St. Barnabas was a Hellenized Jew who joined the Jerusalem church sometime soon after Christ's crucifixion. We are told still suspicious that he sold his property and gave the proceeds to the community (Acts 4:36–37). He was one of the Cypriots who founded (Acts 11:19–20) the church in Antioch, where he would later preach. St. Barnabas comes as close as anyone outside the Twelve to being a full-fledged apostle. He was closely associated with Saint Paul—in fact, he introduced Paul to Peter and the other apostles. He served as a kind of mediator between the Paul the former persecutor and Jewish Christians still unsure about Paul. According to Acts 13, Barnabas was set apart, or as we would say today, ordained, to serve the Lord as a pastor.
The Office of Pastor has had its ups and downs. There was a time not terribly long ago when seminaries were filled and the Church was recruiting the brightest and best to be shepherds of God’s people. Now is not that time. The seminaries are relatively empty and fewer pastors are coming out than are retiring. I should know a little something about that. Now it is more likely that a young man wants to be a pastor but parents and friends talk him out of it. The shine has gone off the office and we no longer esteem the office as high as we did once. And it shows.
Instead of encouragement we hear words of caution. Perhaps that is wise. We live in a time of uncertainty, when congregations are more likely to diminish in size than grow, and when conflict and turmoil is outside and inside the Church of God. It is not simply the times. Jesus told the blunt truth. “Behold I am sending you out as a sheep among wolves. Go, and be hated. Be destroyed.” Even if Jesus did say it, we are probably not going to put it on any recruitment posters. You cannot build a Church by being hated or destroyed. Right? But that is the offense of Jesus. He built His Church on the rejection of religious leaders, the scandal of undeserved suffering, and a death that was not His to die.
St. Barnabas was set apart – I don’t know why translators refuse to use the word ordained – to preach the foolishness of the Gospel to Gentiles. In short order, he found himself in the midst of controversy, trouble, trial, and threat. But St. Paul was hard to turn down and no one could deny the need was great. So Barnabas took up the cause of pure doctrine, the preaching of the Gospel, the instruction in the faith for those who knew none of it, and served the Lord where He was placed.
Soon Barnabas headed over to Jerusalem for the first of many such church gatherings to decide if circumcision saved or Christ saved. Everyone says pastors should not be political but this was politics in the biggest way. Paul was there and Peter. So much was hanging on the outcome of the council.
It was not long after that one was settled that there was a falling out between Barnabas and Paul. It was over another, John Mark. St. Paul was not about to give a second chance to the guy who had left him alone in Pamphylia but Barnabas was inclined to forgive him. Later the mighty St. Paul repented and they reconciled again. That is how the Gospel works. While we are always dividing, the mercy of God is bringing us back together by the blood of Christ.
It is still that way. Friends part and enemies unite. The pews are filled with folks who were once besties and fell out. Unlike the world, however, there is one who can reverse the unfriending by His blood. That is the stuff of the Gospel and the work of the Pastor. You hear it here every Sunday – first thing before anything else. Thought, word, and deed. The evils done and the good not done. Begging the Lord to forgive is one step past an apology. We ask the Lord to do what He has promised and so He does. The pastor stands and forgives us in Christ’s name.
In a world of Amazons and Googles, it does not seem to be such a big deal. But the work of the pastor endures when the mighty retail giants have fallen – can any one remember Kmart or Sears? The work of the kingdom is always foolishness done by those whom the world deems insignificant. No one should desire to be a pastor because you want to make a difference in this world. Get an MBA if you want to do that. But if you want to be a part of something that will endure when the structures of this world pass away, the ministry is still looking for a few good men. If you want to be part of something bigger than sales figures or profits, the ministry is still looking for a few good men. If you want to be part of something that offers forgiveness to the guilty, salvation to the undeserving, and life to the dead, the ministry is still looking for a few good men.
So what does this have to do with the rest of us? Esteem this office highly, honor your pastors, and encourage young men to consider it. Pray for those preparing for the pastoral office and for those who stand before you with the gifts of God every week. Do not belittle the Word of God or the need to true and pure doctrine but honor the Word by reading it and doctrine by confessing the truth with conviction.
Offer yourselves to God’s service where you are. Build up your home with God’s Word and prayer. Forgive one another as God has forgiven you. Extend to the new faces the welcome of God into this house of prayer. Open your books and your mouths to sing with joy for all He has done. Do not absent yourselves from the Lord’s House and don’t make your pastor come looking for you because you failed to show up. Share the news of Christ crucified and risen with those around you. Open up your wallet and give generously and joyfully to the Church as the highest priority. Open up your calendar and serve the Lord with your time and your talents – God knows we have plenty of places and needs. Do not be quick to judge your pastor as unworthy and be patient with him as he juggles family at home and God’s family here. Give him your attention more than fancy compliments and take to heart what he preaches and teaches. Listen to him as he advises you. While you are at it, even as you support this congregation with your tithes and offerings, find another mission and help others near or far in the work of the kingdom beyond your neighborhood. Our congregation is collecting for the Lutheran Church in England which is struggling now. Tell them you are their brothers and sisters with generous gifts for the English Lutheran Church. You get my drift.
The boys among us will see what you do, realize how important this work is, and join to serve with Barnabas and the pastors across the ages right down to this one here now. You will reap the fruits of your efforts when there are men to serve you in Christ’s name when this one standing in front of you is long forgotten. And on the last day, the Lord will recount the record of what you have done along with the good work of pastors and church workers of all kinds, giving you the privilege of having the good works you have forgotten recalled and rewarded. It sounds kind of foolish in a world looking for profits but it makes perfect sense in the economy of the Kingdom of God.
No comments:
Post a Comment