As church goers, faith leaders, and Jesus-followers, we have had to navigate uncharted territory these last few months. The church questions for the second half of the year remain front and center as we seek to worship and serve together.
A census is not a spiritual matter, but numbers play an important role in church life. Numbers are a bit like a temperature. It is a first line of judgment but not the only one.
In a time of a national census and a deadly epidemic, a ruler who cares more about himself than the people can be dangerous. At least that’s the lesson in the biblical texts from the end of King David’s rule.