Sermon

So, 

Have you ever had a disagreement with someone? 

I know the answer is yes, because we all do. Sometimes they are simple disagreements about things like “why you don’t put the cap back on the toothpaste tube”.

Other times they are much more consequential like the one between Russia and the Ukraine where war has now killed people, destroyed property, and altered the future.

Disagreements can take an emotional toll on a relationship, especially if they are about difficult topics or if they escalate.

And they can happen over things that once seemed like minor differences. 

The story we are looking at today in the book of the Acts is the disagreement between Paul and Barnabas. 

We were introduced to Barnabas last week in Acts chapter 4, where he was mentioned as one of those who sold property and brought the proceeds to the Apostles to use in Jerusalem.

We also learned his given name was Joseph, that he was a Levite - that is he was born into a priestly family - and that he was from Cyprus, so not a Jerusalem native. 
We also learned that he and Paul got into argument after the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15. That was the church wide leaders meeting where they made decisions about what was required of Gentiles in order to be full and equal followers of Jesus.

While it may seem strange to us, remember that the church was at the beginning entirely Jewish! As Gentiles became believers, the Apostles and others needed to figure out whether to be a follower of Jesus you needed to convert to Judaism first.

As the beginning of Acts 15 says, “Some people came from Judea and started teaching the Lord’s followers that they could not be saved, unless they were circumcised as Moses had taught.  This caused trouble, and Paul and Barnabas argued with them about this teaching. So it was decided to send Paul and Barnabas and a few others to Jerusalem to discuss this problem with the apostles and the church leaders.”

So now that the concern about Gentile believers has been resolved, Paul wanted to go back and visit the believers he and Barnabas had introduced to the faith after their first missionary journey, which sounded good to Paul it seems.

But, Barnabas wanted to take along John/Mark. 

John/Mark by the way, was later it is believed, the author of Mark’s Gospel, collaborating with the Apostle Peter, and perhaps, the first bishop of the Christian church in Alexandria, Egypt in North Africa. 

The problem was that John/Mark had left the first missionary journey rather abruptly, and while Barnabas, the “son of encouragement”, wanted to encourage John/Mark and bring back on the team, Paul wasn’t willing. And so they argued. 
And then the scripture says they went separate ways, both still on missionary journey’s but now in different directions with different partners: Barnabas with John/Mark off to Barnabas’s home island Cyprus, and Paul and Silas, off to Syria up north and then beyond to Cilicia, the territory where Paul’s hometown of Tarsus was located.

You see sometimes, God uses our differences and disagreements to grow the Kingdom. And sometimes that growing is a result of separating and going different ways. Evidently, Barnabas saw in John Mark something he knew needed nurturing, growth and time.

Paul saw things differently, had different priorities. He even had a different calling! Because seeing the world in different ways in a blessing. 

Remember that! It is a blessing, because God uses that.

All of us are created in God’s image. We are as - the children’s song says – red and yellow, black and white. Being different reflects the fullness of God’s creation and allows us to see how much more God is than what we want to limit God to be.

All are to be valued! All are to be celebrated!

And we are all to be invited to the table, because we together are the people of God.

Which is why this time of year, during Black History month, we remind ourselves that our black sisters and brothers, as well as every other person of color, ethnicity, and country of origin, is to us a precious sibling.

A person who may be different than us, but one whom God has sent on purpose with gifts and talents to enrich this little corner of the Kingdom of God. Remember last weeks sermon? What gifts and talents do you bring to the Lord’s table?

One whose experience of life you and I need to learn from. One whose shape and form has been determined by a loving God who made them that way on purpose, with purpose, for a purpose.

We are all different! It is so cool!

Even those of us who are white know that we are different from each other! All of us with white skin know that there are a million different shades of white, from the paper white of the British Isles, to the white with a good bit of vanilla extract in some of our friends! My mom tanned! My dad burned to a crisp!

We are all different! And all a blessing. All the children of God created to be different on purpose. 

I mean you know I am different! I play the trumpet. I like Dad jokes. My grandparents were Canadians. I like to cook. I like to read. My great grandparents were Scottish, Irish and German, who knew.

Sue’s family and my own have young adults in them whose parents are Asian Indians or Chinese. There are family members who are gay. There are family members who are wildly conservative and others who are wildly liberal. 

There are even gingers! I, like all of you, am unique. 

And if you look around this space or at the folks in our online church, we are all unique, yet all created in the image of God.

Which is why we need to celebrate not only Black Heritage - because our beloved sisters and brothers have been treated all too often unlike the children of the Most High God they are - but celebrate the good news that each of us is precious in God’s sight.

We need to relax and give thanks to God for all those gifted and talented folks whose skin is darker or lighter than perhaps ours - who have pointed out what we should have always known - that all of God’s people are a blessing and are to be blessed by our love, our acceptance, and our help in the struggle to be all that God has intended them to be.

So, it turns out, after the argument, Paul and Barnabas separated, and went separate ways. And Jesus’ followers placed them in God’s care! 

We are invited to lift our eyes and see the miracle that God is doing. Whether together or separate we are all created by God to go and grow the Kingdom. 

May it be so here and now!

Amen!