Then David ordered all the leaders of Israel to help his son Solomon. – 1 Chronicles 22:17

Today’s Scripture Reading (June 30, 2016): 1 Chronicles 22

Football is back. Okay, it is the Canadian variety with an extra player on each side, a longer and wider field and a rouge or single point, but it is football. (And sorry, I am not talking about soccer. An oblong ball that is thrown, carried and only occasionally kicked with the foot.) It seems like it has been a long time since I saw the game played (and that would have been the American variety in the Super Bowl in February). As I sat down to watch my first game of the new season, I asked myself why I have come to love the game so much. Maybe some might argue it is the typical North American need for violence, but I am really not sure that that is it. I love the intricate teamwork of the game. Yes, it is a physical, hard-hitting game. But when it is played right, it is also a delicate dance. Every person on the field has an important job to do. No one on the field is redundant. As with any sport, stars are important, but one dominant player cannot dominate a football game. Football is teamwork at its best. It is a great description of the way that life is supposed to work – and the way that the church is supposed to operate. Just like you can’t live life on your own, you can’t play football all by yourself either.

David understood the lesson about life. Historically, we remember King Solomon. The son of David is known for a lot of things. He was wise. He was rich. He had many wives and relationships and he was an influence on the world around him. He inherited a stable empire from his father. But none of that was enough if Solomon was to accomplish his finest achievement – the building of the Temple in Jerusalem. Dad wanted to build it, but God had said no. And so Dad made the plans and gathered the materials to give his son a head start. And he made sure that Solomon had the beginnings of the team he needed to get the job done. These were men that David trusted, and he knew that they would serve Solomon well.

Nothing has changed. Whatever the task, if it is worth doing, then it is worth doing together. The church has never been an individual pursuit. It is a people, a fellowship, a congregation, and a team. We are the new Temple – and our pursuit of God is something that we do – together.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 1 Chronicles 23