In the second year of King Darius,in the seventh month, on the twenty-first day of the month, the word of the Lord came by the prophet Haggai, saying: Speak now to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people, and say, Who is left among you that saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Is it not in your sight as nothing? Yet now take courage, O Zerubbabel, says the Lord; take courage, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest; take courage, all you people of the land, says the Lord; work, for I am with you, says the Lord of hosts,according to the promise that I made you when you came out of Egypt. My spirit abides among you; do not fear. For thus says the Lord of hosts: Once again, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land; and I will shake all the nations, so that the treasure of all nations shall come, and I will fill this house with splendour, says the Lord of hosts. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, says the Lord of hosts. The latter splendour of this house shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts; and in this place I will give prosperity, says the Lord of hosts. (Haggai 1:15,2-9)
You and I drive past buildings that were once glorious structures of different purposes. You and I drive past old churches, now abandoned, boarded up, with overgrown lawns. Even sadder, we may even go to some large, glorious church building that is now but a shadow of what it once was, and there are many churches which fit that description. These churches hold anniversaries and enjoy hearing and seeing stories and accounts of what once was; with most people attending knowing that those days are long gone, never to return, unless something is done.
The same is going on with the people in this passage. The prophet Haggai comes and asks, "Who is left among you that saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Is it not in your sight as nothing?" Here is where we need to hear what God may be saying to us: "Yet now take courage, O Zerubbabel, says the Lord; take courage, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest; take courage, all you people of the land says the Lord; work , for I am with you, says the Lord of hosts: Once again, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land; and I will shake all the nations, so that the treasure of all nations shall come, and I will fill this house with splendor, says the Lord of hosts. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, says the Lord of hosts. The latter splendor of this house shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts; and in this place I will give prosperity, says the Lord of hosts."
Several truths speak out from what the Lord said to the people through the prophet. The first is that the Lord expects them to work. That's an interesting thing to read isn't it? That God expects work from those who want results that will restore things back to former glory? The churches of the glory days were filled out of routine and ritual from many; it was a given you were going to be in church. The church of the glory days was filled with people from the same persuasion and neighborhoods, truly defining the standard definition of Sunday at 11 o'clock being the most segregated hour in America. As hard as it may be to hear this, very little work was done. Yes, the pastor had to prepare sermons and deliver them; organists and pianists had to rehearse the choirs and the sacred music for worship. And countless volunteers folded bulletins, collected the offering, etc. The work expected by God was being done by some here and there, and as those days past, going to worship was seen as a chore, something grandma and grandpa did - where was the meaning and attraction for those who felt they outgrew church? The second truth was that God is still in control. Of everything. And God is with us. God will listen and provide to us that which we need to do the work that will bring people back or for the first time, into a relationship with God. God will shake heaven and earth, the sea and the dry land; even nations will be shaken; and God's glory will return.
For now, we are called to faithfulness in preparing for, and finally, to do the work. The work before us is to offer the love and grace of God to all persons, regardless of how they say hello. The work is also that which Jesus defined in Matthew 25 to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the sick, welcome the stranger, visit the prisoner - and make disciples of all people from all nations. Add to that the need of Jesus' new commandment to love one another. If we would all do that in every aspect of our lives, imagine the splendor of God returning to every aspect of our lives; our homes, our workplaces, our play places, and our house of worship, and especially in our relationship with God and our relationship with ourselves. The good ole days are just ahead!
PRAYER: Loving God, may the words You shared with the people of old, be the words that come to us the people of the new. We want to work and work hard to return to a relationship that blesses You and those who see us. We want to bring glory to Your name. We pray in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
