Raising the Roof of Faith - The Power of Community

Week Two: October 10-16

Nehemiah 3:1-12
Then the high priest Eliashib set to work with his fellow-priests and rebuilt the Sheep Gate. They consecrated it and set up its doors; they consecrated it as far as the Tower of the Hundred and as far as the Tower of Hananel. And the men of Jericho built next to him. And next to them Zaccur son of Imri built.

The sons of Hassenaah built the Fish Gate; they laid its beams and set up its doors, its bolts, and its bars. Next to them Meremoth son of Uriah son of Hakkoz made repairs. Next to them Meshullam son of Berechiah son of Meshezabel made repairs. Next to them Zadok son of Baana made repairs. Next to them the Tekoites made repairs; but their nobles would not put their shoulders to the work of their Lord.

Joiada son of Paseah and Meshullam son of Besodeiah repaired the Old Gate; they laid its beams and set up its doors, its bolts, and its bars. Next to them repairs were made by Melatiah the Gibeonite and Jadon the Meronothite—the men of Gibeon and of Mizpah—who were under the jurisdiction of the governor of the province Beyond the River. Next to them Uzziel son of Harhaiah, one of the goldsmiths, made repairs. Next to him Hananiah, one of the perfumers, made repairs; and they restored Jerusalem as far as the Broad Wall. Next to them Rephaiah son of Hur, ruler of half the district of Jerusalem, made repairs. Next to them Jedaiah son of Harumaph made repairs opposite his house; and next to him Hattush son of Hashabneiah made repairs. Malchijah son of Harim and Hasshub son of Pahath-moab repaired another section and the Tower of the Ovens. Next to him Shallum son of Hallohesh, ruler of half the district of Jerusalem, made repairs, he and his daughters.

Commentary
There are many wonderful things about the story of Nehemiah. It is in many respects a classic underdog story. You have an oppressed and conquered nation that rallies its will, marshals its resources, commits to doing what seems impossible, and then rebuilds even with the threat of attack from neighboring tribes and cities/provinces. But perhaps the greatest miracle of Nehemiah occurs in the power witnessed to in the single-mindedness of this community. Together, every household does its part to bring the wall of Jerusalem out of the ground, out of its rubble, and into formidable order. The miracle is that each household committed together, shoulder to shoulder, to get this daunting project done. It was the community, working together that did this profound thing. The rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem was not the singular victory of a particular family that bankrolled the effort. Everyone threw down and threw in. That saints, is miraculous! And in the end, each household was able to look at the wall and say together with full ownership, “We did this!”

Questions for Discussion
1. Think of a time that you experienced the very real power of a community pulling together to do an extraordinary thing. How did people commit together to do the thing? What was the outcome? What would have happened if people had opted out and decided not to participate?
2. When you are in community, especially God’s community, how does it strengthen you and help you walk taller as a person of faith? How does this faith community challenge you to be bolder and more faithful as a child of God?
3. How do you see God at work, for the sake of the world, through the community of St. Stephen? How do you think we could be even stronger as a community?

Raising the Roof of Faith - A Holy Discontent

Week One: October 3-9

Nehemiah 1:1-2:8
The words of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah. In the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, while I was in Susa the capital, one of my brothers, Hanani, came with certain men from Judah; and I asked them about the Jews that survived, those who had escaped the captivity, and about Jerusalem. They replied, ‘The survivors there in the province who escaped captivity are in great trouble and shame; the wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been destroyed by fire.’

When I heard these words I sat down and wept, and mourned for days, fasting and praying before the God of heaven. I said, ‘O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments; let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for your servants the people of Israel, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Both I and my family have sinned. We have offended you deeply, failing to keep the commandments, the statutes, and the ordinances that you commanded your servant Moses. Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses, “If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples; but if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts are under the farthest skies, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place at which I have chosen to establish my name.” They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great power and your strong hand. O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man!’
At the time, I was cupbearer to the king.

Nehemiah Sent to Judah

In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was served to him, I carried the wine and gave it to the king. Now, I had never been sad in his presence before. So the king said to me, ‘Why is your face sad, since you are not sick? This can only be sadness of the heart.’ Then I was very much afraid. I said to the king, ‘May the king live for ever! Why should my face not be sad, when the city, the place of my ancestors’ graves, lies waste, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?’ Then the king said to me, ‘What do you request?’ So I prayed to the God of heaven. Then I said to the king, ‘If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favour with you, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city of my ancestors’ graves, so that I may rebuild it.’ The king said to me (the queen also was sitting beside him), ‘How long will you be gone, and when will you return?’ So it pleased the king to send me, and I set him a date. Then I said to the king, ‘If it pleases the king, let letters be given me to the governors of the province Beyond the River, that they may grant me passage until I arrive in Judah; and a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king’s forest, directing him to give me timber to make beams for the gates of the temple fortress, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall occupy.’ And the king granted me what I asked, for the gracious hand of my God was upon me.

Commentary
The unique story we tell the world, the story central to our Judeo-Christian faith, is that God not only created history but is at work IN it, present to it, and accomplishing in it his particular future. He hasn’t abandoned this creation to its own devices, but promises us a particular outcome - one grounded in hope and life.

As God works in our history, God repeatedly chooses to work through human agents to get accomplished and communicated the things he needs done. God works through Noah to save a human remnant and many animals through the worst flood the world has ever seen. God uses the jealousy of Joseph’s brothers to position Joseph in such a way that his gifts for vision and organization may provide not only for the inhabitants of Egypt during a seven year famine, but for the descendants of Abraham as well per God’s promise.

And through Nehemiah and Nehemiah’s holy discontent, God works to reestablish the vision and presence of his chosen people, these Judeans in exile, to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem and in so doing rebuild the culture of a conquered people and its heart.

A holy discontent is a precious and wonderful thing and sometimes an incredible burden as well. We all know what discontent is...dissatisfaction with the way things are, perhaps our marriages, the grades our kids are bringing home, the nature of our home, how over committed we might be to various activities, or with our work lives. But a holy discontent is where our discontent over something that’s wrong in the world meets God’s purposes for the world. Think of Mother Theresa pitching her tent in Calcutta with the poor, or of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Harvard trained physician who has set up rural clinics all over the central plateau of Haiti to provide much needed health care to the poorest of the poor. In our own community, a stay at home mom named Angie Romagosa fanned her holy discontent for families in need and has taken The Sharing Center from helping 500 families in its first year of existence to almost 11,500 families last year.

Holy discontent is about God working through ordinary people like you and me the extraordinary purposes of his kingdom...where peace is central, where the poor are cared for, the orphan and widow are loved, the sick are visited, and the injustices of the world righted.

Questions for Discussion:
1. What do you hear God saying in the story of Nehemiah? To you personally? To our church community?
2. What do you think God is trying to get accomplished through Nehemiah, and why is that important to us, 2,500 years later?
3. What are other examples of holy discontent that you see in the world around you? How do these examples seek to bring God’s kingdom to earth?
4. Do you have an example of a holy discontent in your own life? If so, and if you are willing to share it with your group, what is it? What is God calling you to do with your holy discontent?