The reading from the Acts of the Apostles is a violent one of the stoning of Stephen. But one line always strikes me.

With these words he fell asleep

It seems a gentle way of dying.

I had a dream tonight that I was dead or thought that I was dead. Apparently one cannot actually dream that one is dead or killed. It was quite a pleasant experience. I wasn’t alone and everyone else in the room seemed quite content but on waking therefore I almost felt lonely. Perhaps death is like that. Like Stephen we just fall asleep and we are not alone.