Sunday, June 22, 2008

"Building Teams"

This summer, we are walking through the book of Nehemiah, and today we’re in chapter 3 which is actually a list sort of like that genealogy at the beginning of Matthew.  You wouldn’t think that there is much to say about a list, but the Bible actually teaches that all scripture is God-inspired and useful for showing us how to live, even if it’s just a list of names.  So our challenge today is to find out what is true and useful for us in this list in Nehemiah chapter 3.  Let’s begin by looking back at Nehemiah’s story.  He was a Jewish man who had relocated to Persia and was fairly established in government work.  He’d been there for years when his brother stopped in to tell him about the state of Jerusalem.  It was in a shambles.  The news devastated Nehemiah, and he spent weeks crying, fasting, repenting of his part in the neglect of God’s plan … and then he got up from there and vowed to be part of the solution.  So he went to his boss and got some time off and traveled to Jerusalem to help rebuild the wall.  By the time he got there, he realized that he was being asked by God to be in charge so he cast a vision out to the people to rebuild.  We’re learning from Nehemiah’s story that God cares about his people -- that God has a plan and that even one stone out of place in that plan matters to him. So by the time we reach chapter three, work on the wall has begun.  Nehemiah has done an amazing job, evidently, of organizing the people by small groups and families.  He has each group working on a section of the wall or on a gate.  There are something like forty-two different teams and thirty-eight individuals plus a lot of folks who go unnamed -- each of them working on their part of the wall.  This is not the first time God used a small group system to organize his people, but it is an awesome example of how it works when everyone is committed to a team and willing to do their part.  I also learn from this list that unity does not mean uniformity.  Because these work teams -- each one working on a different part of the wall or on a gate -- were made up of all kinds of people.  Priests, Levites, temple servants, goldsmiths, merchants, officials … all kinds of people bringing their unique gifts to their place on the wall.  It was their diversity that made it work.  You’ll notice when you read the list that Nehemiah had the priests working near the temple and family groups worked near their homes and goldsmiths used their skills.  People were gathered around a single vision, but they were also able to serve where they were most comfortable … and it worked.  Complete Sermon   

This devotional message is by Carolyn Moore, Mosaic United Methodist Church, Evans, Georgia. If you would like to talk further about your own life and   need for Christ, contact us and someone will be in touch with you as soon as possible.