Day Twenty-Nine -- Who's who again???

1 Chronicles 1:1 to 1 Chronicles 9:44

And so we begin the First Book of Chronicles with a genealogy starting all the way back with Adam (the first man), and don't stop until we have completed the genealogy of Saul (the first king).  So many names to go through and it's impossible, at least for me, to remember even a small percentage of them, but it's nice to at least recognize some of them from our prior reading.  These genealogies take up most of today's assignment.  They set the stage for telling the story of the beginnings of the monarchy and the establishment of Jerusalem as the central place of worship.  Our reading concludes with a listing of the people who lived in Jerusalem and a description of the duties of those who took care of the temple: the priests, doorkeepers and musicians.  Without them the elaborate sacrifices, rituals and festivals would not have been possible.  The division of labor provides an orderly way to organize the spiritual life of the community.

This makes me think of all the people in our congregations who play a role in assuring that when we gather for worship there is a thoughtful and meaningful opportunity to come together in the presence of God.  Yes, in our tradition there are the clergy who take on a leadership role for the congregation; but it takes those who are willing to devote themselves to maintaining the worship space, organizing the liturgy, preparing the bulletins, setting up the furnishings, providing the elements for the sacrament, lighting the candles, reading the lessons, leading the prayers, ushering the people, playing the instruments and offering their voices in song.  Praise be to God for this holy division of labor and love.