St Luke's Church Eccleshill - Articles from "The Link"

Wanting renewal?

Tucked away at the end of the Old Testament are some minor prophets. I’ve never preached on them before - but we’re having a look at them in October. Haggai and Zechariah come when the exiles from Babylon have just returned to the holy land. The people had expected their return would be a time of victory and high esteem for their nation, but in fact it was the opposite. Jerusalem was virtually in ruins and the people were demoralized: few in number, scattered, subject to foreign rule, poverty-stricken and dependent on agriculture at a time when the weather seemed very much set against them. By Zechariah’s time they had started rebuilding the city and the temple, but they were sad and disillusioned, and they felt their land and religion were not what they used to be. Sound familiar?

Haggai has a rather blunt question. If God really exists, then why don’t we realize that if we don’t do what he wants we can’t expect him to back us up? Why is the weather bad? Crops come from God, but if we don’t use the crops for what God wants us to use them for, why should we expect good crops? Generosity would give a better return than hoarding wealth and cursing the weather.

Zechariah, in the first 8 chapters of his book, asks how our hearts can be renewed. Repentance is one answer. Seeing the potential is another. Feeling the cleansing power of the Holy Spirit is another. Finding a reliable source of energy is another. Social justice and directing your religion towards things that matter is another.

Like all prophets, we can read these people’s words as if they were just for the people of 2½ thousand years ago. These things happened to them as examples but they were written down for us as warnings for our generation too. Like those people we can feel we’re at a low ebb - like them we can be renewed.

John Hartley

Old Testament History at a glance

	*St Luke's Church, Eccleshill - The Link* magazine** The Link is published monthly at 40p (Senior Citizens 35p), and we deliver free within the parish and post copies (at the reader's expense) to those who request it. Please contact us if you would like a free copy for a trial period. October 2007, Page 2.
Home Page. Index of articles: by subject, by date. In this issue: (October 2007) Mr. Rich, Zechariah, Question, Song, Ministry Review. Other articles on the bible.	Wanting renewal? Tucked away at the end of the Old Testament are some minor prophets. I’ve never preached on them before - but we’re having a look at them in October. Haggai and Zechariah come when the exiles from Babylon have just returned to the holy land. The people had expected their return would be a time of victory and high esteem for their nation, but in fact it was the opposite. Jerusalem was virtually in ruins and the people were demoralized: few in number, scattered, subject to foreign rule, poverty-stricken and dependent on agriculture at a time when the weather seemed very much set against them. By Zechariah’s time they had started rebuilding the city and the temple, but they were sad and disillusioned, and they felt their land and religion were not what they used to be. Sound familiar? Haggai has a rather blunt question. If God really exists, then why don’t we realize that if we don’t do what he wants we can’t expect him to back us up? Why is the weather bad? Crops come from God, but if we don’t use the crops for what God wants us to use them for, why should we expect good crops? Generosity would give a better return than hoarding wealth and cursing the weather. Zechariah, in the first 8 chapters of his book, asks how our hearts can be renewed. Repentance is one answer. Seeing the potential is another. Feeling the cleansing power of the Holy Spirit is another. Finding a reliable source of energy is another. Social justice and directing your religion towards things that matter is another. Like all prophets, we can read these people’s words as if they were just for the people of 2½ thousand years ago. These things happened to them as examples but they were written down for us as warnings for our generation too. Like those people we can feel we’re at a low ebb - like them we can be renewed. John Hartley Old Testament History at a glance
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