If not now
when?
When will I build?
When will I turn my attention
to God
and away
from making
my life comfortable?
What am I going to build?
For me
or for God?
What am I doing
to build for God
where I am?
If I want you to come and live
here,
how am I preparing for that?
Where will you live
in me
and in my community?
Lord,
this Advent,
in my place
may I make space
for you to come
among us.
The theme of the first week in Advent is The Day of the Lord. We look forward to the coming of that day.
Haggai 1:1-8 (CEV)
Rebuild the Temple
1 On the first day of the sixth month of the second year that Darius was king of Persia, the Lord told Haggai the prophet to speak his message to the governor of Judah and to the high priest.
So Haggai told Governor Zerubbabel and High Priest Joshua 2-5 that the Lord All-Powerful had said to them and to the people:
You say this isn’t the right time to build a temple for me. But is it right for you to live in expensive houses, while my temple is a pile of ruins? Just look at what’s happening. 6 You harvest less than you plant, you never have enough to eat or drink, your clothes don’t keep you warm, and your wages are stored in bags full of holes.
7 Think about what I have said! 8 But first, go to the hills and get wood for my temple, so I can take pride in it and be worshiped there.
