Bring the tribe of Levi and present them to Aaron the priest to assist him. They are to perform duties for him and for the whole community at the tent of meeting by doing the work of the tabernacle. – Number 3:6-7

Today's Scripture Reading (November 27, 2021): Numbers 3

When I was young, I loved to watch a television show called "The A-Team." The show was about a team of misfits, all former members of a fictitious military group called "The United States Army Special Forces," who were hired to correct things in this world that no one else seemed to be able to fix. The team was led by John "Hannibal" Smith (George Peppard), the brains of the operation. Hannibal was supported by Lieutenant Templeton "Faceman" Peck (Dirk Benedict) and Captain H. M. "Howling Mad" Murdock (Dwight Schultz). Murdock was a character who was both the pilot for the team as well as a member that they continually had to break out of mental hospitals so that they could go on their missions. Sergeant First Class Bosco "B. A." or "Bad Attitude" Baracus (Mr. T) rounded out the group, and adding to the drama was the fact that B.A. was afraid to fly, maybe especially if it was Howling Mad Murdoch that was the one doing the flying. The missions were hard, but somehow the team always came through to save the good and punish the bad. At the same time, the" A-Team" themselves were being pursued by the government for some imagined crimes. At the end of most of the episodes, after accomplishing the impossible, Hannibal would sit back, light a cigar, and speak his famous tagline; "I love it when a plan comes together." But what they accomplished, they always accomplished together.

The New Testament speaks about the Body of Christ and how we are different, and yet we fit together to get the job done. We are different from each other, we have different strengths and weaknesses, but you are not less important. We are all important, but we are all called to do something different. In the Body of Christ, we all have a part to play if we are going to accomplish the goals that Jesus has set in front of his people.

Where the body is the strongest, it has many members working in the same direction.  We are not doing the same thing, but a strong body works together to accomplish the mission. We are the family of God, and like the A-Team, we are working together to achieve something to make this world a better place, and we are doing it together.

What I love about this passage is that it has the same intent as that New Testament truth. And to accomplish the task, the responsibility rests not on the individual but rather the family. If the job of the priests was going to be successful, it was because the whole tribe, the family, was part of the process. Yes, we might be called to work at the mission differently, but it is fun when the family gets to do something together that accomplishes the task.  And we can't lose this idea in the Christian Church. What we do as a family is for the benefit of the world, just as what the Levites worked toward was for the benefit of the nation of Israel.

Do we always get it right?  No.  But sometimes, well, as an old A-Team fan, let me quote Hannibal Smith, "I love it when a plan comes together."

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Numbers 4