Scripture: Nehemiah 9:9
And you saw the distress of our ancestors in Egypt and heard their cry at the Red Sea.
Thought for the Day: Ezra was reminiscing about an event that had occurred centuries earlier, yet it was a defining moment for the people even though it had happened long before Ezra and his audience were born. How could something I never personally experienced impact me so significantly? Ritual, symbol and storytelling are powerful tools. Though it is not a perfect analogue, I have known people who loved a sports team and followed them religiously, yet they never lived in the city where the sport’s team was located. It was only because a parent or grandparent lived there, and that parent or grandparent shared the passion. There were symbols around the house, their were weekend rituals of watching the game, and stories were told about that one year when that team won the championship. An old story was owned by a later generation because of the power associated with ritual, symbols and storytelling. The Israelites were excellent at communicating their history, and generation after generation owned the ancient story as if it was their own. Christianity has a similar story, but do we take seriously the rituals, symbols and storytelling? Do we communicate our passion in such a way that it is contagious and owned by the next generation?
Prayer: Ezra communicated the stories of Israel, inspiring the people to renewed faithfulness – we pray, O Lord, for these and other ancient stories to shape us and become our defining stories. We desire above all things to become your people in name and in deed. Amen.
CAN YOU COME AND HELP?
Tonight – 6pm
We have some tasks around the church,
even those with the most basic of skill level.
