Thursday, March 16, 2023

Nehemiah 4:15-20

Nehemiah 4:15-20 

  It's a fascinating image -- here's the people building the wall, and they have tools in one hand and weapons in the other.  It reminds me a little of the image of Karl Barth talking about preaching with the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in other.  We focus on the tools of being Christians, but we also engage with the world.  Jesus did ministry in the midst of the city, just as we're called to ministry in the midst of the city and communities --we love our neighbors, and it's critical for us to know about the world, to use the world's tools, as we are in the midst of it.
  And sometimes, we get in deep trouble in the midst of the world, and in those moments... we sound the alarm, and the church rallies around those in trouble, and we always remember, God will fight for us!  
  As it says in Exodus and repeats here, God will fight for us, we have only to be still.

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