Sermon for the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost

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Jesu Juva

“Strong Hands Are Hol(e)y Hands”

Text: Matthew 10:5a, 21-33; Jeremiah 20:7-13; Romans 6:12-23

 

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

Jesus sent the twelve out . . .

Last week we heard the first part of that. That Jesus sent His twelve disciples out with His authority - authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction. That was the good part. He also told them not to take anything with them as they went - just, really, the clothes on their backs. That was the trying part. And then He also told them that there would be some who would receive them, but also some who would reject them. They would be sheep in the midst of wolves. They would be delivered over to both religious and secular authorities. That would be, I think we could say, the bad part.

And all this not because Jesus was sending them out among the pagans, among the unbelieving gentiles, and not to the Samaritans, who notoriously didn’t like or get along with the Jews - Jesus expressly told them not to go there! This is what they should expect from their own brothers! From the lost sheep of the house of Israel!

And then the words we heard today - more bad news. Even among Israel there would be families divided, hatred, persecution, and accusations of being in league with satan. When Jesus called those twelve men and told them they were going to be fishers of men, I’m sure this is not what they had in mind! Even if they knew it would be tough . . . like this? This is more than they bargained for. More, I’m sure, than they probably thought they could handle. 

And you probably know how they felt. It’s not easy being a Christian these days. And we have it easy! You have much more than the clothes on your back. You probably haven’t been dragged before religious and secular authorities - though some Christians have. But maybe your family has experienced division over what you believe - what is true and what is not. Maybe you have felt the sting of hatred and persecution. Maybe you’ve been accused of being evil. And maybe you wonder: Is this what it means to be a Christian? Is this what it means to follow Jesus? It’s not easy. Not what you expected. How you thought it would be.

We heard from the prophet Jeremiah today similar words. O Lord, you have deceived me! he says. I have become a laughingstock. Everyone mocks me. The Word of the Lord that he speaks is met with reproach and derision. Not his enemies but his close friends are watching for his fall; they want to overcome him and have revenge on him. Even if he knew being a prophet would not be easy . . . this? 

Yes. For so it has been ever since sin entered the world. In the pages of the Old Testament we read, as Jesus talked about today, of brother rising up against brother - Cain rising up against and killing his brother Abel. Of parents against their children - sacrificing their children to false gods, and children against their parents - Absalom rising up against his father David. Of prophets hated and fleeing for their lives. The world the disciples were going out into and the world we live in isn’t a brave new world, but the same ol’, same ol’. A world of people fallen into sin. And you know what people fallen into sin do? They sin. 

Pastors sometimes are surprised their congregation is filled with problems. Why? The people are sinners who are going to sin! We’re sometimes surprised at the problems in our synod, or in our nation, or in our politics, or where we work, or in our families - why? Aren’t all these places filled with sinners? And what do sinners do? They sin. And you, too, of course. Some of these problems, troubles, struggles, and divisions are your fault, of your own making.

That’s the reality . . . for prophets, for the disciples, for you. This is life in a sinful world, a world full of sinners. Sinners gonna sin.

The question is: what are you going to do? When this happens to you, when you are sinned against, what are you going to do? Are you going to sin back? Sin for sin? You wrong me, I wrong you? Maybe that’s your first instinct . . . but isn’t that what Paul was talking against today in the Epistle we heard from Romans, when he said do not let sin reign in your mortal bodies, to make you obey their passions? Isn’t that letting sin have dominion over you? Isn’t that being a slave to sin?

But Paul says, that’s not who you are anymore. You were, and where did it get you? Is it helpful for you to live that way? Is it helpful for the world to live that way? Or is that why our world is like it is? Spiraling down, circling the drain. Lawlessness leading to more lawlessness. Sin and satan ruling, controlling, enslaving. 

No, Paul says. You’re different. You’ve been set free from that. Free from the rule, control, and enslaving of sin. To do something different. You’ve been given a new life. And it’s in the verses right before the ones we heard today from Romans chapter 6 where he speaks of that. He says there that it is in baptism that you were raised to a new life to live a new life. You were baptized so that you would no longer be enslaved to sin. Because when you are baptized, you are not only forgiven, you are set free - sin and death no longer have dominion over you. Because baptism is not something you do, but what gives to you what Jesus has done for you. He set you free from your sins by dying for them in your place. He set you free from the dominion of death by rising from the dead. He set you free from the enslavement of satan, breaking the chains that once bound you.

So you gonna go back? Back to that? There’s no future there. Or as they say today, there’s no there, there. The wages of sin is death - now and forever; He who denies Jesus is denied by Jesus - but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

That doesn’t make it easier to live in our world today, but it does give us hope. That in this world of sin, death, and evil, there is life and the promise of life. You may think you are suffering in silence, that no one else knows. But your heavenly Father knows. Jesus says that nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. Your heavenly Father knows every sparrow that falls to the ground, and the number of hairs on every head. Imagine that! You may love you kids - a LOT! - but you don’t know every time they fall or every hair on their heads! But your heavenly Father does. That’s how much you matter to Him. And even more than that, for He sent His only-begotten and dearly loved Son to die in your place! Which makes you pretty valuable. And far more than you can know or even imagine.

And maybe that’s enough? That our Father knows, and that He will take care of us. So that when you’re sinned against, when you’re hated and persecuted, when your first instinct is to sin back . . . maybe you can do something else instead. Not follow sin and satan in the way of death, but follow Jesus in the way of life. Love instead of hate. Forgive instead of striking back. Lifting up instead of tearing down. Living in your baptism instead of the way of the world. Which is hard, but good. It may mean sacrifice in this world, and maybe even something you really want! But maybe what you really want isn’t good for you, even if you think it is. 

Now don’t mistake this kind of life for weakness! To love instead of hate, to forgive instead of striking back, to lift up instead of tearing down, takes strength! Because to love means to speak the truth, even when people don’t want to hear it. To forgive means calling sin sin, even when people deny it. To lift up often means not gossiping, not speaking what you know, protecting a person you really don’t want to protect. It means what Jesus did: laying down His life for you. He did all that for you, and calls us to do so for others. So He baptizes us into a new life, His life. And He forgives us when we fail to live that new life. And He feeds us with His Body and Blood to strengthen us in this life. You can’t do it. But He does it in you. Which is good. Which is exactly what we need.

And in addition to the prophets, the disciples, and you, who struggle with this, living this new life that maybe isn’t the way you thought it would be, and maybe more than you bargained for, so it was for Luther and the other reformers as well. When Luther became a monk, and then a priest, and then a professor, none of it was what he expected. All of it much harder than he ever have dreamed it would be. They would be attacked from within and from without, from the church and the world. They would wrestle with doubts and fear, with their own sinful flesh and failings. And yet somehow, they continued on. Somehow they continued to confess the truth. And on this day, June 25, 1530, 493 years ago, eight German princes confessed the truth of God’s Word with the words of the Augsburg Confession, and kneeling, offered their necks to the emperor’s sword, preferring death to denying the God who they trusted, who had saved them. 

And that’s the key right there - who saved them. If it’s the emperor or the world or sin or persecution or hate or whatever else in this world that has the power over your life, then you will bend your knee to them to save your life. But if you’ve already been saved - and you have, by the death and resurrection of Jesus! - and if you have a new life from Him - and you do because you are baptized! - and if you have the words and promises of Jesus to forgive you and care for you and acknowledge you before His Father in heaven, and if you know that nothing in this world can take that away from you, rage and threaten as they might . . . that changes everything. That changes how you. That sets you free! Free to live as the child of God you are.

So have no fear of them, Jesus says, because you belong to Him. To Him who created all things. To Him who came and died for you and rose from the dead for you. To Him who promised to come again to raise you from death to life with Him forever. You belong to Him. That no matter how hard life in a sinful world may get - for disciples, prophets, reformers, or you - you are not alone, you have hope, you have a Saviour. And so you can do as the prophet Jeremiah said,who began those verses that we heard today from him by lamenting that the Lord had deceived Him, but ended in a wholly different way! Saying, Sing to the Lord; praise the Lord! For he has delivered the life of the needy from the hand of evildoers. And as He has done, so He will do. For you. So have no fear of them. The hands of evildoers may be strong, but the hands of your Saviour have holes - and that’s stronger. That’s for you. For your life now, and your life forever.

In the Name of the Father, and of the (+) Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Sermon for the Third Sunday after Pentecost

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Jesu Juva

“A Shepherd Unlike the Others”

Text: Matthew 9:35-10:20; Romans 5:6-15; Exodus 19:2-8

 

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

When [Jesus] saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

They came to Him, because they didn’t know where else to go. They came to Him, because they had no place else to go. They came to Him, because they knew He cared, and He had what they needed. 

He taught in their synagogues. Not what the world said was true, but the truth of God’s Word. Not the latest fad, but what is eternal and lasting. Not what they wanted to hear, but what they needed to hear. 

He proclaimed the gospel of the kingdom. Not an earthly kingdom, but an eternal kingdom. Not a kingdom that is good news for some, but good news for all. A kingdom where the king served the people, not the other way around.

And He healed every disease and every affliction. There was nothing beyond His power, nothing He could not heal. Whatever ailed them - physically, mentally, spiritually - He had the remedy. He was the remedy. He even forgave sins. The most deadly disease of all. Afflicting every man, woman, and child in the history of the world. And with a near 100% mortality rate. Only two men ever escaping that fate - Enoch and Elijah.

So they came to Him, the one who had come to them, and for them. Here was the shepherd they needed. The one they had been looking for and waiting for. The one prophesied, and now here. That’s why Matthew used the phrase he did, that the people were like sheep without a shepherd. He didn’t think up that phrase himself - it is from the Old Testament. And three times we find it there . . .

First, when Moses was about to die. Because that’s the first thing that happens to shepherds, even good ones like Moses, that can cause the sheep to be without a shepherd - they die. Moses had led the people out of Egypt and to the border of the Promised Land, but now he was about to die. So he prays to the Lord to appoint a man over the congregation who shall go out before them and come in before them, who shall lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the Lord may not be as sheep that have no shepherd (Numbers 27:16-17). That man would be Joshua, who would lead them through the waters of the Jordan and into the Promised Land. Joshua, a prophecy, a foreshadowing of Jesus and what He would do for us. Jesus would be the prophet greater than Moses, for He would die but not stay dead but defeat death, and so also be greater than Joshua, leading us into an even greater Promised Land.

The second time that phrase is used is because those who were supposed to be shepherding Israel were instead lying to them. Instead of speaking God’s Word truthfully, the prophets were saying what the king wanted to hear and what the people wanted to hear, that nothing was wrong, all is well, don’t worry. But this left the people harassed and helpless for they had no Word of God to defend them against the deception, false beliefs, misleading, shame, and despair of the devil. So the people were scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd (1 Kings 22:17). 

Until finally, because those who were supposed to be shepherds were selfish, only feeding themselves, neglecting the sheep, and ruling over them harshly, so that they were scattered, because there was no shepherd . . . because there was none to search or seek for them (Ezekiel 34:5-6), the Lord said through the prophet Ezekiel that He would come and do it Himself. So the sheep would have a shepherd - a good one, a faithful one, an eternal one. Who would defeat death, speak the truth, and have compassion on the sheep and care for them. So that day in Galilee, the Old Testament was being fulfilled, and the New Testament begun. The new, when the Shepherd would send out laborers to do as He did. 

And we heard that also today, as Jesus sends out the twelve with His authority. He sends them only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel - not because He’s racist! - but because they’re not ready yet. They’re still learning. He will soon send them to all the world, to all people, and with all authority (Matthew 28:19), but they need to learn first. They need to learn (1.) to rely on the Word of God alone, and (2.) of the opposition they will face. For their fate will be even harder than the people! They won’t just be harassed and helpless, they will be as sheep in the midst of wolves! Rejected by their own people, and dragged before governors and kings. But the Word and authority they have will be enough. And they will not be alone. The one who sent them and His Spirit will be with them. Jesus never wants His sheep to be without a shepherd. 

But not just shepherds - faithful shepherds. There is no shortage of those who would be shepherds, but are in reality wolves. Who do not speak the truth of God’s Word, but the so-called truths of the world. Who do not serve, but seek to be served. And so who leave the sheep harassed and helpless, confused and vulnerable to the attacks and assaults of the evil one, who is more than happy to seize them as prey. And as you look around at our world today, this is what you see. Look at how many have been taken captive to false teaching, deceptive philosophy, and harmful teaching. How many are starved and thirsting for life, how many have been hurt and left behind, how many been forgotten and left to fend for themselves? And we are not immune. We can be taken in, too, and curved in on ourselves, and our minds and hearts captivated and mesmerized by sin and what it promises us. But in the end, these don’t give us what they promise. We, too, are left harassed and helpless. These were no shepherds.

But just as in Galilee that day, here too, a shepherd has come to us, with the truth of His Word, a kingdom that is good and eternal, and to heal every disease and affliction. A Shepherd who laid down His life for the sheep, and then rose from the dead. A Shepherd to wash us, feed us, and forgive us. To start His work of renewal in us now, and complete it on the Last Day, when every disease and affliction that burdens us now will be left in the grave, and we will rise to a new life. He will do it for only He can do it. The Son of God in human flesh. Jesus of Nazareth. That as we heard, as one man got us into this mess, one man would get us out. And it’s not a politician, judge, scientist, AI, or anything else in this world. Only Jesus. 

And like the disciples Jesus sent out, we too have to learn that He and His Word are enough. It’s tempting to look to other things in this world to solve our problems or make things right, and while God certainly uses people and things in this world to do His work, it is HE that is doing it through them - providing, caring, saving. Working all things together for the good of His people and His Church (Romans 8:28). So we’ll use the things of this world, we’ll rejoice in people and their accomplishments, but we’ll trust only in Jesus, our Shepherd, and look to Him for all we need. 

And we, who the devil wants us his prey, we’ll pray. (The other kind of pray!) We’ll pray, as Jesus said, for the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. For the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. That there is a shortage of pastors and other church workers in our world today is not news, but apparently it has always been so. Even in Jesus’ day. Today, there are more prestigious careers, better paying jobs, and callings where you don’t have to work holidays and weekends! It’s a miracle anyone wants to work in the church today! No really! Literally. It is the work of God in the hearts of men and women, just as it is a miracle that all of you are here today. You didn’t come on your own - you were called by the Holy Spirit and He worked in you the miracle of faith in Jesus. 

And you, too, Jesus sends. To your friends and families, your workplaces and schools, to love and serve and care; to forgive and mercy and do good. And maybe even to tell people that there is a Good Shepherd who has come for them. Who is here for them. And who cares for them. That there is truth is this world of falsehood and lies. That there is healing for what ails and afflicts us. And that there is life in Him. A life not even death can end. It may not be easy to do that - to live that way and speak Jesus. In fact, Jesus promised it wouldn’t! That if they hated Him, they will hate you. That if the persecuted Him, they will persecute you. But have no fear of them and do not be anxious, He says. For he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4). And you belong to Him. You are His treasured possession.

So you always have a place to go. You have a faithful Shepherd. He is here for you in water which is more than mere water, words which are more than mere words, and bread and wine which is more than mere bread and wine. For in these is Him and His gifts, His forgiveness, life, and salvation. And never will you find  greener pastures, stiller water, or greater protection. That you be not just sheep, but His sheep. That you not be harassed and helpless, bur comforted and cared for. That you never be alone. For everywhere you go, He goes, even to the grave. Until He comes again in glory to raise you up, just as He was raised up, and there will be one flock, and one Shepherd, and everything new in His kingdom which has no end.

That as we just sang,

That in these gray and latter days,

There may be those whose life is praise,

Each life a high doxology

To Father, Son, and unto Thee (LSB #834).

To the Shepherd unlike any other.

In the Name of the Father, and of the (+) Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Sermon for the Commemoration of Saint Barnabas, Apostle

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Jesu Juva

“New Names”

Text: Acts 11:19-30; 13:1-3; Mark 6:7-13; Isaiah 42:5-12

 

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians.

It was NOT a compliment! It was ridicule, scorn. The Jews in Antioch ridiculing those who believed that a crucified man who so obviously failed and did nothing to restore the nation of Israel could possibly be the promised Messiah, and the Hellenists, the cultured and polytheistic Greeks and Romans who lived there scorning them for only believing in one God. Christians, they said with a snort. Christians, they said while spitting on the ground. Christians, they said as they squinted their eyes, slammed their doors, or patted them condescendingly on the head. Christian meant fool. Christian meant stupid. As it still does for some people today.

And yet, we heard, the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord. 

Maybe this was the reason, in fact, for the label. If they stayed small and irrelevant they could be easily ignored. But if their numbers were increasing, they had to be dealt with. And one way to deal with folks we don’t like, we want to belittle, marginalize, or push to the fringe, is to label them, call them names. Shame them so that perhaps they will ease up, lay low, or go underground, or so no one will want to join them and be known as one of “them.” 

And it works. At least some of the time. Maybe an equivalent term today to what Christian meant then would be “Jesus freak.” That used to be a label, anyway. (Maybe I’m just showing my age!) So someone might say: Those people who go to Saint Athanasius are Jesus freaks! Weirdos. We can either embrace that, a term they mean for ridicule and scorn, or cave - back off and try to fit in; show we’re not so weird; not speak out or speak up so much about those issues that break from the Word of God in our world today. Because, you know, it’s not a very big step from being a “Jesus freak” to being - to use today’s labels - a phobe, a bigot, a hater, or even a terrorist. 

The name Lutheran was the same - it was NOT meant as a compliment! It was to ridicule, scorn, belittle, separate, shame, and marginalize those with the theology of Luther, and so of the Scriptures, once the Reformation movement could no longer be ignored. I don’t know how much it worked then, but it seems to be working now, as some churches no longer want that name in their church’s name . . . But I wonder . . . if you take the name Lutheran and the name Christian out of your church name to fit in . . . how much longer until you’re neither Lutheran nor Christian in order to fit into the society, into the culture, and what people want to hear?

But in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians, and since the name stuck, that indicates to me that they didn’t try to get away from it, but embraced it. It became not just a name but an identity. You could be a Jew or a Greek, you could be poor or rich, you could be from the city or the country, and be a Christian. And that’s what was happening in Antioch. The Christ, Jesus, who died for all, was calling all into His Church, into His kingdom, into His life. And when the apostles and the church in Jerusalem noticed, they sent Barnabas to help them and encourage them.

Barnabas, which was, ironically, not this person’s given name, but a name, a label given to him! The first time we hear of him, a little earlier in the book of Acts, we learn his name was actually Joseph - but the apostles called him Barnabas, which means son of encouragement (Acts 4:36). So giving names works both ways, for Joseph received a new good name. 

For one of the things Barnabas did was that he sold a field that belonged to him and gave the money to the apostles for the care of the church and the poor (Acts 4:37). And while the apostles called him Barnabas, son of encouragement, maybe there were others who called him Barmoros - son of a fool, or son of a moron, cuz’ by the world’s thinking, that’s a pretty stupid thing to do! What are you doing, Joseph? Keep your inheritance. Keep your money. Why help the poor like that? They’re probably just lazy or addicts anyway.

Stupid and foolish could also be applied to other Christians, the disciples in the Gospel we heard today from Mark. We heard there that Jesus sent out the twelve with nothing! No food, no money, no extra supplies. Nothing for themselves, but with plenty for others. For He sent them with His Word to heal the sick, cast out demons, and forgive sins. And to those they gave, from them they would receive - not only what they needed for their journey, but encouragement. But to those who don’t know Jesus, who don’t know what He did, who don’t know what He still gives, or know it and don’t believe it - this is all stupid and foolish. Moronic. Stupid Christians being stupid Christians!

Maybe you’ve been on the receiving end of a sneer like that, or worse. Because you believe that the world was created, not evolved. Because you believe gender is of the body, not of the mind. Because you believe in sexual purity, and that marriage is between one biological man and one biological woman. Because you believe in the sanctity of life. Because you believe there is such a thing as right and wrong. Because you believe the Bible is actually the Word of God. You stupid, moronic, close-minded, non-thinking Christian! 

So you have a choice. Know what you believe and why you believe it and why it is good and embrace it, or try to blend in and be acceptable. Now, I’m not saying to be rude, to name-call back, and make others think even worse things of Christians! We shouldn’t do that. We want to be Barnabases - encouragers. Encourage people to believe the truth, and that there is a truth. Encourage people to believe there is a better way than the craziness in our world today. Encourage people to look to Jesus for life and hope and forgiveness. 

Or how about this? How about this word, which is growing in our world today: be an influencer. These are especially on social media, people who try to influence others to believe and do as they do. We are influenced by the world - it’s hard not to be! It’s why we have to keep reading and hearing, and learning and re-learning, the truth of God’s Word. But maybe, just maybe, we could influence others, too. And show them there’s another way to look at things, another way to live, a life that transcends just this, just what’s here and now. A life that is eternal.

That’s the life that Isaiah was talking about when after describing Jesus and all the wonderful things He would do, He says: Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise from the end of the earth. “New song” there not meaning one that was written in the last few years, but a Gospel song - and song of the Lord who makes everything new by His death and resurrection. Who makes us new with His forgiveness, who makes us new with the new birth of baptism, who feeds us with the new food of His Body and Blood. Speak and live this new life - that’s what Barnabas did. And it’s what we do. Even if we are ridiculed for it. Because that’s who you are. It’s not just what you believe or what you do, it’s who you are. 

Because it’s not just the believers in Antioch who received a new name, and not just Barnabas who received a new name, you have received a new name. The Lord who, as Isaiah said, does not share His glory, does share His name with you. He put His name on you in Holy Baptism and said: you are my child. All that I have is yours. And this name, unlike Barnabas who earned his new name, is completely undeserved. A pure gift from God to us. Which is good, cuz’ I could never earn it! But just because it is a gift, it is no less real. It is who you are. It is your identity. Our world is all about identity today - how do you identify? How about: I am a baptized child of God? Yeah, you might get called stupid, moron, crazy, fool, or worse. But is a few easier months or years - before the world moves on to its next crazy idea! - worth giving up Jesus and His truth for? 

Today, in just a moment, you’re going to hear Leander say: No, it’s not! And I will not, by the grace of God. I intend to remain steadfast in the Word of God and my identity as a child of God, even if it costs me my life. Most of you have made similar promises. Audacious, to say the least! Overconfident, proud, to think that you can do so? That you’ll not back down or be influenced by the world. No. It is by the grace of God. Only by the strength of His Word, only by the strength of His work in you, only by His Spirit given to you, is that possible. And by His forgiveness when you fail, which you do. Which I do. Which I did just the other night, at a store, when I should have forgiven but was stubborn instead. And when Leander does, too. But our identity as child of God is not that we are perfect, but that we live in and rely on Jesus’ cross-won forgiveness. As our new processional cross depicts for us.  :-) That’s what I deserve. That’s what I deserved the other night. Thank God Jesus took my place. To give me what I need. That maybe I can do better next time. 

Leander has learned this. Of his sin, and how great it is. Of His Saviour and how much greater He is than his sin. Of how to pray. Of how his baptism has given him a new life. Of a life of repentance. And of the food and nourishment he needs to sustain him in this new life - the Body and Blood of Jesus. Today he will confess before you and His heavenly Father: yes, this is who I am. He’ll need our help. He’ll need our encouragement, for you to be his Barnabases. And he’ll be yours. 

Now, maybe you think him an unlikely candidate for this! But any more unlikely than Saul the persecutor, Peter the smelly and impulsive fisherman, James and John the glory-seekers . . . or you? Not really. For remember when Paul said this: God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are (1 Corinthians 1:27-28). And God chose Leander, and God chose you, and Barnabas, and Peter, and who knows how many others across the centuries? And what were they like? And we thank God for such grace.

So this day we commemorate Saint Barnabas, Apostle . . . is actually a pretty good day for a confirmation! For the world’s not getting any easier, and we need more Barnabases, encouragers, influencers. Barnabas lost his life for this. Maybe Leander will, too, sticking to the promise he makes today. Maybe you will. But when you know who you are, your identity in Christ, and the truth of His Word, and the life you have in Him, far greater than any life we have now, while being a Christian may not be easy, it is good. It is the way of life. To go out into this world with nothing but Jesus and His Word, and to go out of this world with nothing but Jesus and His Word, and know - that is enough. 

In the Name of the Father, and of the (+) Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.