Acts 15:36-14 Parting Company

 

Observation: After a big missionary journey and a crucial church meeting in Jerusalem, Barnabas and Paul are back home in Antioch. They decide to go "on the road again," checking in on Christian communities they began. But they have an argument about whether to take John Mark, who apparently deserted them before. They can't resolve the disagreement, so they part ways: Barnabas with John Mark, and Paul with Silas.

Application: As I read about Paul and Barnabas' split, it relates to my own experience in ministry. I've joked before that being a pastor of a church, like many public-facing jobs, involves a lot of first dates and a lot of chances to get 'dumped'. You meet lots of new people, they try the community on for size, some join, some stay for many years, and as a natural part of life, some leave. It's always hard not to take it personally, but it helps to remember that people do what they do because of what's going on in their head and heart. God goes with them, and God stays with us, too. 

Disagreements and conflicts are a fact of life. They are never fun or comfortable--especially the ones that can't be resolved except by parting company--but they can always teach us something. If two people as wise, Spirit-led and mission-focused as Paul and Barnabas eventually decided it was best to part ways, then maybe God can make something good from the partings we experience, too. We hold onto the hope that Jesus makes all things new, and that peace, truth and reconciliation will happen someday. But only God can make that happen in a permanent way. In the meantime, we dwell in God's Word, try with all our might to be who we are in Christ, and love our neighbors as ourselves. The work goes on. There's no fork in the road that will ultimately lead away from God's presence. 

Prayer: God, when human bonds are broken, and we lack the love or skill to restore the hope of healing, give us grace and make us still. (From ELW #603, God When Human Bonds Are Broken, Fred Kaan, b. 1929)