Observation: When Stephen, an early Christian, is asked to explain his faith, he retells basically the whole story of the Hebrew Bible in a nutshell, with his witness to Jesus at the end. This portion retells the story of the call of Moses, as originally found in Exodus 3.
Application: In the first few centuries of Christianity, there was a teacher called Marcion, who taught that the Hebrew Bible, or "Old Testament", should be rejected, and Christians should only read the New Testament. To him, it seemed like two different Gods--an angry, wrathful God, and a kind, loving God. Most Christians ultimately rejected this teaching: you can't really get to know Jesus unless you know about God's faithfulness to Jesus' ancestors. Right here in Acts, you have confirmation that the very first disciples treasured the Hebrew Bible.
Today, that makes me think about how we kind of "edit" our own story, depending on the audience. There are some chapters of our lives that even those very close to us may never hear. But that doesn't mean they didn't happen. Maybe as you look back on your whole story today--the good, bad, and ugly--it's a good time to thank God for those who have supported us enough so we feel safe telling them the real, unvarnished truth. In the Bible, God has done the same for us.
Prayer: Oh God, for truth tellers, and for those with whom we can share our whole truth, we give you thanks. Amen.
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