Advent Devotion for December 14, 2019 from Apostles By-the-Sea - Episode 14

Saturday, December 14, 2019

 

Haggai 2:1-9

¹ In the second year of King Darius, in the seventh month, on the twenty-first day of the month, the word of the Lord came by the prophet Haggai, saying: ² Speak now to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people, and say, ³ Who is left among you that saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Is it not in your sight as nothing? ⁴ Yet now take courage, O Zerubbabel, says the Lord; take courage, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest; take courage, all you people of the land, says the Lord; work, for I am with you, says the Lord of hosts, ⁵ according to the promise that I made you when you came out of Egypt. My spirit abides among you; do not fear. ⁶ For thus says the Lord of hosts: Once again, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land; ⁷ and I will shake all the nations, so that the treasure of all nations shall come, and I will fill this house with splendor, says the Lord of hosts. ⁸ The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, says the Lord of hosts. ⁹ The latter splendor of this house shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts; and in this place I will give prosperity, says the Lord of hosts.

 

Reflection:

The prophet Haggai speaks to the people of Israel who have returned from exile in order to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. They waited a long time - over 60 years since the temple’s destruction, and there were still some among them who were able to remember the former temple. Unfortunately, this rebuilt temple was only a shadow of the former, and a bit of a disappointment in their eyes. God spoke through the prophet Haggai with a message that directed the people not to the current temple, but to a future temple more glorious than they could ever imagine. Sometimes, we too get caught up in the present and fail to look forward to that certain, glorious future for the children of God – one that will be consummated at Jesus’ return. Even now, God is building that future glorious temple. The apostle Paul writes in Ephesians 2:22 that we are being “built together into a dwelling place for God.” As we wait for the coming of Christ, let us joyfully work together to participate in God’s kingdom-building program here on earth, in our worship and as we “go in peace to love and to serve the Lord.”