Shallum son of Hallohesh, ruler of the half-district of Jerusalem,
repaired the next section with the help of his daughters.
…Baruch son of Zabbai zealously repaired another section,
from the angle to the entrance of the house of Eliashib the high priest.
Nehemiah 3:12, 20
Sometimes we skip certain passages of Scripture that have lots of names – like all the “begats” in the Bible. “So and so begat so and so.” It seems so boring. But if we take the time to read these closely, what I have found is that every now and then something unusual is mentioned. Something different.
It would be easy for us to skip over Nehemiah chapter 3. We don’t know enough about the wall of Jerusalem to know where the different gates or towers are, so it might seem boring. But if we read it closely we find Scriptural gems, like the two from verses 12 and 20. A ruler of a half-district of Jerusalem, an important man, put his shoulder to the work (unlike the nobles of Tekoa). But not only did he go to work, his daughters helped him! They are the only females listed. But male or female, if Jesus is your Lord and you are a willing servant, you can make a difference for his kingdom.
And then there is Baruch. It says he “zealously repaired another section…” Nehemiah lists many who worked hard, but there was something special about what Baruch did! He worked extra hard, and Nehemiah took note of it.
Maybe you work hard for the Lord, but feel like no one else notices. Know this: Our Lord knows who you are (male or female) and how hard you work for him.
This reminds me to thank the many volunteers at Crossroads who do so much every week:
- The Hospitality Team who provide coffee, cookies and donuts to build a welcoming atmosphere!
- The Ushers, Greeters and Information Booth people who welcome any and all who walk through our doors!
- The children’s ministry and youth ministry volunteers who make sure young people know Jesus loves them and we do too!
- The Worship Team and audio/visual team members who lead us in worship each week!
- Life Group leaders and Community Group leaders that gather people together to worship together, grow closer to Jesus, support each other and reach the lost!
- The people who serve in Stephen Ministry, Celebrate Recovery, Winter Shelter Network, Operation Christmas Child, Meals Ministry, Food for Thought with SECOR, GriefShare, Divorce Care, Men’s Ministry, Women’s Ministry, World Missions, Local Community Outreach and more!
- The Public Safety Team members who work hard to protect the flock and provide care for those who are hurting!
- The women who fold and stuff the bulletins each week.
- A special thank you to Mark and Lisa Hossack and to David and Sheila Spiecker for taking the positions of Capital Campaign Directors for REACHING BEYOND, and for all those on the Media/Communications Team, the Calling Team, the Purpose Team, the Leadership Team, the Youth & Children’s Team, the Administrative Team, the Celebration, Living Room Team and the Prayer Team!
My greatest fear in writing this list is that there are so many who serve in so many ways and I may forget someone. But again, God sees you – and you are not forgotten! If you serve in any way at Crossroads, I thank you from the depths of my heart!
