Ezra-Nehemiah Those weeping exiles...

I am moved by the description of the exiles who returned from Babylon, weeping and rejoicing at the same time, to see their beloved Temple in ruins and then having the courage to rebuild it.  Where did that come from?--the courage? the vision?  Of course their answer was, "God did it!" and they are right.

Those of us working in congregations under "redevelopment" might remember...our people have been here before.  We weren't deported, only deposed from power.  But the culture moved on, and many taunt us "Where is your God, now?"  Are we still a laughingstock?  When I think of the church in North America, I think about the exiles.  God gave them a vision of what could be, and then they found the resources to rebuild.  Of course, it didn't hurt that Cyrus was a 'sugar daddy.'