A New Year and a New Agenda
Nu 26:2 - “Take a census of all the congregation of the children of Israel from twenty years old and above, by their fathers' houses, all who are able to go to war in Israel.”
Lu 2:1 - “And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.”
Ac 5:37 - “After this man, Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the census, and drew away many people after him. He also perished, and all who obeyed him were dispersed.”
Hidden Agendas. Have you noticed that whenever a census is taken, there seems to be an “agenda”? Look at the Numbers (no pun intended) passage. They were trying to figure out how many people they could have in their army. Or look at the Luke passage. They were trying to figure out how much tax money to raise. You see, those Romans were just like us, trying to figure out how to get more dollars out of the tax base. The Acts passage is interesting, but fits in here as well. Judas of Galilee rejected what the Romans were doing--that included the census and the tax. Each of these examples demonstrate our two-faced human conniving. We say we are doing one thing, but we are really doing something else.
Another Census. But it is a new year! Do we at Zion Lutheran Church have anything to count? Let's start just like the children or Israel or just like those Romans or just like Judas of Galilee. Let's look at the “stats.” We don't have to go very far, because we have the internet. These first data come from
http://www.pe.net/~rksnow/alcountysilverhill.htm:
The population of Silverhill is approximately 556 people comprising 232 families living in a land area of 3.008 sq. kilometers. Silverhill is 850 miles from Washington DC and 152 miles from Montgomery (if you are a crow and flying). Silverhill has not moved from its position of 30.54 degrees north of the equator and 87.74 degrees west of the prime meridian.
We can come up with even more data from a second source on the net, http://silverhill.alabama.com/census.html: Its data are slightly different because they are counting at a different time and maybe a separate geographical area. Here Silverhill has a population of 616, 294 male and 322 female citizens. About 1 in 20 is under 5 years of age, 1 in 5 is under 15 years, 1 in 3 under 20, and 1 in 2 under age 39.9, the median age for Silverhill. 611 people live in 241 households, 149 occupied with a spouse (7 more with an unmarried partner), and 176 with children in the household. 19 households have non-family members in them. 50 households are single person households. 25 households have a householder of at least 65 years. The average household size is 2.54 while the average family size is 2.97 people. Of 266 housing units, 241 are occupied. If an owner occupies a housing unit, the household size is at 2.46 people, while if a renter occupies a housing unit, the household size is at 2.9 people.
God's Agenda. These are nice data and good information, but don't we need another agenda since that's what these three Bible references had? The answer is, “No!” God the Father set the agenda for the world when He did a census and found that we all were all coming up short in the count because we were all under the burden of sin, regardless of our household or age or where we lived or who we lived with. Rather than enroll those who were counted, He sent His Son Jesus Christ to serve us by dealing with our sin. God sent His Son into the world, not to condemn the count, but to save us from the census, to restore us to His presence.
Another Agenda and You Can Count. Pastor Jim, the AFLC's Director of Evangelism, visited Zion this past October. He shared a key fact. Every church needs to have a time when people are confronted with the claims of faith, when they will hear about God and His decision to make Jesus Christ count for us. Think about this. On the last Sunday of every month we have a coffee and refreshments time after the service. This year on the last Sunday of every month, we will attempt to have a sermon that will lay out the basic plan of salvation for those who may not know or who may never have heard of God's love and care for them. Would you consider bringing those whom you have a spiritual concern for, to Zion? A sermon tailored for those friends and refreshments to boot! Bringing one person to visit Zion on the last Sunday of the month to hear of God's saving grace, is a way that each of us can count and maybe have some impact for the Gospel of Jesus Christ in 2005. Then it can be a "Happy New Year" for you and that person!
~Pastor Dave
A young man learns what's most important in life from the guy next door. It had been some time since Jack had seen the old man, who was a neighbor, as he grew up. College, girls, career, and life itself got in the way. In fact, Jack moved clear across the country in pursuit of his dreams. There, in the rush of his busy life, Jack had little time to think about the past and often no time to spend with his wife and son. He was working on his future, and nothing could stop him.
Over the phone, his mother told him, "Mr. Belser died last night. The funeral is Wednesday." Memories flashed through his mind like an old newsreel as he sat quietly remembering his childhood days.
"Jack, did you hear me?"
"Oh, sorry, Mom. Yes, I heard you. It's been so long since I thought of him I'm sorry, but I honestly thought he died years ago," Jack said.
"Well, he didn't forget you. Every time I saw him he'd ask how you were doing. He'd reminisce about the many days you spent over 'his side of the fence' as he put it," Mom told him.
"I loved that old house he lived in," Jack said.
"You know, Jack, after your father died, Mr. Belser stepped in to make sure you had a man's influence in your life," she said.
"He's the one who taught me carpentry," he said. "I wouldn't be in this business if it weren't for him. He spent a lot of time teaching me things he thought were important...Mom, I'll be there for the funeral," Jack said.
As busy as he was, he kept his word. Jack caught the next flight to his hometown. Mr. Belser's funeral was small and uneventful. He had no children of his own, and most of his relatives had passed away.
The night before he had to return home, Jack and his Mom stopped by to see the old house next door one more time.
Standing in the doorway, Jack paused for a moment. It was like crossing over into another dimension, a leap through space and time.
The house was exactly as he remembered. Every step held memories. Every picture, every piece of furniture....Jack stopped suddenly.
"What's wrong, Jack?" his Mom asked.
"The box is gone," he said.
"What box?" Mom asked.
"There was a small gold box that he kept locked on top of his desk.
"I must have asked him a thousand times what was inside. All he'd ever tell me was 'the thing I value most,'" Jack said.
It was gone. Everything about the house was exactly how Jack remembered it, except for the box. He figured someone from the Belser family had taken it.
"Now I'll never know what was so valuable to him," Jack said. "I better get some sleep. I have an early flight home, Mom."
It had been about two weeks since Mr. Belser died. Returning home from work one day Jack discovered a package in his mailbox. The small box was old and looked like it had been mailed a hundred years ago. The handwriting was difficult to read, but the return address caught his attention.
"Mr. Harold Belser" it read.
Jack took the box out to his car and ripped open the package. There inside was the gold box and an envelope. Jack's hands shook as he read the note inside.
"Upon my death, please forward this box and its contents to Jack Bennett. It's the thing I valued most in my life." A small key was taped to the letter. His heart racing, as tears filling his eyes, Jack carefully unlocked the box. There inside he found a beautiful gold pocket watch.
Running his fingers slowly over the finely etched casing, he unlatched the cover.
Inside the watch, he found these words engraved:
"Jack, Thanks for your time! -Harold Belser."
Jack was amazed and thought, "The thing he valued most...was...my time."
Jack held the watch for a few minutes, then called his office and cleared his appointments for the next two days. "Why?" Janet, his assistant asked.
"I need some time to spend with my son," he said.
"Oh, by the way, Janet...thanks for your time!"
