Sermon Idea: Holding the Coats of Those Who Kill

Paul said that as Stephen was stoned to death, he (Paul) was "standing by, approving and keeping the coats of those who killed him" (Acts 22:20).

What a powerful image of complicity in evil: "keeping the coats."

Holding someone's coat is such a gentile, courteous act and yet in the situation Paul describes it is participation in such wickedness.

There is a word here for us who are American, who have means, even ample means. We would never stone someone to death. That is something we read about in the newspaper, while eating breakfast with a cup of coffee in an air-conditioned room. Stoning happens far away or long ago, in locations that lack air-conditioning.

But "standing by", "approving" and "keeping coats" are things we may well do.

Now we live in a complex world and there aren't stonings in this country. But there are executions of men and women, some of them baptized Christians who have repented of their sins. There are brothers and sisters in Christ -- neighbors of ours -- who live and work in a state of semi-bondage under threat of deportation. There are people nearby -- and maybe you are one of these people -- whose refrigerator sometimes goes bare near the end of the month.

You may well not be directly involved in these situations, but are you "standing by" as they happen? Are you "approving"? Are you "keeping the coats" of those who are directly involved with enforcing such punishment?

Now we live in a complex world and there aren't stonings in this country. And, maybe you think the analogies I've drawn miss the mark. And maybe you disagree with what you take to be my politics, but keep in mind that Saul was "standing by" and "approving" and "keeping coats" in a complex world and for what he thought were all the right reasons.

Saul was doing it until he encountered the risen Christ and his physical eyes were blinded and his spiritual eyes were opened and he was given a new name and a new mission.

Risen Christ, come into our lives. Open our eyes to injustice and persecution. Transform us into disciples of you. Send us off this day with a mission for you.