Sunday’s lesson was about someone with the best of intentions but misplaced priorities. Ezra had become single-mindedly intent on getting back to the way things were in the past, in the “glory years”, even if parts of it weren’t that good.

Ezra soon learned that the people of Israel had not kept separate (like in the old days) and had intermarried with other peoples. (Ezra 9:2, “they have mingled the ‘holy race’...and the leaders and officials have led the way in this unfaithfulness”.) But were the Israelites really a holy race, a holy seed? No. This is why words matter. God called them a holy people, a holy community; it was not about ethnicity. However, it was suggested to Ezra that these “wrongs” could be solved by sending away all the foreign women and their children; it was decreed that this would be done.

The community of Israel in Ezra’s day truly wanted the best for Jerusalem, but seem to have missed that God desired their hearts. Ezra concentrated so much on the old ways that he never considered that some of those ways should be left behind. The past absolutely has value, but only if we learn from it. We learn from the past, but live for the future. God tells us that the future will be better - and we can be better, too.

Jesus can be our future. What do we need to let go of from our past to have a better future?

Sunday’s message was a call to be active -- active about God’s love, sharing His Word, and lifting others up.

As Josh said, it’s much easier to tear something (or someone) down than to build it up. Building something up for positive change is even harder. In the 3rd chapter of Ezra, God’s people were rebuilding a temple to Him, essentially rebuilding a “new normal” for them. When the king decreed that work on the temple must stop, the celebrations stopped and people became apathetic.

In our “new normal” of life in a pandemic and sheltering in place, some of us may be feeling apathetic, but we have to remember that the temple of God is us! The spirit of God flows through us always, waiting for us to get busy and GO BUILD. He calls us to share hope, redemption, and to build His temple within all of us. Ignore that voice that says this is not the time. The pandemic is the perfect time to rebuild. The will to change, to GO BUILD, comes through us from God. Let’s rebuild our own temple by learning God’s word and committing to prayer. Let’s be known for faith in action - let’s care for each other by sharing God’s word and sharing the love and hope He gives us.

In Haggai 1:14, God “stirred up” people’s spirits and they came and began to work on the house of the Lord. What is God stirring you to build? Who is God stirring you to build? Are you listening?

Josh’s message today was about “When God’s people tell the wrong stories” and there’s a lot to unpack here. He talked about how sometimes people glamorize the sacrifices they’ve made in their lives. He noted that God’s people have spent way too much time being impressed with themselves and being selfish. I have to admit, I’ve met a few “Christians” over the years who simply bragged about what righteous, God-fearing people they were - and then in the next breath, put down anyone who didn’t live exactly like they did. To me, that’s an insincere faith, and they forget that God knows their hearts. Like it says in Zachariah 7:5-6, “...When you fasted and mourned… was it really for me that you fasted? And when you were eating and drinking, were you not just feasting for yourselves?”

Now, Zachariah 7-8 seems to be talking about us today, in the time of Coronavirus. It talks about when the people refused to follow God’s word (Zach. 7:11-12 “they stubbornly turned their backs and covered their ears, made their hearts as hard as flint”) and the Lord became very angry. But even so, the Lord Almighty said He would bless Jerusalem, promising (in Zach. 8:12) an inheritance to the remnant of this people. And as we read in so many places throughout the Bible, “Do not be afraid”. God loves us so very much; He wants us to be prosperous and happy. Zach. 8:19 tells us that once again the fasts will become “joyful and glad occasions and happy festivals for Judah. Therefore love truth and peace.”

How will this happen? The answer is in Zach. 8:16-17, “These are the things you are to do: Speak the truth to each other, and render true and sound judgment in your courts; do not plot evil against each other, and do not love to swear falsely. I hate all this, declares the Lord.” When I listen to the news, I’m not hearing much about truth-telling and sound judgments; I hear a lot about evil, though. Let’s hold fast to the promise that our festivals will become joyful again and pray that all peoples will come to love truth and peace.

On Sunday, Fathers’ Day, Josh discussed the basic question - What is a father? Here's my take on it.

Early scripture calls God by many names - the Creator, Yahweh, Jehovah - but we are probably most familiar with calling God “the Father”.

Harking back to the story of the prodigal son, we recall that the father welcomed his wayward son back with hugs and a celebration. Why? Because the father felt compassion for his son - not bitterness or anger - and that is what defines a loving father. Oftentimes, it may be more difficult to be compassionate than to exert power, but as we read in Luke 6:36, “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”

Fear of God is powerful, but God’s power is demonstrated by His compassion. Power isn’t just about brute strength, aggression, or superiority. Remember that when you are suffering, God, your Father, suffers with you. Even now, when we are in our own exile, know that He will run to us, eager to shower us with His compassion. That is His promise.

Sunday’s study of Daniel focused on chapter 9, when Daniel prays to God, pleading for an end to Jerusalem’s suffering. Notably, Daniel confessed, not just for himself but, for everyone who had sinned. Daniel 9:5 reads, “We have sinned, we have been wicked… we have turned away from your commands.” He even prayed about the sins of the ancestors who are “covered with shame, Lord, because we have sinned against you.”

Why would he apologize for what was done by people in past generations? He was a righteous man, he had little to confess to, but Daniel knew that we are more than individuals. Together, we create a community, and he knew that a group’s actions can reflect on everyone. Daniel begged forgiveness for them all, knowing that the only path forward was through forgiveness. Indeed, the path to holiness is paved with forgiveness.

How does this apply to us in 2020? Josh noted that it is biblical to confess sins on behalf of others - yes, even our ancestors. Maybe we need to accept a collective sense of responsibility for others’ failures. We are all Christ’s ambassadors, we were all made in God’s image, and if we bear His image, we must reflect Him. We must be known as a people called to God’s character, visibly; like the song says “They will know we are Christians by our love”. Let us strive to live lives that reflect the light of Jesus’ love.

Josh’s sermon on Sunday was about “When Power Collides with People of God”, or about how being faithful to God’s Word can conflict with a nation’s beliefs. This is my take on it.

In the third chapter of Daniel, King Nebuchadnezzar set up a huge image of gold and ordered the people to fall down and worship it. If they did not, they would be thrown into a blazing furnace. The king’s advisors told him that the three Jews that he had appointed as administrators did not follow his order and they would not worship the image of gold. The king threatened them with death in the fiery furnace and they still refused, saying (Daniel 3:16-18) “...the God we serve is able to deliver us from it...But even if he does not, we will not serve your gods or worship your image of gold.”

Ultimately, the three men were thrown into the furnace but walked out of it without being harmed at all. The astounded king then decreed that no one should speak against the God that had delivered them “....for no other god can save in this way.”

Those three men were IN the world, in Babylon, but they weren’t OF it and they refused to be defiled by it. They were being holy, faithful, pure men. Leviticus 19:2 says, “Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy” but know this - the path to holiness was paved with forgiveness. Let us now step into God’s forgiveness.

It’s easy to serve God when life is good. But when He allows us to suffer, to be in pain, it can be a challenge to keep our faith strong. As it says in John 3:21, “But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.” God is the true light, but we can all be a light in the dark places of this world. Our trust in God will give us the courage to do what’s right, even when we can’t possibly know the outcome.

Sunday’s sermon on ‘How to Live in the Tension of Dual Citizenship” was taken from the first chapter of the Book of Daniel. When the Israelites were exiled to Babylonia, the king ordered that four of the finest Israeli men (including Daniel) would be trained to serve in the king’s palace. There, they would be given Babylonian names, they would be taught the language and the literature, and they would even be fed from the king’s table.

Daniel, however, refused that food, resolving not to defile himself, possibly because Babylonians sacrificed animals to their gods, or to maintain cultural distinctiveness. This was where Daniel drew a line in the sand. On the one hand, as we read in Jeremiah 29:5-7, he was willing to “seek the peace and prosperity of the city” where he was exiled. But on the other hand, he would not elevate the Babylonian beliefs above his own faith.

The concept of dual citizenship represents the intersection of our two identities as (1) citizens in the kingdom of God and (2) citizens of nations of this world. The two won’t always align. A singular allegiance to God may sometimes conflict with patriotism or nationalism because we cannot serve two masters. Ephesians 4:4-6 says it best, “There is one body and one Spirit… one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all.”

Josh’s message encouraged us to “Live within, but don’t live with sin”. God calls us to contribute fully to life but not with sin. We mustn’t condone the sins around us, even with our silence. We mustn’t turn blind eyes to actions that don’t bring glory to God. Let’s not conform to the lowest common denominator; let’s be transformed to become the people God meant us to be. Let’s live righteous lives, be the voice for the oppressed and, using God’s Word, find the strength to love our enemies.

Continuing our study on “Captive”, we look at the aftermath of tragedy. The book of Lamentations is a natural followup to Jeremiah where God’s chosen people had their holy land destroyed because they wouldn’t change. Lamentations is about the raw emotion of grief following disaster.

Many times in the Bible, God is portrayed as a loving husband who experiences infidelity, not faithfulness. Indeed, Lamentations 1:1-2 reads as if Jerusalem is a widow suffering the loneliness of loss, “...How deserted lies the city once so full of people… Bitterly she weeps at night… there is no one to comfort her.” That first chapter sadly continues to remember past treasures, fear that she cannot withstand this, and her heart is faint.

In Chapter 2, the writer shifts from self to attacking God, accusing Him. 2:6 “He has laid waste his dwelling… The Lord has made Zion forget her appointed festivals and her Sabbaths.” Verse 20 cries out “Look, Lord, and consider: Whom have you ever treated like this?”

Chapter 3 then shifts from affliction to hope. 3:25 “The Lord is good to those whose hope is in Him”. 3:29 “...there may yet be hope.” It even shows empathy for God’s viewpoint, accepting the consequences in 3:38-39. “Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both calamities and good things come? Why should the living complain when punished for their sins?”

So what do we do when things seem out of control? We have to accept that it is not ours to control. We must be still. This is our time for acceptance, our time to wait, our time to have faith that His plan is evolving. He is still a God of love and hope. Be encouraged. The end of the story will be salvation.

Josh’s lesson for us on Sunday was about Fake News, and how that’s been happening throughout the ages.

In Jeremiah 27:4-11, God’s command was for all people to serve the king of Babylon. If any nation did not “bow its neck under his yoke, I will punish that nation with the sword, famine and plague.” In Jeremiah 26:12-13, Jeremiah told the people everything the Lord had commanded him to say - that they should submit to this king, an enemy. The people seized him and wanted him to die because they interpreted what he said as “fake news”. Later, in Jeremiah 28:2-4, we read that within two years God “...will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.” In spite of this dire prediction of being under a yoke for two years (like a pandemic), the people were told in Jeremiah 29:5-9 to put down roots, plant gardens, marry and have children, and pray for peace and prosperity because it will come. In other words, God’s will was for them to LIVE.

This is where an often misinterpreted verse appears. Jeremiah 29:11 reads “For I know the plans I have for you...plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” This was a message of hope meant for all God’s peoples, not individuals.

Instead, let’s take verse 29:7 to heart: “Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”

Let us pray for peace and prosperity and for God to break the yoke of this pandemic. Let us work together and be the peacemakers that God wants us to be. And most importantly, let us convey Jesus’ words: “I am The Way, and the Truth and the Life”. Let us cast our burdens unto God and put our hope in Him.

This week, Josh takes us through an unlikely story about two moms, coming before King Solomon to settle a dispute about which of them was the true mother. While it’s a story that is shared to depict the wisdom of the King, below the surface, it’s a powerful story about the extraordinary nature of a mother’s love and what that kind of love reveals to us about a loving God. Find a mom somewhere that needs a little encouragement and love this week and invite them to hear this message!