Readings for the Day:
Sermon:
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Original Manuscript:
In our reading from Numbers, Moses is having a bit of a hard time. Once again the Hebrew people are complaining that things are not going well for them, even though they are free and no longer enslaved.
Moses can no longer deal with this trouble. He is exhausted and can no longer carry the weight. He cries to the Lord for help.
God asks him to call 70 people to him, the Elders. These will be the people who will help Moses carry the burden of ministering to the Hebrew people. These are the people that will keep Moses from having to do it all on his own.
No matter who we are, we need help as we make our way on the journey. Even leaders need help to do the work they have been given to do. We need others outside ourselves who can help us to make our work not just acceptable, but great.
At the end of the reading, some of Moses' faithful followers get upset that others are prophesying. Moses responds by saying it would be best if all could prophesy, if all could lead.
My hope for St. Paul's is that you serve like the Elders. Those who already serve and lead, keep doing what you're doing. If you aren't serving or leading already, take time to consider what God might be calling you to do. If you feel God calling you to deeper service, stop and listen.
Whoever you choose to follow me at St. Paul's, I hope you will lift that person up on their journey. I hope whoever is the next leader of this church, you will continue to provide leaders that will help bear the work of the church.
The work of one is never enough. We always need more who are willing to come in and help in order to make things better. The work of the church never relies just on one. That work rests on many shoulders.
The work of the church does not require just the work of the few. It requires the work of all of us. Take the Elders as your example. Hope that all might strive to lead. We don't need just one good leader. We need all of us carrying the burden. We need all of us to strive to do the work God has given us, the church, to do.