Sometimes on fall nights I like to look at the sky and enjoy the
beauty of the heavens.
In 1996 astronomers at the Hubble Space Telescope picked a portion
of the sky that seemed to be a dark patch. The focused the lens of the Hubble
for 10 days on this area. Where they originally had seen nothing, now there
were galaxies- more than 3000 of them. They continued to discover an endless
array of galaxies as they looked even deeper into space.
The sky which had first looked empty was in fact full of heavenly
objects. Their initial perception had been wrong. Our vision may need to be
changed when evaluating the stars. Our vision may need to be changed when looking at our everyday circumstances.
The Biblical character that we will study today is the prophet
Haggai (6th century BCE)
The people of Israel had been taken captive to Babylon and were
gone for 50 years. And now as refugees they have returned back home and are
rebuilding their lives. They have been back for about 20 years constructing
their houses, planting gardens, raising families. The community is coming back
to life but there is very visible problem. Haggai asks some crucial questions .
He says to them: “What do you see when you look at this place?” The settlement
is there but there is no restored Temple.
Let's review the history: Many years before King Solomon had built
a magnificent Temple with craftsmen and materials from throughout the middle
east. It was the showplace of Jerusalem and it had been destroyed in war with Babylon.
When the Israelites had come home, they had the intention of
rebuilding the Temple. But it hadn't happened as expected. All that was there
after 20 years were some foundation stones.
What was going on? What was
preventing their progress?
People were focused on their own needs and were trying to make new
lives for themselves.
There was also conflict and disagreement over the rebuilding of
the Temple. Communities don't always agree on what should be built, or what is
needed. We know that. Neighbors can have heated discussions about the building
of schools, or half way houses, or low income housing. There was not a
consensus in Jerusalem.
Haggai asks them: What do you see? A discouraging pile of building
materials? An impossible job to replace such
the beautiful structure of
Solomon's temple? Or do you see a place where there will be praise and reminders
of God's presence with us?
There is a small congregation
outside Dallas, Texas called Church of Our Savior which is located in a
struggling neighborhood. Members asked themselves the question, “If we didn't
exist anymore, would it matter to our neighbors?” They came to the conclusion:
probably not.
Some of them began to look around and saw that what they did have
was 4 acres of land. Someone else saw that there were no nearby stores for
people to get fresh produce. Why not plant a garden?
They began a community project; in the first year they raised over
1000 pounds of vegetables which were given to the neighborhood food bank. In
the 8 years of this endeavor, they
estimate that over 20 tons of food have been grown.
One of the members stated:
“It is awesome to see what God can do with a little bit of nothing! ” Their
neighbors have joined them in gardening.
They went from being the church that few know about to being a
church that has affected the well being of their neighborhood as they
shared the love of Christ.
Haggai was not an engineer or an architect; he was not the
governor or the high priest. He drew them all together. He was a person with
good vision who encouraged others to look and imagine with him.
He invited them to stand back and see the whole picture.
Didn't God need to hold first place in their lives?
Didn't their community need a place to gather for prayer and for
study and for worship?
They needed a place to get their bearings. How would their
children know about the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob?
It was time to rebuild the Temple and they could do it. God’s
Spirit was with them.
We think about places that have experienced destruction and then
work so hard to put their communities back together. We are grateful for those
who go and help with the cleanup and the healing and the rebuilding. We are
grateful for those who speak out with voices of courage, who can see beyond
insurmountable odds, who believe that the future holds hope.
The congregation of Living Waters UMC, Centerton Arkansas
experienced a crisis when their building was severely damaged by arson. For two
years, they have met at a nearby school and tried to put the pieces back
together. Their pastor Blake Lasater was in the Navy Reserve and had been
deployed to Iraq . This war veteran faced a greater challenge when he had to
lead his people back from the ashes. Insurance company wanted them to rehab the
old building with all the damage.
They looked around at their community, and asked what was needed
here. What do we see? Oldest member of the congregation Miss Anna encouraged
them to go for a new building. Their old building had stairs and barriers to
ministry. A new building held more possibilities and they listened to her .
In
September they celebrated the opening of their new space with a party for the
community. Floor plans include a large room for their food pantry and a room
for a medical clinic that will be staffed by two retired doctors. They believe
that God continues to bring new life even in difficult situations.
Haggai's words to the Israelites may have seemed foolish, and
impractical when he told them that God wanted them to build a Temple that would
be even more glorious than Solomon's. They were starting with a pile of rocks
and few resources, and little expectation. He also told them that God was with
them and that they should not be afraid. God had brought them back home and
they still were to be a light to the nations.
As they put stone upon stone their faith became visible.
When we hear those words in Scripture “ I am with you , do not be
afraid” then be prepared ! There will be hard work and adventure and difficulties!
These words are God’s code for some big plans ahead...
Spoiler alert: They did rebuild the Temple in about 5 years after
Haggai's challenge and encouragement. This temple was dedicated in about 515
BCE.
A place of worship continued in Jerusalem thru the centuries. King
Herod of the early first century did a massive restoration of the temple. Jesus
came there as a boy and as an adult with his disciples.
And now centuries later, there are some remnants of a wall from
the Temple which exist in Jerusalem today and people of many faiths and
traditions come there to pray for peace. This reminds me of Isaiah’s prophesy:
“these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house and it
will be a house of prayer for all nations."
What do we see when we look around us?
How do we show that God presence is here?
Have we gotten distracted by busyness and
our own needs?
What needs to be rebuilt in our lives , in
our home town?
What spiritual needs can we address? Whose
lives are hurting?
Who will do something about it?
Whose voice will offer encouragement?
What do we see?
Are we able to trust that God is with us
and will provide what is needed?
Let us be builders- who help repair what
is broken, who strengthen what is weak,
and who believe what ought to be -can be.
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