1 Chronicles 6:1-81
It’s interesting that the first task listed for any of the Levites is that of the temple musicians. Music has always been central to the corporate worship of God.
Romans 11:33-12:21
I could dwell on that doxology for a long, long time. It has always been one of my favourite bits of the bible. But reading this passage today I was slapped round the chops by the little phrase hidden in the depths of paragraph 2 - “each member belongs to all the others”. Wow. That goes well beyond attending church when you haven’t got something else going on. That goes well beyond giving your money or even fulfilling the requirements for membership (attending, giving, serving and actively engaging in a small group). It goes beyond all types of activity or practice. People often say that chapter 12 is where the practical applications are found - and they are - but that overlooks the fact that this phrase is pure theology. This phrase is a momentous claim about each and every Christian’s identity. It’s not about what we should do - it is about who we now are. Christians are no longer individuals. Christians are part of something bigger than ourselves and we cannot any longer just think about ourselves in isolation. We belong to each other. Like a nose belongs to a face. This is so at odds with our culture, where individualism is worshipped and where all advise is for us to choose for us what suits us best. But we don’t get a choice. We are obligated to give of ourselves to the others in our local church. God’s word calls us to live in unbreakable commitment to them. God’s word calls us to rejoice with them even when we are fed up and to mourn with them even when we’re having a busy day. That is the amazing privilege that God has given to us. It is his ingenious way of us overcoming evil with good.
Psalm 89:30-37
He will not take his love from us.
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