Hello church! Today we finish up 1st Chronicles which is the conclusion of the David saga and what a better way to finish than another long list of hard to pronounce names and their roles in David's kingdom? I certainly don't blame you if you want to skim over this quickly but it does present the question - why is getting the record straight so important to the author? When we get down to the bottom with the questions to consider I'll pose this again and I hope you will share with me some of your thoughts, ideas, and theories!
Further, today we have another chance to read the Bible together live. Instead of doing this reading tonight we're going to go back a little bit and read Malachi 3-4 together, the final words of the Old Testament. The reason for this is two fold - it technically is the final words of the Old Testament and by the time we meet again for a live reading we will already be in the gospels. (woahhh!) Therefore, I want us to have a chance to process the OT together and discern what the good news of the OT is. Why is it included in the canon of the Bible and not just the NT? The second reason is that 1 Chronicles is extremely dense and many people have emailed me to say they have fallen behind a few days trying to work through it. Going back about a week will not shame anybody who has fallen back some. The zoom link can be found in your email if you have attended before or below. Cheers!
Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7312418277?pwd=VFVOdTVhTDliN1hsR3ViYTN0YzRaUT09 Meeting ID: 731 241 8277 Passcode: 123456
Scripture to Read
Audio Bible
Questions to Consider
What does this reveal to me about God and how God works through people?
What is the "moral" of the David story?
Why do I think the author spends so much time giving credit to all the people involved in the army and building the palace?
- My Thoughts -
I would be a lying man if I said I enjoyed reading 1 Chronicles. I found it tedious and too dense to even get the review of the story it's trying to review! But, I do find earnestness in the way that each name and family line is given credit. Much like the way we honor the Harris family with Harris Hall and the history attached to the original stain glass window we have in our lobby it honors the work of the saints whose life and work honored God. It's the reasons we have a Sunday to bless the leaders of our church who have accepted the calling to be on a team ministry or committee. One of the greatest sermons ever preached was based off a long list of names like this and the minister preached it as he was leaving the church as his send off sermon. He reminded the congregation that this isn't just a list of names, it's a list of people with a story that he loves. It's the families that he ate with at community meals, served alongside in programming, visited in the hospital, and watched as they got their 3rd grade bibles, confirmation and later their marriage. When we read a list of names, we read the ways the dedicated their passions and lives to the church and the world around them. If an author were to come along and write 3 Chronicles retelling the story of Chagrin Falls UMC, what names would be listed and where would yours be?
Praying the Hymns
Our prayer for today is inspired by hymn 225 in our United Methodist Hymnal - Canticle of Simeon. As this is only a prayer there will be no attached video today.
Lord, now let your servant go in peace; your word has been fulfilled: my own eyes have seen the salvation which you have prepared in the presence of all people, a light to reveal you to the nations and the glory of your people Israel.