In a Peanuts cartoon Lucy demanded that Linus change TV channels, threatening him with her fist if he didn't. "What makes you think you can walk right in here and take over?" asks Linus.
"These five fingers," says Lucy. "Individually they're nothing but when I curl them together like this into a single unit, they form a weapon that is terrible to behold."   
"Which channel do you want?" asks Linus. Turning away, he looks at his fingers and says, "Why can't you guys get organized like that?"

There is a lot to be said for unity, working together for the cause of Christ.  God accomplishes great things for the Kingdom when the people of God look to Him as One people.  In the scripture there is a transition of power from King David to King Solomon, and the common theme is unity:  All the people praised, all the people partied, David and Solomon are together, the leaders are all in agreement. The people of God are created to worship the Lord, to serve the Lord, to love the Lord, as ONE.  Read through today’s scripture and you cannot miss the unity of the people. 
 
~ Unity begins with each person desiring unity. 1 Chron. 29:20 READ.  David is handing his kingship to his son Solomon.  David desire the unity of the people.  He could have fought to keep all power to the end, but he looks to God and sees the common good greater than his own power.   There is a time when WE is more important than ME…  Unity begins with each person looking for the good of the whole.  

Life is constant change.  I have come to the conclusion life is more about transitions than it is stability.  Many of you have gone through major transitions of life since I have served in this community as a pastor?  ~ deaths, illness, loss of all kinds.  Grief, extended periods without jobs….   I’ve been going to a small group on grief, because I think it is something relevant to many people.  I don’t know if more will come of it, but a small group in our community for grief, loss, transition may be a gamechanger for many.…
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The book of Chronicles (It’s one book divided in two) is written for people facing loss, people who need to pick up the pieces of life and find a new normal, people who have suffered and need to learn to thrive again.  I’ve titled this series, “A Great Work for a Great God.”  Superficially it is about rebuilding the temple, but the deeper application is about Spiritual Renewal, turning back to God.  The Great Work is YOU.  The Great work is the transformation of the heart, the renewal of the Spirit in Christ Jesus. 
 
When somebody faces death one of the common messages well meaning friends give after a time is to suggest it’s time to move on: “Aren’t you over it yet?”  The world has moved on but your world is upsidedown.  And it hurts.  Life is about transitions.  When you face profound loss, I don’t think the answer is to get over it.  Even good things can be a crisis because of the transition.  A new job is a crisis.  Moving is a crisis. A wedding is a crisis because you don’t know what the new world will look like.  I’ve even heard of people facing the birth of their first grandchild and being nervous about all the newness it means and the unknown world that is coming about March 19….  Isn’t that crazy.  

Today we are beginning a series on the Life Of Solomon out of the books of 1 and 2nd Chronicles. Turn to 1st Chronicles 28. The focus of the series is going to be on the great things God did through Solomon.  Just like God desired to do great things through Solomon so he desires to great things through us here in our little corner of the world.

In studying his life we can learn a lot about who God is and how to partner with him in what he is doing in the world. We are going to begin today by looking at the context around the book of Chronicles and the story we are reading

Roughly 4-500 years before Solomon ruled over Israel, the Israelites, with the help of God were freed from the clutches of Pharoah in Egypt and led into the Promised Land. For the next 2-300 years the Israelites lived as loosely united Tribes scattered all over modern-day Israel, Jordan, and Syria. At various times and to varying degrees God helped raise up men and women to defend these tribes from the non-Israelite tribes around them. These people were called judges. Israel had no King, no capital and no Temple.

NOTE: This sermon was prepared but not actually preached on Sunday, Feb. 5.  The snow storms and northeast wind caused us to cancel the worship service.  For a variety of reasons Chad and I decided it would be best to stick to our preaching schedule, so this sermon is only available in this written form.  It is the first of a series: "A Great Work for a Great God."  ~ Pastor Carl
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Do you like my tie?  The main reason I like my tie ~~~ it belonged to my father.  It was one of his favorite ties in the later years of his life.  When I wear this tie and I remember my father.  But this tie is not my father.  His memories go beyond this tie…
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Today begin a new series talking about the ancient temple of Solomon.  But it’s not about the temple.  No more than this tie is my father, the temple is not God.  The temple is a place where people worship God, sacrifice, but God is bigger than the temple.  The temple is a great work for a great God, but the greater work is transformation of the heart to be blessed by God.  Jumping to the last verse of this scripture, the most important idea in 1 Chron. 28:10 is NOT that Solomon is commissioned to build a temple; it is the description of the Temple as a Sanctuary.  The most tremendous words in this scripture are found in 1 Chron. 28:9.  These are words every Christian parent ought to want for their children.  These are words that every Christian ought to be praying for the struggling and hurting people iin their life.   These are words that every missionary could put on a banner to remember the purpose of going to lost people who need God.  READ.