WEBVTT 00:00:02.720 --> 00:00:05.919 We gather for this Tuesday in the second week of Easter. 00:00:06.160 --> 00:00:10.800 And if yesterday's question was, Has your faith changed you? 00:00:11.279 --> 00:00:14.560 Today's question is, can anyone else see it? 00:00:15.359 --> 00:00:20.960 Because the first readings today give us a picture of the early church that is almost shocking. 00:00:21.280 --> 00:00:28.640 It says, They were of one heart and one mind, and no one claimed anything as his own. 00:00:29.039 --> 00:00:30.239 Think about that. 00:00:31.120 --> 00:00:35.439 No competition, no comparison, no holding back. 00:00:35.759 --> 00:00:40.079 They lived as if everything they had was meant for each other. 00:00:40.560 --> 00:00:42.000 And here's the key line. 00:00:42.240 --> 00:00:45.039 There was no needy person among them. 00:00:45.280 --> 00:00:45.920 None. 00:00:46.159 --> 00:00:51.439 Not because they were all rich, but because they refused to let anyone go without. 00:00:51.759 --> 00:00:53.200 Now let's be honest. 00:00:53.359 --> 00:00:59.439 That sounds beautiful, almost unrealistic, utopian, almost impossible. 00:00:59.759 --> 00:01:03.200 Because we live in a world that teaches the exact opposite. 00:01:03.439 --> 00:01:08.239 Protect what's yours, build your own, take care of yourself first. 00:01:08.959 --> 00:01:12.159 And yet, this is what the resurrection produced. 00:01:12.560 --> 00:01:16.879 Not just belief, but a completely different way of living. 00:01:17.120 --> 00:01:18.239 And don't miss this. 00:01:18.319 --> 00:01:23.519 It says, with great power, the apostles bore witness to the resurrection. 00:01:24.480 --> 00:01:29.439 But the real power wasn't just in their preaching, it was in their community. 00:01:30.079 --> 00:01:33.840 People looked at them and said, something is different here. 00:01:35.040 --> 00:01:39.359 And I think that that's what we've been trying to reproduce here at St. 00:01:39.519 --> 00:01:41.920 Augustine's community. 00:01:42.719 --> 00:01:45.359 That's what made the gospel believable. 00:01:45.760 --> 00:01:51.920 Not arguments, but a way of life that didn't make sense unless it was true. 00:01:52.799 --> 00:01:55.680 And then we get this one man, Barnabas. 00:01:55.920 --> 00:01:58.799 His name means son of encouragement. 00:01:59.439 --> 00:02:04.560 That's how we are known, not for his job, not for his status. 00:02:04.640 --> 00:02:05.840 This is the way he was known. 00:02:06.319 --> 00:02:10.159 But he was known by the way he lifted others up. 00:02:11.840 --> 00:02:16.240 And he sells what he has and lays it all at the feet of the apostles. 00:02:16.479 --> 00:02:20.639 No spotlight, no recognition, just generosity. 00:02:20.960 --> 00:02:23.599 A way of paying it forward. 00:02:24.080 --> 00:02:32.560 Now here's where this comes to us because we hear this and we think, okay, I'm not gonna sell my house, I'm not gonna sell my possessions. 00:02:32.800 --> 00:02:34.400 That's not the point. 00:02:35.199 --> 00:02:37.919 The question is not, are you giving everything away? 00:02:38.000 --> 00:02:41.280 The question is, what do you do with what you have? 00:02:41.599 --> 00:02:44.319 Where do you place your priorities? 00:02:44.639 --> 00:02:46.479 Because every one of us has something. 00:02:46.639 --> 00:02:54.639 We have time, we have attention, we have resources, we have influence, even just the ability to notice someone. 00:02:55.280 --> 00:02:59.599 And the earlier church didn't ask, what do I have to keep? 00:02:59.759 --> 00:03:02.080 They asked, where can I give? 00:03:02.319 --> 00:03:03.919 What can I give? 00:03:04.159 --> 00:03:05.759 That's the shift. 00:03:06.319 --> 00:03:10.960 That's what it means to live as someone who has encountered the risen Christ. 00:03:11.439 --> 00:03:13.759 So let's make this concrete. 00:03:14.080 --> 00:03:27.599 If your faith is real, it will show up in how you treat people, and how you respond when someone needs help, and how you speak when no one is watching, and whether you hold tightly or give it away freely. 00:03:28.319 --> 00:03:28.719 Why? 00:03:28.879 --> 00:03:35.280 Because Christianity is not just about voiding sin, it's about becoming generous, giving of oneself. 00:03:36.319 --> 00:03:40.639 And here's the truth the world is not changed by people who believe more. 00:03:40.960 --> 00:03:45.360 The world is changed by people who love differently. 00:03:46.560 --> 00:03:48.560 So here's the question for you today. 00:03:48.879 --> 00:03:53.199 Who is better off because you are in their life? 00:03:53.680 --> 00:03:56.000 Not in theory, in reality. 00:03:56.400 --> 00:04:01.199 Because if the resurrection is real, then your life is not about you. 00:04:02.240 --> 00:04:03.680 So take one step today. 00:04:03.759 --> 00:04:04.639 I'm going to challenge you. 00:04:04.800 --> 00:04:05.759 Not a big one. 00:04:05.919 --> 00:04:08.000 Take a baby step, a real one. 00:04:08.240 --> 00:04:10.800 Notice someone you usually overlook. 00:04:11.120 --> 00:04:16.160 Give time to someone who has been asking for a phone call or for a visit. 00:04:16.480 --> 00:04:18.879 Give where you normally hold back. 00:04:19.279 --> 00:04:21.439 Encourage someone who needs it. 00:04:21.759 --> 00:04:23.279 Be a Barnabas. 00:04:24.000 --> 00:04:32.560 Because when faith becomes visible like that, people don't just hear about Christ, they begin to see Christ in the flesh. 00:04:32.800 --> 00:04:35.519 And that's when everything starts to change. 00:04:35.839 --> 00:04:36.480 Amen.