Children of Encouragement

Do you know anyone who possesses within them the uncanny gift of encouraging you? The hunch that resides within me points to all of us having someone in our life that particularly excels in lifting us up from a place of sadness to joy, fear to peace, even from death to life. Graciously God has gifted many people like that in my life. Today though I want to tell you about one such son of encouragement.

In the spring of 2005 I oddly decided to join the Track and Field team after having run zero competitive races in high school. At first, I was horrible. A few Sundays ago I told the story of being lost in the woods because I could not keep up with others. While I would like to say that being abandoned in the forest stood out as the low point on my running journey, but sadly it does not! After I started making progress as a runner I got injured. I had to train by myself in the pool because I could not put pressure on my calf. For a month or two I spent more time on the training table than on the track. Eventually though I healed, but then came the crushing reality: I was a bad runner.

Well, I thought I was a bad runner. In practice I could keep up with some other subpar individuals, but when it came to the race I finished dead last every time. Mostly I ran the 800 meters, which requires a runner to circle round the track twice at almost an all-out sprint. Consistently I ran 2:20 for that race, which is good for a bad high school freshman. I could not break through even though I knew I was much faster. Enter Ian Edward Pulaski Turner.

Now Ian Turner was a 6’1” freshman, as skinny as a rail and with a mop of curly hair on his head. Eventually he would become an all-conference and all-region runner in Cross-Country. He exuded a type of cool that was rare among distance men. Ian was not alone in his words of encouragement; however, for some reason his words sunk deeper within my soul than others.

After a very trying season for me our team traveled to the penultimate meet of the season, the Rhodes Invitational in Memphis, TN. I was slated to run in the slowest heat of the 800 meter race. Before the run Ian took me aside and spoke words that I will never forget. He said, “It’s a two lap race, but it’s an all out sprint. Go after on the first lap, then make the second lap crazy.” While these words seem silly the way in which he said them changed how I viewed myself. He saw in me something I could not see on my own. He knew that I had more in me than I had shown, so when the gun went off so did I!

I went through the first 200 in 27 seconds, which was flying for me. I rounded the first lap in first place as the timer rang the bell for the final lap. I pushed as hard as I could. Even though I felt like I was falling apart I heard Ian yell at me, “Make it crazy!” Other teammates chimed in and I fed off of their energy. I surged through the 600 meter mark in first place and as I tightened up on the home stretch I barely held off the other competitors. When I crossed the finish line I realized I had broken my previous best by 15 seconds—a huge personal record for such a short race. Without Ian and others I would have never been able to see that greatness within me.

Today we celebrate in the Church another son of encouragement. Joseph was a Levite born in Cyprus. He sold his own field and brought the money to hand over to the Apostles. This was the first mention of this man that we know as Barnabas. Barnabas literally translates as son of encouragement.

Barnabas encouraged his fellow disciples in more way than just financially. When Paul (formerly known as Saul) came to Jerusalem to meet with the Apostles, they would have nothing to do with him because of his previous behavior of persecuting Christians. Barnabas went to meet with Paul, then brought him to the others, even convincing them to accept them as a fellow disciple. Later, when Paul and Barnabas took Mark on a journey that caused Mark to turn back midway, Paul wanted to keep Mark from missionary work. Barnabas again gave a second chance, this time to Mark whom he took on a successful mission.

We live in a world that so readily pushes us to tear one another down. We exist in a society that seeks vengeance instead of forgiveness. We see all around us the belief that people do not deserve a second chance; however, Barnabas exemplified the truth of God’s way. God’s way always leads to forgiveness. God’s way always gives us another chance to receive the unconditional love that creates, redeems, and sustains the universe through Christ. God’s way always encourages us. Sometimes it will be through a son of encouragement named Barnabas or Ian other times we will receive that encouragement within us, from our church, or from the work we do in this world.

Where do you find support and encouragement? How will you encourage others like Ian and Barnabas? God bids us to lift each other up to persevere in running the race set before us.

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Give, Encourage, Stand Up: The Life and Witness of Saint Barnabas

Life in Jerusalem in this passage from Acts was getting more and more difficult, as the followers of the Way (Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life) were having to pool together their money just to survive. Add to this that Stephen was just stoned to death for telling off the High Priest’s council. This council accused Stephen of blaspheming, but in an eloquent speech he turns this accusation back on the religious leaders, not to mention they were ignoring the Holy Spirit. Immediately after Stephen's death a man named Saul went on a killing spree that lead to the death of many early church members. Life back then was economically troublesome, politically problematic, and even full of religious terrorism. That world does not sound all that different from today: Economic disparity, political power plays, and domestic terrorism have all been in the headlines in the past two days.

The world of Acts full of problems, as it was, possessed a good deal of hope. This was the world in which a Levite, a Jewish priest from Cyprus, named Joseph choose to follow something different than this depressing status quo. Being a man of some means he sold a field he owned, brought the money from it, and gave it to the disciples. At a time when the apostles were struggling to survive, Joseph gave them a pick-me-up that led to a new nickname. The apostles began calling Joseph Barnabas, which sounds funny to us, but the translation means Son of Encouragement. In the midst of a very troubling financial period, Barnabas defied the economic model of scarcity to show God's abundance.

When Stephen was martyred, many of the followers scattered, especially as Saul went on his killing spree.
As the followers of Jesus went away they were terrified of stepping outside their comfort zone and spoke only to Jews that they trusted. Yet some, encouraged by Holy Spirit preached beyond the safety nets they knew, as they began to evangelize to some Hellenists (read: Gentiles). In the wake of this the Church in Jerusalem sent Barnabas to encourage these now emboldened leaders of the faith. Barnabas, this good man full of the Holy Spirit and faith exhorted them to step outside the familiar, religious world that they knew, and many were brought into the Church. As religious and political powers intimidated many followers of Jesus, Barnabas put his hope in Christ and encouraged these Christians to bring in new members.

Barnabas did not stop here though. Saul's murderous rampage ended in a blinding moment of conversion, as he repented and turned to Jesus. Yet, no Christian wanted to have anything to do with him. Imagine if a Muslim extremist today spoke of an encounter with Jesus that led him to convert, how willing would we be to trust this new Christian? Yet, Barnabas went to find the newly named Paul. Without Barnabas’ encouragement Paul would have remained the murderous Saul. Barnabas’ encouragement and his ability to step outside the comfortable confines of what is familiar enabled the young Christian community to blossom even in the face of terrorism. Barnabas even died spreading this message of Christ’s redemptive love, as he preached in a synagogue some religious authorities were jealous, so they dragged Barnabas out, tortured him, and stoned him to death.

The story does not stop there though, as we are heirs of Barnabas' faith in Christ Jesus. We may find it hard to identify with dying for our faith, especially in a place where our religious freedom as Christians is pretty well protected, yet in a world full of economic disparity, political bickering, and continuing violence we are called to stand up like Barnabas did. Jesus tells us that we are being sent out as sheep among wolves, which is a profound and difficult call as Christians. We must step out being wise as serpents, yet innocent as doves living our lives like Saint Barnabas. Barnabas shows that Christ’s love can overcome a world of economic, political, and violent struggle. Barnabas sold what he owned to give to the poor. He stood up to the religious/political authorities of the day. He responded to violence not by more violence, but by giving up his life, like Jesus did. Today and everyday let us celebrate the life of Barnabas by giving, by standing up, and by encouraging, through which we share the redemptive love of Christ.