Numbers 4

Insight often comes from surprising places….

Yesterday afternoon I started reading through the book of Numbers and I became fascinated with the instructions given to the Kohathites, the Gershonites and the Merarites regarding the Tent of Meeting (Numbers 4).

It’s all very ordinary stuff:

What to do with the ashes,
How to cover the elements (lots of hides of sea cows required),
Who carries the curtains and who carries the timbers and the tent pegs.

Very ordinary tasks necessary for an extraordinary purpose – to provide what the Celts called a “thin place” – a place where heaven touches earth.

Reading through these instructions reminded me of all the ordinary and necessary task that the Grace staff engages in each and every day for that same extraordinary purpose – helping to create places where heaven touches earth. We don’t use near as many sea cow hides as the Kohathites, Gershonites and Merarites but we do a lot of ordinary stuff:

Manage data bases, post deposits and pay bills
Print and fold bulletins
Answer email and phones
Update websites and poster frames
Set up rooms and a thousand other ordinary things that are done for an extraordinary purpose.

I am so grateful for their hard work, willingness to go “above and beyond” and most of all for a commitment to Jesus Christ and His church.

I also reminded that most of us spend our days doing ordinary things for extraordiary purposees.

Throughout today (and this week) my prayer is that you will recognize the extraordinary role you play in helping heaven touch earth!

PS: This is my first post in days. Our eldest daughter Kelli had to come home from college to address a medical issue that is requiring surgery tomorrow. Getting her home, caring for here and preparing for surgery seems to have taken all my extra time (and energy). Prayers for Kelli are greatly appreciated.