Advent Lights · Week 4 · Grades 9–12
Guided Notes: St. Stephen
- Name
- Date
- Class
Follow along as your teacher presents. Fill in each section when its slide is on the screen.
St. Stephen
One of the Seven
Stephen enters the story in Acts 6 as the answer to a justice problem. In the blank 1 church, Greek-speaking Jewish believers complained that their widows were neglected in the daily distribution of food.
The Twelve asked the community to select seven men. Acts describes Stephen as full of faith and the Holy Spirit. The blank 2 prayed and laid hands on them, and the Church has long seen here the origin of the diaconate.
Stephen’s ministry soon went beyond the tables. He worked signs and argued in a blank 3 of Greek-speaking Jews, where his opponents could not withstand his wisdom.
From service to witness
Write what happened at each point.
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| Acts 6:1–6 | Write your answer |
| Acts 6:8–15 | Write your answer |
| Acts 7:1–53 | Write your answer |
| Acts 7:54–60 | Write your answer |
| Acts 8:1–4 | Write your answer |
| Acts 22:20 | Write your answer |
| Today | Write your answer |
The speech and the death
Before the blank 4, Stephen did not answer the charges point by point. He told the story of Abraham, Joseph and Moses to show that God had never been confined to one place, and that God’s messengers had often been rejected.
He ended sharply, telling his judges that they were resisting the Holy Spirit. Then he said he saw the heavens opened and the blank 5 of Man standing at God’s right hand.
He was dragged out and stoned, while the witnesses laid their cloaks at the feet of a young man named blank 6. His last prayers echo those of Jesus on the cross: “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit,” and “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.”
Read it closely
Luke shapes Stephen’s death to resemble the death of Jesus. What is the most likely point of that parallel? Circle one.
- A To suggest that Stephen’s death saves people as Christ’s death does
- B To prove that Stephen was a more important leader than the Twelve
- C To explain why Christians should avoid courts and public debate
- D To show that a disciple’s life and death can take the shape of Christ’s
Why is that the right answer?
Apply it
A friend posts something false and hurtful about your faith. Which response is closest to Stephen’s witness? Circle one.
- A Say nothing at all, since any reply would only cause conflict
- B State the truth clearly and refuse to treat the friend as an enemy
- C Reply with a sharper insult so others see the post was wrong
- D Agree in public to keep the peace and disagree only in private
Why is that the right answer?
Take a side
Stephen ended his speech with a harsh rebuke, and it cost him his life. Is blunt, public truth-telling an act of love, or does love require a gentler approach, especially online?
My side: ☐ Blunt truth can be love ☐ Love requires gentleness
- Stephen rebuked his hearers, then prayed for their forgiveness minutes later.
- Israel’s prophets, and Jesus himself, sometimes spoke very sharply.
- A public call-out online reaches strangers who lack context and can pile on.
- Stephen risked his own life. Online bluntness often costs the speaker nothing.
- Saul heard Stephen and was not persuaded that day, yet later became Paul.
My strongest reason, with evidence from the slides:
The best argument for the other side, and my response:
Virtues Stephen lived
For each virtue, write how the saint lived it and one way you can practice it.
| Virtue | How the saint lived it | How I can practice it |
|---|---|---|
| Justice | Write your answer | Write your answer |
| Fortitude | Write your answer | Write your answer |
| Charity toward enemies | Write your answer | Write your answer |
Conscience under pressure
Stephen’s hearers “covered their ears” before they acted. Feeds and algorithms can do something similar for us by filtering out voices we dislike. When did you last stay with a hard truth instead of scrolling past it?
Think: my idea before we talk
Sentence starters: “A truth I find easy to mute is ...”“The difference between conviction and stubbornness is ...”“I know my conscience is being formed well when ...”
Pair: something my partner said
Let us pray
“Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”
Acts 7:59
Lord Jesus, you were Stephen’s strength before the council and his hope in death.
Give us his love for the truth and his mercy toward those who oppose us.
St. Stephen, pray for us.
Amen.
My own prayer or intention:
Well done
The Church keeps Stephen’s feast on December 26, setting the first martyr beside the manger.
One thing I learned today:
One question I still have:
How could the example of St. Stephen shape the way I live, online and offline?
Challenge: This week, say one true thing that costs you something, and forgive one person without announcing it to anyone.