JOY AND WEEPING (EZRA 3:6-13)

The foundation of the destroyed temple rebuilt. REFLECTION Joy and weeping is the theme for our reflection. The Persian empire had defeated the Babylonian empire which hitherto had destroyed Jerusalem and taken a great number of the Israelites into exile and captivity. The Persian empire allowed Ezra and his contemporaries to return home to rebuild…

Jean-Paul Agidi

Dec 1, 2021

2–3 minutes

The foundation of the destroyed temple rebuilt.

REFLECTION

Joy and weeping is the theme for our reflection. The Persian empire had defeated the Babylonian empire which hitherto had destroyed Jerusalem and taken a great number of the Israelites into exile and captivity. The Persian empire allowed Ezra and his contemporaries to return home to rebuild their nation.

The focus of Ezra was to first restore the Spiritual life by reviving the people of Isreal and their relationship with God. This necessitated the rebuilding of the House of God for worship. In today’s Scripture reading we discover that after they succeeded in relaying the foundation of the House of God “they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the LORD, “For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever toward Israel.” And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid. But many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers’ houses, old men who had seen the first house, wept with a loud voice when they saw the foundation of this house being laid, though many shouted aloud for joy, so that the people could not distinguish the sound of the joyful shout from the sound of the people’s weeping, for the people shouted with a great shout, and the sound was heard far away. (Ezra 3:11-13)

My dear friend, many of us ought to weep in prayer and hope becuase we had fallen from glory and grace to sin and disgrace. We can appreciate what God did for us in the past but for our disobedience. Today’s reflection encourages us that God can restore our lost spiritual and moral foundation and bring back our lost glory, peace and joy into our lives. The Advent season offers us a great opportunity to return as exiles, weep in hope and yearn to experience the joy of the Lord even as we see the broken relationship or foundation between us and God restored through His grace and empowerment.

Beloved in the Lord, To restore your broken spiritual foundation, you must return to Jesus with genuine repentance and weeping and allow the Holy Spirit to strengthen you to overcome the sin that destroyed your foundation and led you into exile. Study the Word of God, live by it and pray without ceasing. Shalom.

PRAYER

Merciful Lord, wipe away of tears of regret and remorse from our eyes, restore our broken foundation so that we may experience true joy. Amen

Jean-Paul Agidi(Rev.)