ISAIAH 42:5-12

PSALM 112

ACTS 11:19-30; 13:1-3

MATTHEW 10:7-16

Sermon – June 12, 2005

Today we celebrate St. Barnabas Sunday, and remember our patron saint, the one for whom our Church is named: Barnabas. Though not one of the original twelve apostles, Luke named him and St. Paul “apostles” (Acts 14:14), and we actually know more about Barnabas than we do about most of the original apostles. And what we know is quite inspiring – and relevant to our lives today.

Let’s start with his name. A Jewish boy, upon his 13^th birthday, can become “bar-mitzvah” – literally, son of the divine law, or son of the covenant. “Barnabas” means “son of encouragement.” This actually was a nickname the original apostles gave to a man from Cyprus, an island in the Mediterranean Sea, who was one of the first people to accept Jesus as the Messiah after Pentecost. Joseph Barnabas would become the first person who had not known Jesus in his earthly ministry to become a leader in the brand new Christian Church - and the first person from “out-of-town.”

This was crucial. Very early, the church leaders decided that a person did not have to have known Jesus in his earthly ministry to become a leader – otherwise all leadership would soon have died out – and that there would be no automatic elevation of the children of the original apostles (all of whom were married). In addition, a person did not have to be a Palestinian Jew like the original apostles to become a leader: people from elsewhere who demonstrated their faith, leadership and spiritual gifts could become leaders. The choice of Barnabas to lead the first major Christian church outside of the Holy Land (in Antioch, as noted in today’s second reading) set a precedent: anoint good people for leadership wherever they are from, and even if they are, relatively speaking, “newcomers.”

So what kind of a leader was Barnabas? The first thing we learn is that he was generous: “He sold a field which belonged to him, brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.” And St. Peter didn’t even know he had launched a capital giving campaign yet! Barnabas stepped up, and his generosity was contagious.

The second thing we learn is that he had the gift of spiritual discernment. It was he who convinced the original apostles that the conversion of Paul to become a follower of Jesus was genuine. For that deed alone, his place in history is secure. Then, when he was sent to Antioch as, essentially, the first missionary bishop in history, he was discerning enough and secure enough himself to hire Paul to be his assistant! This was not like having Dan Quayle as your Vice President. So the third thing we learn is that Barnabas was not “full of himself”, but was willing to take on as his assistant a promising young man with some rough edges who needed “seasoning,” under Barnabas’ calm and enthusiastic leadership – a young man who would soon far eclipse his mentor. Some people would have felt threatened by such brilliance, but Barnabas knew that “it’s not all about me.” It’s about Christ.

Barnabas was willing to take risks. He, with Paul as his assistant at first, started the whole idea of systematic missionary journeys to spread the Gospel, including to 100% pagan towns, at one of which they were almost killed. Barnabas was brave and steadfast.

Barnabas also embraced diversity. The leadership team under him at Antioch including Simeon who was called Niger (a black man), Lucius of Cyrene (in Libya), Manaen, a member of the court of Herod the Ruler (a Roman puppet), and Saul (to be renamed Paul), the erstwhile persecutor of Jesus’ followers from what is now Turkey.

And finally, back to his name: Son of Encouragement. Everything we read about him makes him sound like a very good “coach”. He had a plan, he knew what to do, he recruited people to do it, he trained, guided and encouraged them, and he gave God the glory.

Sounds like a good role model. Let’s name a church after him!

Well, on June 11, 1872, St. Barnabas Day, some people in South Brunswick did just that. That’s when the cornerstone was laid for our original building - just across U S 1 next to the cemetery which is still there, behind Burger King (which wasn’t there in 1872).

After the Bishop of New Jersey presided at the laying of the cornerstone, it says in our parish archives, “The carpenters of the parish got to work and built the church.” We did it ourselves. Now if Barnabas had been there in person, what do you think he would have done? He would have encouraged them.

A few years later, there was a “parking” problem at the church. So, the property committee got together and built some more hitching posts (for horses). What would Barnabas do? “Encourage them.”

In 1953, a team of parishioners, led by George Spilatore (Stephanie Carr’s father) got together and installed indoor plumbing in the church, with water from a well on George’s land. WWBD – what would Barnabas do? “Encourage them.”

In 1989, when we only had the older and smaller part of this building, a team of parishioners, led by Gene Sanfilippo, built a handicap ramp so that anyone could come to church, regardless of whether or not they could walk. WWBD – what would Barnabas do? ”Encourage them.”

And now, in 2005, we are on the brink of doing major renovations to the upper floor of the older part of the building, converting the old sanctuary into rooms which can be used as classrooms, meeting rooms, and prayer rooms. We are gathering a team of skilled parishioners who are donating their time and talent to do as much of the work as they can, to make this dream come true. WWBD – what would Barnabas do? “Encourage them.”

Barnabas was a hands-on, “can do” guy, of deep faith and blessed with many abilities – and when he found somebody who was better at something than he was or better at something different than he was, he recruited them, added them to the team, and then...encouraged them.

Sounds like a plan.

If anyone ever said to Barnabas, “We’ve never done it that way before” (the “seven last words of the church”), perhaps he quoted today’s passage from Isaiah 42, in which God says, “The former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare.”

Think of Barnabas’ firsts: first donor to the first capital giving campaign in Christian history, first leader of the first major church outside of the Holy Land, first one to recognize St. Paul as a believer in Jesus, not a persecutor of believers, first leader of a multi-national/multi-cultural church, first leader of a missionary trip. Imagine the Holy Spirit proposing each of these ideas to him. I think Barnabas’ reaction would have been “Yes, we can do that.”

Hey, we’re named for this guy. Do we have some challenges ahead of us? Sure. Do we need more volunteers, and money beyond the loan we’re taking out? Sure. Is the Holy Spirit going to guide us in a project designed to help children, teens and adults, including some as yet unborn, grow in the knowledge and love of the Lord? Absolutely.

And what do you think Barnabas is doing right now? “Encouraging us.”

So what else can our answer be but “Yes, we can do this.”

(The Rev.) Francis A. Hubbard

St. Barnabas Episcopal Church