A Service of Morning Prayer for the Feast of Saint Barnabas

O Lord, open our lips:

and our mouth shall proclaim your praise.

Glory to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit;*

as it was in the beginning, is now, and shall be forever.

Amen.

Open this link in a new tab to hear the Invitatory Psalm: Psalm 95 from the album As Morning Breaks/O Joyful Light

O come and sing to God, the Lord

To Him our voices raise;

Let us in our most Joyful songs,

The Lord, our Savior, praise.

Before His presence let us come

With praise and thankful voice;

Let us sing psalms to Him with joy,

With grateful hearts rejoice.

He is a great and mighty King,

Above all gods his throne;

The depths of earth are in His hand,

The mountains are His own.

To Him the spacious sea belongs,

He made its waves and tides,

And by His hand the rising land

Was formed and still abides.

O come and bowing down to Him

Our worship let us bring;

Yes, let us kneel before the Lord,

Our Maker and our King.

Open this link in a new tab to hear “Morning Has Broken” from the album Best Loved Hymns, Choir of King's College, Cambridge

1 Morning has broken
Like the first morning,
Blackbird has spoken
Like the first bird.
Praise for the singing!
Praise for the morning!
Praise for them, springing
Fresh from the Word!

2 Sweet the rain’s new fall
Sunlit from Heaven,
Like the first dewfall
On the first grass.
Praise for the sweetness
Of the wet garden,
Sprung in completeness
Where his feet pass.

3 Mine is the sunlight,
Mine is the morning,
Born of the one light
Eden saw play.
Praise with elation,
Praise every morning,
God’s re-creation
Of the new day!

PSALM 63

O God, you are my God; eagerly I seek you;*

my soul thirsts for you, my flesh faints for you,

as in a barren and dry land where there is no water.

Therefore I have gazed upon you in your holy place,*

that I might behold your power and your glory.

For your loving-kindness is better than life itself;*

my lips shall give you praise.

So will I bless you as long as I live*

and lift up my hands in your name.

My soul is content, as with marrow and fatness,*

and my mouth praises you with joyful lips,

When I remember you upon my bed,*

and meditate on you in the night watches.

For you have been my helper,*

and under the shadow of your wings I will rejoice.

My soul clings to you;*

your right hand holds me fast.

Eternal Love, our hearts are restless until they rest in you. Let your glory shine on us, that our lives may proclaim your goodness, our work give you honour, and our voices praise you forever; for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord.

A Reading from the Gospel According to John

My commandment is this: love one another, just as I love you. The greatest love you can have for your friends is to give your life for them.  And you are my friends if you do what I command you. I do not call you servants any longer, because servants do not know what their master is doing. Instead, I call you friends, because I have told you everything I heard from my Father. You did not choose me; I chose you and appointed you to go and bear much fruit, the kind of fruit that endures. And so the Father will give you whatever you ask of him in my name. This, then, is what I command you: love one another. John 15: 12-17

Lord I will sing of your loving kindnesses throughout all generations.

My mouth shall proclaim your faithfulness.

Today is the feast of Saint Barnabas the Apostle. It is also my birthday. Having been born on his feast day, I decided to take Barnabas as my patron saint.

Anglicans generally do not have personal patron saints. Some Anglicans, like our Catholic brothers and sisters, pray to the saints but most don’t. They may honor a saint for the example that he or she set for us and they may name a church after a saint. I concluded that I may have been born on Barnabas’ feast day because I would need someone like him for an example of how a disciple of Jesus Christ should live. It was God’s choice.

My birth was a rude one. I was born with a broken arm. My mother said I was a mess.

I have no memories of my infancy. The first church my mother and my grandparents brought me to was a new mission meeting in a Quonset hut. I think that it was a sign of things to come. I have spent a good part of my life in pioneering new churches.  I was not baptized until six days before Christmas and then in the beautiful old church of Saint Mary the Virgin in Therfield, England.

Barnabas was Paul’s companion on a number of mission journeys in which they brought the gospel to the God-fearing Gentiles. Barnabas and Paul would part company after they had a disagreement over whether John Mark should accompany them on the next mission journey. Barnabas wanted to bring John Mark with them. However, Paul did not want to take him because he had left them on their previous mission journey. Barnabas wanted to give John Mark a second chance. So they went their separate ways. Barnabas took John Mark with him and Paul, Silas. We don’t hear much about Barnabas in the New Testament after he and Paul parted company.

What I like about Barnabas is that he was known for encouraging others. He is sometimes called Barnabas the Encourager. He was also willing to give John Mark a second chance. In that way Barnabas may be said to have exemplified God’s grace. John Mark would go on to write the gospel that bears his name. 

Barnabas was not perfect. He made mistakes. He is a very human saint—not the kind that you cannot imagine living a normal life like ourselves. Like Paul, he was bivocational. He worked at a trade as well as preached the gospel and taught new disciples.

I thank you for joining me this morning to celebrate the feast day of Saint Barnabas the Apostle and my birthday. This service is my gift to you. I hope it will be a blessing to you.

Open this link in a new tab to hear “Blessed Be the God of Israel” from the album Journeysongs Third Edition Volume Five

BENEDICTUS

Blessed be the God of Israel

who comes to set us free

and raises up new hope for us:

a Branch from David's tree.

So have the prophets long declared

that with a mighty arm

God would turn back our enemies

and all who wish us harm.

With promised mercy will God still

the covenant recall,

the oath once sworn to Abraham,

from foes to save us all;

that we might worship without fear

and offer lives of praise,

in holiness and righteousness

to serve God all our days.

My child, as prophet of the Lord,

you will prepare the way,

to tell God's people they are saved

from sin's eternal sway.

Then shall God's mercy from on high

shine forth and never cease

to drive away the gloom of death

and lead us into peace.

[Prayers may be said for ourselves and others. Your prayers are requested for Rebecca Raj and all health care workers, for Devin Raj and all children, for my niece Dorrie Wynn Jordan Wade who is undergoing eye surgery this morning, and for the people of Arizona where she lives and which is experiencing a high number of COVID-19 cases and deaths.]

Lord, have mercy upon us.

Christ, have mercy upon us.

Lord, have mercy upon us.

Our Father, who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name,

thy kingdom come,

thy will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom,

the power and the glory,

for ever and ever. Amen.

Merciful God, help us to follow the example of your faithful servant Barnabas, who, seeking not his own renown but the well-being of your Church, gave generously of his life and substance for the relief of the poor and the spread of the gospel; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

Open this link to hear “This Day God Gives Me” from the album Christ Be Near:Worship Music for Feasts and Seasons

1 This day God gives me
Strength of high heaven,
Sun and moon shining,
Flame in my hearth,
Flashing of lightning,
Wind in its swiftness,
Depths of the ocean,
Firmness of earth,

Depths of the ocean,

Firmness of earth.

2 This day God sends me
Strength as my steersman,
Might to uphold me,
Wisdom as guide,
Your eyes are watchful,
Your ears are listening,
Your lips are speaking,
Friend at my side,

Your lips are speaking,

Friend at my side.

3 God's way is my way,
God's shield is 'round me,
God's host defends me,
Saving from ill.
Angels of heaven,
Drive from me always
All that would harm me,
Stand by me still,

Angels of heaven,

Stand by me.

4 Rising I thank you,
Mighty and strong One,
King of creation,
Giver of rest,
Firmly confessing
God in three Persons,
Oneness of Godhead,
Trinity blest,

Oneness of Godhead,

Trinity blest.

God most holy, we give you thanks for bringing us out of the shadow of night into the light of morning; and we ask you for the joy of spending this day in your service, so that when evening comes, we may once more give you thanks, through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord. Amen.

Let us bless the Lord:

Thanks be to God!

The Lord bless us and preserve us from all evil;

and bring us to life eternal. Amen.