"They're Gonna Need Help..."

After that, the Levites came to do their work at the tent of meeting under the supervision of Aaron and his sons. They did with the Levites just as the Lord commanded Moses.  Numbers 8:22

"They're Gonna Need Help..."
By Rev. William Dohle
Last Sunday was awesome at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Peoria!

It began with a tremendous service, with carols played by Debbie.  Then the sermon itself led right into the band's song where seven musicians each walked forward, one by one, to sing a Christmas version of "Halleluiah!" by Coen.  Talk about spine chilling!  Wow!

Then came the Christmas program itself.  The treats were already made and set out by our talented Ms. Amie, our youth director.  The kids all arrived via their parents and, an hour later, a cast of more than twenty, directed by three ladies (Ms. Amie and the two Jennifers), led us to the manger via posted signs.  The band sang again, this time recorded over the sound system.

It was awesome!

What was even better was how many people there were involved in the whole thing.  I can't even count the number of talented individuals it took to put it all together on Sunday.  From the band to the ushers to the organist to the kids to their parents to our youth director to the director ladies to the costume makers to all of those who attended.  The work

That's amazing!

It's something that couldn't have happened with just one or two of us.  It took a whole village of people to make it all work!

That's the insight this passage from Numbers gives us.  God sets apart an entire tribe of people, the Levites, to assist Aaron in tending worship.  Aaron from the beginning was always THE man.  He was THE mouthpiece of Moses, relaying everything that Moses tell him to the people and to Pharaoh.  When the tabernacle was set up, Aaron was THE MAN who tended the tabernacle and made sure that sacrifices were made properly.  Aaron seemed to be the ONLY person who could do the job too.  Even Aaron's own sons didn't do it right.  And they ended up dead!

So can you imagine the pressure that Aaron had riding on his shoulders.  He needed help!

And God answered him.  God set aside an entire tribe of people, the Levites, whose sole purpose was to help Aaron and become priests in his stead.

After you have purified the Levites and presented them as a wave offering, they are to come to do their work at the tent of meeting. ¹⁶ They are the Israelites who are to be given wholly to me. I have taken them as my own in place of the firstborn, the first male offspring from every Israelite woman. (Num. 8:15-16)

And they are given to the people and to Aaron.  As a gift and a helper!

From among all the Israelites, I have given the Levites as gifts to Aaron and his sons to do the work at the tent of meeting on behalf of the Israelites and to make atonement for them so that no plague will strike the Israelites when they go near the sanctuary. (Num. 8:19)

Can you imagine how relieved Aaron must have felt, knowing that the work of God was being done by others, not just him?  Can you see the smile on his face when he finally gets to sit down and relax after a hard day, knowing that others are caring for the people in his stead?

I am so blessed to have so many able-bodied people sent by God to do the ministry of God at St. Paul with me.  I'm not alone!  I have an excellent praise team!  An amazing two organists.  An astounding pianist.  A secretary who does an amazing job.  A youth director who continues to surprise me with her many gifts.  A council who takes their role as leaders of the congregation seriously.  Parents of our students who understand they have a part to play in their kids' faith development.

Not to mention all the people who assist with various tasks.  The greeters.  The ushers.  The acolytes.  The Assisting Ministers.  The women's groups who all lead their own studies without me.  The men's group who know how to run a kitchen.  And even some talented substitute preachers and teachers who can fill in when I can't be in two places at once.

There are more, of course.  The list goes on and on.  I am not alone.

I know what it's like to feel totally responsible for services.  It's not a good feeling.

But thankfully, we don't have to feel totally responsible for anything.  We have a community.  Paul describes the church as a body and just as the body has many members, so the body of Christ does too.  We cannot do everything by ourselves.  We need help.  And God has answered our prayer.

Praise God that God has not put the whole world on our shoulders, but has given us a community that can shoulder the responsibility along side us so that, together, we might welcome God's kingdom and the finishing of all creation!

Thank you, God, that you have consecrated your community.  Send us forth as leaders and support staff to do your work.  Amen.

God's True Seat

The Lord is merciful and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.  Psalm 103:8

God's True Seat

By Rev. William Dohle

It's Christmas time and the radio is filled with Christmas favorites.  There are so many.  White Christmas.  Rudolph.  Frosty the Snowman.  Not to mention all the religious ones.

One of the songs sung this season really makes me cringe.  Its a popular song too, so many people know it.  It goes something like this...

You better watch out.
You better not cry.
You better not pout. I'm telling you why.
Santa Claus is coming to town.
He's making a list and checking it twice.
Gonna find out whos naughty and nice
Santa Claus is coming to town
He sees you when you're sleeping.
He knows when you're awake.
He knows if you've been bad or good.
So be good for goodness sake!

Have you ever listened to the lyrics to that song?  The man described in that popular Christmas song is insane.  He's a stalker.  He keeps a record of what you do right or wrong.  And he punishes you accordingly.  He's right too because he watches you when you're sleeping and when you're awake.  And he's going to be right too because he's checked his list...twice!

Talk about a scary guy!

Maybe that's why my youngest is so afraid of sitting on Santa's lap.  He knows who this guy is.

Most of the time we don't pay much attention to the lyrics we sing here.  Santa is seen as a jolly happy soul in other songs.  A dear old man.  An elf bringing gifts to the young girls and boys.

But occasionally we let our theology into our Santa songs and then...disaster strikes!

You see, this vision of Santa Claus is the way many people view God.  An old man in the sky keeping record of our wrongs, to punish us when we do bad and to reward us when we do good. 

Many people(and I put myself in this category at one time) view God as a Being eternally angry with humanity.  With his eye on us from his judgment seat in the sky, he sets out to record the rights and wrongs we do.  The rights he might reward(if he feels like it).  But the wrongs he will surely punish!

And so must repent. We must come groveling back to God.  We have sinned against him.  God is angry with us.  And, even if we believe that Jesus somehow deals with this anger, we're still left with a God who, like the Santa in the song, is eternally upset and on the watch for what could possibly anger him.

So what do we do with this?  Is this biblical? Is this the God we find there?  Or not?

Perhaps a better question to ask would be...where does God sit?  If mercy is in one seat and condemnation in another, does God sit in the seat of condemnation, to destroy us?  Or does he sit in the mercy seat, to show us mercy?

The book of Numbers tells us plainly where God sat in the tabernacle.  And, I would argue, where God still sits.

"When Moses went into the tent of meeting to speak to the Lord, he would hear the voice speaking to him from above the mercy seat..."(Num. 7:89)

The "mercy seat'.  That's what they called the place between the two cherubim on the Ark of the Covenant.  The MERCY seat.  Not the judgment seat.  Not the seat of condemnation.  Not the place where God sits when he's REALLY mad at you.  No.  God's voice comes out from the place where mercy sits.

What if we saw God sitting here instead of in the place of condemnation?  What if God was seen as being first and foremost merciful(as he is described all over the Scriptures), instead of first and foremost condemning?  What if this was our view of God?  How would we live our lives?  And, better still, how would we treat our neighbors?

This is where God resides...in mercy.  His mercy is given first, even before we come to repent of our wrongs.  God forgives and loves and gives of himself before we can even respond.  "While we were still sinners..." Paul tells us.  And that mercy doesn't stop either. God's mercy, his steadfast love, endures forever and ever!  It never ends.  Even when we don't respond to it.  Even when we turn away.  Even if we stop repenting, God's love remains.

That's just who God is.  God is gracious and merciful.  He sits in a better seat than the Santa in the song does.  God sits there instilling, not fear, but love and trust into our hearts.

So, as you sing this carol with your friends, keep in mind.  Someone more good and righteous and giving and compassionate and loving is coming.  Someone greater than even Santa Claus himself is already here.  He is here to show us mercy, not judgment.  To give to the good and the bad alike his greatest gift, eternal life, not because of what we have done, but because of what He has done for us!

Merciful God, shower us with your mercy.  Give us grace to see you smiling down upon us.  And help us to be merciful to others, as you are to us.  Amen.