Twelve

The number twelve is an important number:

  -There are twelve months in a year

  -There are twelve numbers on the face of a clock

  -Twelve is the last year before a child becomes a teenager

  -Eggs are sold by the dozen

  -There is the song, "The Twelve Days of Christmas"

  -Texas A & M football has the "12th man", symbolizing the impact their fans have on the game

  -In bowling, it takes 12 strikes to complete a perfect game

  -We have twelve pairs of ribs in our bodies

  -There are twelve inches in a foot

  -There are twelve face cards in a deck

  -Alcoholics Anonymous has twelve steps in its program

  -There are twelve Jewish tribes

  -Jesus had twelve Apostles

 

The number twelve also represents the number of years I have been pastor of Hillcrest Baptist Church in Richmond, California.  Yep, twelve years ago I preached my first sermon as the pastor of this wonderful church.  Yesterday, we celebrated that as a church family.  My taste buds are still dancing from the wonderful meal we had after the service.  The ribs, chicken, lumpia, spaghetti, cornbread, Cheerwine cake, coconut creme pie, fudge, peach cobbler cake and so many more tastes are still being savored.  I had to work out extra hard this morning at the gym after eating so much.  I want to thank each of you for making yesterday so special and the cake Jewel made was incredible.  My family and I are honored to be a part of such a loving congregation.  You are far more generous than we deserve.  You make me feel like an outstanding pastor, even though I know there are tons of pastors who are much better at this than I am.  I am humbled that you can see good in me and are willing to listen to what God has to say when I stand in the pulpit.  In the past twelve years, a lot of members of Hillcrest have died or moved to other cities, so it was hard to only see a few hands of those who were here on my first Sunday.  However, it is thrilling to see how God has been adding to His Kingdom and His Church in the past twelve years.  I know He has great plans for our church, so I am trying to not get in His way.

Perhaps the highlight of my day was simply watching you respond to the Holy Spirit during our musical worship as many of you came forward to kneel at the altar and ask for God's healing.  Thank you for not being intimidated or afraid to humble yourself before the Lord.  I love being in a congregation that has a multitude of ages and ethnicities, because Heaven is filled with people from every tribe and tongue.  More than that, I am grateful to be in a congregation that passionately seeks to honor God.  You don't just talk about it on Sunday, but live it out on Mondays.  When I meet your family, friends, neighbors and co-workers, it is evident that your light is shining in the world.  Thank you for giving me the freedom to preach truthfully about God's Word without having a political agenda, a personal agenda or walls built up which hinder the truth of the Bible to penetrate your life.  I talk with other pastors and see the "hoops" and expectations other pastors have from their congregations and thank God that you simply push me to follow Christ.  You have pulled along side me when I was in need or struggling.  You have called me when you thought I was hurting and have challenged me when you felt I was wrong.  Most of all, you have show the love of Christ to me and to my family.

Twelve is a wonderful number.  Twelve years have gone by too quickly.  I don't know what will happen during the next twelve years, but I pray we will continue to serve the Lord with passion, joy and consistency.