Sometimes time is not on our side. Issues press upon us and beg to be addressed.
For Stephen and the early church, there was dissension about the distribution of the mission
budget. The church could not avoid the controversy. The dividing line fell between those who spoke
Greek and those who spoke Aramaic. The Greek speaking crowd observed that their widows, who
were poor, were being shortchanged. The church gathered its food and possessions and redistributed
them as any had need. It was Stephen’s contention that the widows in the church who spoke Greek
were not getting their fair share.
Those who spoke Aramaic disagreed. They took such strong exception to Stephen that they
stoned him to death.
The story of Stephen and the early church reminds us that there will be issues that demand a
response. The widows in Stephen’s day were destitute. They relied upon the benevolence of others to
survive. If they were not given their fair due, their lives were jeopardized. Stephen had to speak. The
church had to respond.
If only they had found a helpful way to address the issue, instead of trying to kill the message by
killing the messenger. The issue remained long after Stephen died because the issue was not resolved.
Eventually the different factions in the early church would have to come together in some fashion
to resolve their differences. When the church engages in conflicts, it is helpful when ground is
established that is not on the opposite poles of “doing nothing” or “spare no violence.”
One of the parishioners in Glenwood Landing shared a pet peeve and a wish that is informative
to Christians in times of disagreement. Heidi DiGiovanni said, “I get tired of people saying, ‘Let’s agree
to disagree.’ I’m ready for people to start agreeing to agree.”
Heidi’s wish is easier said than done. But it’s a thought. As Christians, we will find ourselves in
times of disagreement. Life can be pretty scarey when divisions in our beliefs become clear. We may
become frightened, discouraged, or disappointed when we find we cannot share the opinions of the
ones with whom we share our pews.
Yet there are some places where we may agree. We would do well to remember that no
matter how much we disagree, there are some beliefs we share. When we join the Presbyterian
Church, we declare
1) that we trust in the gracious mercy of God, that we turn from the ways of sin and renounce
evil and its power in the world.
2) We turn to Jesus Christ and accept him as our Lord and Savior, trusting in his grace and
love.
3) And we pledge to be Christ’s faithful disciple, obeying his Word and showing his love.
In these three ways we agree. Helpful it will be if we remember that we share this common ground.
We are gathered in Christian community because of our basic, shared beliefs. There is, of
course, a wide range of beliefs that are not covered by the three tenets we state when we become
members of the church. There is much room for different points of view.
There will be areas of disagreement within our religious community. If we take the church
seriously and are honest about issues that are important, we will find ourselves in times of disagreement.
Our challenge during these times is to avoid responses of fight or flight. Our challenge is to have
engagement with resolution.
The church is to become engaged peacefully in the controversies that would divide us. The
church is to become engaged peacefully in controversies, with faith that our disputes will be resolved.
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