Count Your Blessings
page detail from Numbers, 1611 KJV Bible (Replica Edition) photo by jch
Sermon Series “Through the Bible,” № 15, Numbers 1:1-4, 17-19, 45-46
The Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tent of meeting, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying: Take a census of the whole congregation of Israelites, in their clans, by ancestral houses, according to the number of names .... –Numbers 1:1-2a
Today, and for the 8:30 worship service only, our journey “Through the Bible” backtracks from the fifth to the fourth book of the Bible. The Book of Numbers, along with the Book of Leviticus, are among the least visited books during my 34 years of preaching ministry. For most pastors, I think, there are plenty of other books in the Bible that offer far more exciting preaching opportunities.
To appreciate the Book of Numbers, you probably have to do what I did, which is put yourself into a quiet and receptive mindset, and reflect a while about what was so important that it was recorded and preserved in this book’s 36 chapters.
After a while, you will notice how important numbers are in the Bible. In the Hebrew Testament, it’s emphasized that God is one. In the New Testament, we learn that the one God is revealed to Christians in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Twelve is an important number: there are twelve sons of Israel who give birth to twelve tribes, and twelve apostles. After Judas Iscariot betrays Jesus and dies, the fledgling Church under Peter’s leadership feels compelled to restore the symmetry of 12, drawing lots to choose Matthias as Judas’s replacement. The Revelation of John envisions 24 elders seated on 24 thrones, and 12,000 “sealed” disciples from each of the twelve tribes of Israel. The number forty appears repeatedly, as in the stories of Israel’s forty years of wandering, and Jesus’ forty days in the wilderness.
In the history recorded in the Book of Numbers, we find the detailed censuses of Israel by tribe and clan that occurred at the beginning and end of their journey to the Promised Land. In the passage I read (first chapter), one purpose of such a census is very clear: these are the men in Israel who are able to go to war. The census was a tool whereby Moses and his military leaders were able to create an army and staff it for battle in the dangerous campaign to take possession of their ancestral home. Later, as the journey neared its end, the purpose of a census changed. Then, the counting and measuring provided a basis for determining tribal holdings of land.
I think there’s at least one more purpose for Numbers that is not nearly so mundane: all that counting testifies to God’s provision and mercy. Hundreds of years before Moses, his ancestor Joseph had been taken to Egypt as a slave. The story might have ended right there: abuse and hard labor might have put an end to Joseph, and his brothers back home might have starved in a famine. But through a miraculous series of events, Joseph rose to be second-in-command to pharaoh, and saved his brothers, who settled in the Land of Goshen. A new pharaoh arose who did not know Joseph, and enslaved the Israel. Again, the story might have ended there, but it didn’t. After many more adventures, Moses led his people out of slavery, all 603,550 of them, plus the Levites, who were their priests. After forty more years of wandering, war, hunger, rebellion, and plague, they are ready to enter the Promised Land, and still there were 624,730, including the Levites. As you read the report of this census, tribe after tribe, clan after clan, you begin to imagine thousands upon thousands of faces that might not have been born, had circumstances played out differently. Each one of those faces, each number in the count, is a testimony to God’s grace.
When we get to the time of annual reports, we are engaging in a similar exercise. At first glance, the work of annual reporting can seem so mundane. Officers write up narratives about the issues and projects on which their service was focused. We try to recall each dollar spent, each officer who served, each member who joined or departed from the stream of this congregation’s ministry, each baptism, each wedding, and each funeral. If you think about it for a while, then you begin to remember the faces of those involved, and celebrate the relationships. Measuring where we have been helps us plan for where we will go. Annual reporting is part of the work of discerning God’s call.
In this year’s annual reporting, what do we learn about ourselves? While each officer has his or her own perspective, I’d like to share the pastor’s perspective by highlighting a handful of items.
First, I want to acknowledge what we all know at some level about worship attendance. In pre-pandemic days, we might be concerned about attendance fluctuations of a few percent. In full pandemic-safety mode, our worship services were cut to ten essential leaders. In the months following the removal of an attendance cap, the in-person attendance has ebbed and flowed a bit, but often is less than half of what it was before the pandemic. However, many members and friends now join us online for a live-cast service, during December averaging 51 connected devices per service. While it’s impossible to know exactly how many people are viewing a device, it seems reasonable to me to imagine this represents 50 to 60 additional people participating virtually in each worship service. How grateful I am for the ministry of our Technology Team in making possible the virtual participation of our members and friends!
Second, I’d like to acknowledge the strong financial support of our ministries during the pandemic period. Despite numerous challenges, in year 2021, pledged donations came in at more than $300,000, and total revenue topped $350,000. In a time when many other nonprofit organizations would not be able to contemplate supporting any mission other than their own, our congregation continued its strong tradition of giving to others, expending more than $17,000 for national, regional, and local mission. Many other needs were addressed through special collections for our mission partners.
From a pastor’s perspective, one of the most remarkable facts about the pandemic period is the way in which member deaths have actually decreased. Since the pandemic began, the pastor has officiated only a handful of funerals. Our membership count ends the year one less than the prior year. I don’t want to minimize the suffering and loss experienced by all of us in some form or fashion. I don’t want to lead you to think that our congregation will continue to experience so few deaths. But I do think our current experience of a low death rate partially reflects the generally safe practices of our members and friends, and the good medical care they’ve been privileged to receive, despite the limitations of this period.
During the past year, one of the more significant investments in ministry has been the time and energy put in by our Personnel Committee in leading a staff-design review. The conversations that have taken place lead directly to the major proposal for action at today’s meeting of the congregation. The congregation will be asked to elect Kalyn Stevwing as Associate Pastor for Faith Formation. On the path toward today’s action, several committees and task groups have been consulted, and given their blessing. Those who have contributed to the process believe this step is a worthwhile investment in the congregation’s future.
As we engage in our annual meeting, I think there is a sense in which our pause for reflection mirrors the activity of those who composed the Book of Numbers. Somewhere, far behind us, is another place from which we’ve come that is very different than the place we’re in today. We’re trying to point ourselves toward the Promised Land into which we hope and believe we will eventually emerge. For now, we’re in a wilderness in which danger threatens, and in which we number our forces and finances to see if we’re up to the challenge.
There is, of course, another reason why we number things. It’s reflected in the hymn I’ve chosen for closing our worship service. Another reason God’s people number things is to count what God has done, and express gratitude. I’m personally grateful for the time, talents, and treasure that each friend, member, deacon, elder, and staff member commits to God through the ministries of this congregation. When you stop to “count your blessings,” and “name them one by one,” we find evidence of God’s provision and grace. May God continue to bless us so that together we may fulfill our mission “to be Christ for the world today.”
READ MORE, https://www.fpcedw.org/blog
