In addition, they distributed to the males three years old or more whose names were in the genealogical records—all who would enter the temple of the LORD to perform the daily duties of their various tasks, according to their responsibilities and their divisions. – 2 Chronicles 31:16

Today's Scripture Reading (June 5, 2026): 2 Chronicles 31

My eldest granddaughter is working on getting her Learner's Driver's License. Which means she has reached the age appropriate for those licenses, which in the area where I live is fourteen. Thinking about her journey as she begins to drive, I realize she is almost exactly the same age I was when I got my Learner's License. Life is repeating itself.

Back when I got my Learner's License, there was a conversation among the Federal Government Agencies about raising the age to get a Driver's License. I don't know how serious the argument was, but I took it seriously enough to put a little more effort into preparing for the test. Obviously, over the last half-century since I took my first driving test, the age hasn't changed, though some other details of the licensing process have.

Driver's Licenses are part of the "How old do you have to be?" conversation we have in so many different places in our society. The "How old do you have to be to consume alcoholic beverages?" conversation has always been of interest to me. Again, where I live, the age is eighteen. For many other locales, you need to be twenty-one to consume adult beverages. I have had conversations with young adults who have been surprised that they can't go to a liquor store or bar when they are traveling because they were underage there, but not here. It is an extension of the "how old" conversation.

In the church, the conversation continues. How old do you need to be to take communion or to be an active member of the church? How old should you be to play on the Worship Team or sing in the choir? Currently, our worship team features a pair of twelve-year-olds: one on guitar and the other on drums. I am amazed at how talented they are every time they play. What do you think? Where would you draw the line?

As Hezekiah prepares the workers for the Temple, he apparently has to answer the question, "How old?" I find it very interesting where he draws the line. First, working in the Temple is hereditary, so workers must have the right genealogy. Second, workers in the Temple must be male. Neither of these regulations is a surprise or an expectation that we carry into the contemporary church. They are artifacts of a different time, where people lived with a different understanding of what was right. I believe Paul released us from these understandings when he wrote to the Galatian Church, "There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:28). But maybe the most surprising requirement is the one on age; every qualified (genealogy) male over the age of three. (Some argue that maybe this is an error and the age should be thirty, but for our purpose, let's accept the age of three.) In God's community, if you are older than three, there should be a task for you in the church.

Can I ask how you are doing? I admit that my church isn't doing as well as it could. But the church is a community where everyone is important, and where even a three-year-old should have an age-appropriate task to undertake for the faith community. It might be challenging to get a three-year-old involved in a meaningful way, but we need to put some effort into the project.

Of course, this passage also puts a twist on Jesus's words;

Then people brought little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them.

Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there (Matthew 13-15).

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: 2 Kings 20