Day 14
Scripture: Haggai 2:6-9
“This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations, and what is desired by all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the Lord Almighty. ‘The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the Lord Almighty. ‘The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the Lord Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the Lord Almighty.”
Story from the Blue Seats:
In the short book of Haggai, we see some of the Israelites that had been exiled return to Jerusalem, which is still in ruins. Challenged by Haggai, they begin to rebuild the temple but become discouraged while doing so. Haggai encourages them by foretelling of the coming Messiah, who would dwell among His people and unite all nations as they joined in God’s kingdom.
I love this idea of coming together as a community to build, and by extension to experience God’s presence. I teach English to immigrants, and on a recent night we were playing the game “Heads up,” where a student had to guess a word based on the clues the other students gave them. The word was cranberry, and one of our students said, “It is a very STRANGE berry.” We laughed and laughed, and I think that I will call cranberries “strange berries” for the rest of my life.
At Christmas we remember that God gave us the gift of His Son. May we remember all the many other gifts He has blessed us with, including community, fellowship, laughter, hugs, and smiles. And when we clean homes after a devastating flood, provide for the material needs of the vulnerable in our community, or even when we are just kind to our neighbor, we are not just building community but also building His kingdom. May we radiate Christ’s love and peace this season and always.