The sermon is based on the words of Stephen recorded in the 7th chapter of Acts, beginning at the 59th verse: "And as they were stoning Stephen, he prayed, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’ And he knelt down and cried with a loud voice, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them.’ And when he had said this, he fell asleep. And Saul was consenting to his death."

It takes quite some imagination to go way back - back to the time when persons could be legally stoned to death on the street. In this country of religious freedom it is especially difficult to believe these tales of Christian persecution - and if we believe that they happened, to wonder if the happening has any meaning for us.

After all, we have not been spared tragic deaths during the past few years. We know what it’s like to have …