall be revealed; and, being filled with the Holy Spirit, may learn to love and bless our persecutors by the example of Thy first martyr, Saint Stephen, who prayed for his murderers to Thee, O Blessed Jesus, who stands at the right hand of God to help all those who suffer for Thee, our only Mediator and Advocate. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
