SPEAKER_00: We gather for this Tuesday in the second week of Easter.
SPEAKER_00: And if yesterday's question was, Has your faith changed you?
SPEAKER_00: Today's question is, can anyone else see it?
SPEAKER_00: Because the first readings today give us a picture of the early church that is almost shocking.
SPEAKER_00: It says, They were of one heart and one mind, and no one claimed anything as his own.
SPEAKER_00: Think about that.
SPEAKER_00: No competition, no comparison, no holding back.
SPEAKER_00: They lived as if everything they had was meant for each other.
SPEAKER_00: And here's the key line.
SPEAKER_00: There was no needy person among them.
SPEAKER_00: None.
SPEAKER_00: Not because they were all rich, but because they refused to let anyone go without.
SPEAKER_00: Now let's be honest.
SPEAKER_00: That sounds beautiful, almost unrealistic, utopian, almost impossible.
SPEAKER_00: Because we live in a world that teaches the exact opposite.
SPEAKER_00: Protect what's yours, build your own, take care of yourself first.
SPEAKER_00: And yet, this is what the resurrection produced.
SPEAKER_00: Not just belief, but a completely different way of living.
SPEAKER_00: And don't miss this.
SPEAKER_00: It says, with great power, the apostles bore witness to the resurrection.
SPEAKER_00: But the real power wasn't just in their preaching, it was in their community.
SPEAKER_00: People looked at them and said, something is different here.
SPEAKER_00: And I think that that's what we've been trying to reproduce here at St.
SPEAKER_00: Augustine's community.
SPEAKER_00: That's what made the gospel believable.
SPEAKER_00: Not arguments, but a way of life that didn't make sense unless it was true.
SPEAKER_00: And then we get this one man, Barnabas.
SPEAKER_00: His name means son of encouragement.
SPEAKER_00: That's how we are known, not for his job, not for his status.
SPEAKER_00: This is the way he was known.
SPEAKER_00: But he was known by the way he lifted others up.
SPEAKER_00: And he sells what he has and lays it all at the feet of the apostles.
SPEAKER_00: No spotlight, no recognition, just generosity.
SPEAKER_00: A way of paying it forward.
SPEAKER_00: 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.
SPEAKER_00: That's not the point.
SPEAKER_00: The question is not, are you giving everything away?
SPEAKER_00: The question is, what do you do with what you have?
SPEAKER_00: Where do you place your priorities?
SPEAKER_00: Because every one of us has something.
SPEAKER_00: We have time, we have attention, we have resources, we have influence, even just the ability to notice someone.
SPEAKER_00: And the earlier church didn't ask, what do I have to keep?
SPEAKER_00: They asked, where can I give?
SPEAKER_00: What can I give?
SPEAKER_00: That's the shift.
SPEAKER_00: That's what it means to live as someone who has encountered the risen Christ.
SPEAKER_00: So let's make this concrete.
SPEAKER_00: 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.
SPEAKER_00: Why?
SPEAKER_00: Because Christianity is not just about voiding sin, it's about becoming generous, giving of oneself.
SPEAKER_00: And here's the truth the world is not changed by people who believe more.
SPEAKER_00: The world is changed by people who love differently.
SPEAKER_00: So here's the question for you today.
SPEAKER_00: Who is better off because you are in their life?
SPEAKER_00: Not in theory, in reality.
SPEAKER_00: Because if the resurrection is real, then your life is not about you.
SPEAKER_00: So take one step today.
SPEAKER_00: I'm going to challenge you.
SPEAKER_00: Not a big one.
SPEAKER_00: Take a baby step, a real one.
SPEAKER_00: Notice someone you usually overlook.
SPEAKER_00: Give time to someone who has been asking for a phone call or for a visit.
SPEAKER_00: Give where you normally hold back.
SPEAKER_00: Encourage someone who needs it.
SPEAKER_00: Be a Barnabas.
SPEAKER_00: Because when faith becomes visible like that, people don't just hear about Christ, they begin to see Christ in the flesh.
SPEAKER_00: And that's when everything starts to change.
SPEAKER_00: Amen.