St. Barnabas the Apostle (Transferred)

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be always acceptable to thee, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer, and Lord, give us here today, eyes to see and ears to hear so we can learn your word together as a family. We offer you all the praise, honor, and Glory for it in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Good morning, my fellow encouragers!

Today is a day of both introspection and celebration. We pause to consider and honor one of the great disciples and saints of the early Church. Celebration, because this day is our parish picnic, a time of joy and reflection for the faithful of St. Barnabas Anglican Church.

The lessons appointed for today direct our thoughts to the character, calling, and mission of St. Barnabas. They give us insight into what kind of man he was and what kind of Christians we are called to be.

Our Old Testament reading from Job 29 paints a picture of righteousness and compassion—“When the ear heard me, then it blessed me; and when the eye saw me, it gave witness to me” (Job 29:11). These words remind us of the qualities of a man who walked with integrity before God and before his community. Such words could just as easily have described St. Barnabas himself.

St. Barnabas first appears in the Acts of the Apostles under a different name: Joseph, a Levite of Cyprus. It is the apostles who give him the name Barnabas, which means “Son of Encouragement” or “Son of Consolation” (Acts 4:36), from which we derive our moniker, “the encouragers.”

Indeed, Barnabas lives up to that name. He sells his land and lays the proceeds at the apostles’ feet, showing from the outset that he is a man of generosity and self-sacrifice.

Our Epistle today from Acts 11 tells us of his unique role in the life of the early Church. He is the one who first vouches for Saul, who became St. Paul, after his conversion. When others doubted Paul’s sincerity, Barnabas stood by him (Acts 9:26-27). That act of trust would go on to change the history of the Church, for Paul and Barnabas would become companions in the missionary journeys that spread the Gospel across the Roman world (Acts 13:1-3).

In our Gospel lesson (John 15:12-16), we are reminded of the cost and reward of discipleship. “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you” (John 15:16). Our Lord speaks here of divine calling, of being set apart for a sacred purpose. Barnabas knew this calling. He answered it with courage, humility, and joy.

St. John Chrysostom once said that St. Barnabas was not merely an assistant to St. Paul, but a leader in his own right. In fact, in the early chapters of Acts, Barnabas’s name appears first: “Barnabas and Paul,” not the other way around, “Paul and Barnabas” (Acts 13:2,7).

It is only later, as St. Paul assumes greater prominence, that the order is reversed. Barnabas accepted this shift without complaint. He rejoiced in the ministry of others, especially those he had helped along the way. That kind of humility is a rare virtue. In a world that rewards recognition, Barnabas was content to be faithful.

The Psalms appointed for today, Psalms 1 and 15, describe a man “that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly,” a man whose “delight is in the law of the Lord,” and “speaketh the truth in his heart.” (Psalm 1:1-2, Psalm 15:2). This is the righteous man whose “leaf shall not wither,” whose life is rooted in God. Is this not a fitting portrait of Barnabas? He was a man of unwavering conviction, rooted in Scripture and guided by the Holy Spirit.

And yet, St. Barnabas was no stranger to difficulty. He and St. Paul had a sharp disagreement over John Mark, Barnabas’s cousin. Paul felt that Mark had failed them on an earlier journey.

However, Barnabas, true to his name, gave Mark another chance (Acts 15:37-39). It led to a parting of ways with Paul, but it also led to a multiplication of the Gospel witness. St. Barnabas understood the value of grace and the importance of second chances. And history vindicated him, for John Mark would later be reconciled to St. Paul and write the Gospel of St. Mark (2 Timothy 4:11).

St. Barnabas teaches us that the Church is not just a collection of individuals. We are a body of believers knit together by love and grace (Ephesians 4:16). Here at St. Barnabas, we are called to be a family of encouragers like our namesake, building one another up and making room for those who need a second chance, guiding them in the Holy Ghost to a closer walk with Christ.

John Henry Blunt, in his commentary on the Book of Common Prayer, reminds us that when we celebrate and remember the saints, they are reminders of our calling in the present. The Church sets before us the example of saints like Barnabas so that we may imitate their virtues. His faith, his generosity, his encouragement, his willingness to forgive. All of these are qualities we should seek to embody in our daily lives.

But let us not forget that at the heart of the Gospel, and the heart of St. Barnabas’s ministry, is the message of salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord. He preached Christ crucified and risen. It is Christ’s death on the cross that reconciles us to God, and it is in His resurrection and Ascension that we are given new life through the Holy Ghost. St. Barnabas was a faithful witness to this Gospel of grace. He preached the unmerited mercy of God poured out through the blood of the Lamb (Romans 5:8-9).

The mercy granted in our salvation is a gift, freely offered through the atoning work of Jesus on the Cross. It’s not earned but given. As St. Paul wrote, “By grace ye are saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8). St. Barnabas knew this truth. He lived it. And he proclaimed it.

So today, as we celebrate the feast of our church’s namesake, let us ask God to make us more like our patron. Let us pray for the grace to be generous, to forgive, to stand alongside those who are new or struggling in the faith. Let us open our hearts to the Holy Ghost, who sanctifies us in holiness and edifies the holy catholic Church.

And as we gather this afternoon for our parish picnic, let us remember that fellowship is also a form of ministry. It was only in the breaking of bread that the two followers of Jesus on the road to Emmaus recognized the risen Christ (Luke 24:30-31). When we share a meal, listen to one another, laugh, tell stories, and pray, we build the kind of community that St. Barnabas would have loved.

Let us pray.

Almighty and everlasting God, the giver of all encouragement and grace, who didst call thy servant Barnabas to be a faithful witness of the Gospel of thy Son and a companion to the apostles: Grant that we, following his example, may be bold in our proclamation of Christ crucified, generous in our service to others, and ever ready to extend thy mercy to the fallen; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.