The book of Nehemiah opens by talking about a specific time and a particular place and a concrete political situation in the history of the people of God, namely 458BC in the city of Susa under the Persian Empire. That reminds us that the presence and action of God is not limited to some vague… Read More »

Many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem… “Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.” The prophet Zechariah was writing when the exiles were returning from the captivity. Instead of slinking back to Jerusalem with their tail between their legs like… Read More »

On this day, the feast of the archangels, the scripture readings provide an interesting contrast. The Old Testament lesson from the book of Daniel talks about “wheels of burning fire,” shining clothing, myriads attending, “coming on the clouds of heaven.” All very exotic imagery to remind us that God is more than we can imagine.… Read More »

Some texts in the Bible are a little frightening, like God raining fire and brimstone down on Sodom and Gomorrah, Pharoah’s army drowning the Red Sea or the walls of Jericho tumbling down. While these are scary enough, the gospel story of the Rich Man and Lazarus is the text that terrifies me. The way… Read More »

The prophet Zechariah, along with Haggai, brought the word of God to the exiles returning from captivity in Babylon. The excitement of returning to their homeland was quickly tempered by the reality of needing to build everything — homes, farms, businesses as well as the temple — from scratch. Zechariah brought a word of encouragement… Read More »

Who is left among you that saw this house in its former glory? And how do you see it now? Does it not seem like nothing in your eyes? But now take courage.  While this prophetic word is addressed to ancient Israel it could just as easily be addressed to St. James today. Thirteen years… Read More »

The prophet Haggai had a very specific message: rebuild the temple that had been destroyed by the Babylonians. The background: the Persians (present day Iran) conquered Babylon (present day Iraq) and reversed the policy of taking captive people into exile. The Jewish exiles returned to the Promised land in 538BC and began to rebuild their… Read More »

While Ezra is not as well known as the “major prophets” like Isaiah and Jeremiah, he mattered as much as anyone to the development of the Judaism which formed Jesus, and hence the Christian Church. After the experience of the Babylonian Exile with the destruction of nation, kingshiip and temple what it meant to be… Read More »

We rely on certain things to anchor us in life: family, nationality, geography, even our bodies. These kinds of things help us to know who we are. Jesus asks us to find a new anchor for our lives: God. While family is important Jesus said, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the… Read More »

Whoever among you belongs to any part of his people, let him go up, and may his God be with him! The Church starts reading today from the book of Ezra. It tells the story of the return of the Jewish people from exile. The background: in 721BC the northern kingdom of Israel had been… Read More »