By Jacopo & Domenico Tintoretto - Stoning of St Stephen, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=25556888
Reading…through the Bible: Job 1-2/Acts 7:22-43
As all those who sat on the High Council looked at Stephen, they found they couldn’t take their eyes off him—his face was like the face of an angel…But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, hardly noticed—he only had eyes for God…(Acts 6:15 & 7:54)
The High Council can’t take their eyes off Stephen. Stephen can’t take his eyes off of God. The more the High Council and the crowd look at Stephen the madder they get. The more Stephen looks at God, the mellower he gets.
Writing…
No one gets more attention than our President these days, no one. I’m just as guilty as the next person. I hang on, and try to hang him, with his every word.
We can’t take our eyes off Trump. For a lot of us, the more we look, the madder we get.
I wonder if there might be a better way of going through our day. I wonder if we might be able to shift our focus.
Those who exercise earthly authority over us, need to be held accountable. Stephen does not mince words with the High Council…you continue, so bullheaded! Calluses on your hearts…traitors and murderers, all of you. You had God’s Law handed to you by angels—gift-wrapped!—and you squandered it!” (Acts 7:51-53)
The High Councils of our day must be held accountable. However, I wonder if there are those more equipped for that task.
The Legislative Branch of Congress, must, like a competitive hockey player on ice, check the executive branch. The judicial branch, must judiciously balance the scales of justice as Trump tests the courts.
Republicans in Congress must stop putting Trump up on a pedestal to worship. Democrats must stop blaming him for problems they should be addressing themselves. The Courts and the Congress must Check and balance Trump’s actions.
Building Beloved Communities (BBCandME.com)
For the rest of us as citizens, we might consider lifting our gaze a little higher. There are options to either hating or heralding Trump. My AA friends know that there is a higher power at work in the world. A walk in the woods can remind us that “This is my Father’s World” where All nature sings, and round me ring, the music of the spheres".
I want to get mellower, not madder, don’t you? Maybe, instead of telling Trump to “go take a hike”, it might be time for me to do the same. Maybe it’s time to turn from staring at a screen to marveling at a sunset.
Shifting our focus can salvage our own sanity. However, it can do more.
The ringleaders took off their coats and asked a young man named Saul to watch them. As the rocks rained down, Stephen prayed, “Master Jesus, take my life.” Then he knelt down, praying loud enough for everyone to hear, “Master, don’t blame them for this sin”—his last words. Then he died. (Acts 7:58-60)
When Stephen looks heavenward, I wonder if Saul looks Stephenward. I wonder if Stephen’s courage and compassion softens Saul’s sadistic heart enough so that he can hear and heed Christ on the road to Damascus.
Who has your attention? Imagine the difference a shift in where you are looking could make…both for you, and for the Sauls who might be onlooking over your shoulder.