When the movie Hoosiers first came out our family went to view it. It is a great movie and I’ve seen it now a number of times. When a movie is finished our tradition is to just sit there for a bit and let it sink in and let the movie theater clear out. After this film was over — and I’ll never forget this — there was a group of six to eight young people sitting probably ten rows a head of us and to the right (we usually sit on the left hand side in a theather). As the movie credits were scrolling and we were down to the second key grip and the guy who holds the cord for the mic guy and the names are so small it’s hard to read, that group of young people broke out into cheers and applause. There was obviously a friend of theirs or a family member that was that second key grip guy and they went wild with cheers.
I thought of that when I read Numbers 26. There are lots of names in that chapter. Most people we only read there once, but they are there. Names are important. Your name is important. Just read a couple of verses from that chapter:
5 The descendants of Reuben, the firstborn son of Israel, were: through Hanok, the Hanokite clan; through Pallu, the Palluite clan; 6 through Hezron, the Hezronite clan; through Karmi, the Karmite clan. 7 These were the clans of Reuben; those numbered were 43,730.
Plus these people are mentioned by clans, by families. And God works through families. He works through your family. He worked through the generations of David that brought us a Savior. We see that in the first verses of Luke 2:
1In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register. 4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.
The house of David brought us salvation, no matter how good or bad all those people were in that lineage. What about your family? You may be laughing now. You can’t see your family making a difference in God’s Kingdom. Yet, there is always hope and opportunity. I’m praying for your family this morning. That all of you will be a strong part of God’s Kingdom work. Remember your name is important and your family’s name is too. Let’s see what God will do through us all!
Sixty-six books in a year 