September 8, 2024. Sermon Title: The Prophet of Hope.

First Mennonite Church

September 8, 2024

The Prophet of Hope

 Text: Haggai 2:1-9

Haggai is another Minor Prophetic Book that is not a favorite read for most Christians. It is tucked between Zephaniah and Zechariah.  We’d prefer certain passages from Isaiah, Jeremiah, and even Joel, when it comes to prophetic books in the Old Testament. We even have difficulty pronouncing the name of the prophet. There is an interesting contrast between Haggai’s message and that of some other prophets. Micah, Amos, and even Jeremiah decried Judah’s reliance on sacrifices, festivals, and even on the temple itself. They denounced Judah’s religious festivals saying it was to coverup for their injustices and disregard for the poor. They said God had rejected their festivals and even the temple. Haggai, on the contrary, calls the people on God’s behalf to dedicate themselves and the resources available to rebuild the temple of God and to begin celebrating the festivals.  

Therefore, to better understand the passage for today, let’s take a brief look at its historical context. In 587 BCE, Babylon conquered Judah and took most of its population into captivity, leaving behind only the elderly, extremely poor, and the sick and disabled. When Babylon itself was conquered by the Persians in 538 BCE, a new form of dealing with conquered people was set in motion. Cyrus repatriated the captives and began a program of retuning the cultural treasures to the land these had been taken from. Cyrus began to provide money and other resources to reconstruct the damage the Babylonians had done wherever they had conquered.

Therefore, about 60 years after the Judean people had been taken away, those who survived and the newer generation began to return to Judah. (The books of Nehemiah and Ezra speak about some of what happened during the return).

However, when the repatriation started, not all the Jews came back to their homeland. Many who had settled well and were well off stayed in Babylon. Those who did return, upon their arrival soon realized that their ancestral lands had been taken over by those who were spared by the Babylonians and left behind. That was a major problem and source of conflict between those who stayed and those who were returning. Another problem that they faced, was that after the protective wall around Jerusalem had been rebuilt, the temple reconstruction project that was started was abandoned shortly after. The already bad economic condition, because most of the cultivable land was not producing, was compounded by a drought that devastated most of the area.

There was widespread discouragement due to difficult tasks and extensive work of reconstruction yet to be done. But the people were facing an even greater challenge. They were all divided regarding the reconstruction of the temple. You see, the temple was the centerpiece of cultural, political, and religious identity. It was the place where God’s ordained festivals should take place. The institution of the temple that should provide social cohesiveness had become the issue of deepest divisions. The people were all divided as to how it should be rebuilt. For those who were seeing it for the first time in 60 years and for those who were for the first time in their lives, the remains of the temple and the little rebuilding effort was a glorious and inspiring thing to see. In the book of Ezra, chapter three, tells us that when the foundation was laid, the priest wept aloud, while others were shouting with joy. However, those who had stayed behind and those of the older generation were not at impressed all. They remembered the temple in its glory days; thus, harbored contempt and cynicism towards it and those who were rebuilding it. These were nostalgic about the past glory and of a time gone.  

It is in that situation that God’s word came to Haggai. And, the message was addressed to Zerubbabel, the governor of Judea, Joshua the priest, and the general population, both the returnees and those who had stayed. The exact date was September 21, 520.

One of the reasons the recorder of Haggai’s message gave the dates when these things occurred was to show that God spoke and wanted to act in concrete and specific moments and conditions in the lives of his people. And that is always the way God works. “When the fullness of time came,” says Paul, “God gave us his Son to be born of a woman” (Galatians ??) Today God is still speaking and desiring to act if we only hear discern his words for us.

It might seem mundane that God would be interested in prompting and prodding his people to build the temple. It might seem out of character that God is interested in material things. But the fact was that Haggai’s urging the people to come together to rebuild the temple was not for its own sake. The point is that for God’s people, their devotion to God is made visible by the level of concern they put into those matters related to God, be it spiritual or material. Our devotion to God is made evident by the way in which we sing to his name, in the way we revere him in our prayers, by the ways we obey his commandments, and by the ways we give him honor, both in private and in public. But our devotion to God is also made evident by our concern for the material things we dedicate to his name and service. When we take care of the property, we call the sanctuary, by the level of concern we have to provide for its maintenance, by the generosity with which we give to support ministry. We give witness that we honor God by the way we express God for the material blessing with which he blesses us.

The New Testament passage this morning is a call to serve God with every gift he has blessed us with, be it spiritual, personal skills, or material things. “We have different gifts,” says the apostle Paul, “according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully” (Romans 12:6-8).

Since the end of the Covid pandemic, according to various Christian magazines, churches have experienced lower attendance. Many did not return to the church. Of course, some because they died, but even many who are still alive did not. With it came a decline in church giving, thus affecting the church ministries. There are churches that had to close their doors.

The difficult situation for churches was not only a dip in attendance. The social and political divisions that arose during the pandemic also affected unity among those who came back to the church. Many pastors resigned because they could not take any more the divisiveness that they faced. Many congregations are facing apathy, internal dissent, discouragement, and low attendance as a result of everything.

I believe the church of the Lord needs to hear the words of Haggai more than ever, when he said, “Be strong, all you people of the land,’ declares the Lord, ‘and work. For I am with you,’ declares the Lord Almighty. ‘This is what I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt. And my Spirit remains among you. Do not fear.”

The bricks and mortar of any building have no meaning apart from the conviction that we are God’s redeemed people and our commitment to serve him in unity is a testament to that. Haggai’s word to us is: God is here, and God is working.

Let us, therefore, commit ourselves to the Lord. Come together to worship him in spirit and in truth. Give yourselves to his service. Sing, if you can sing. Lead if you can lead. Give is you can give. Build if you can build. Teach if you can teach. Become a co-worker with Christ in the company of fellow church members. The work is the Lord’s and each of us is a builder in his kingdom. Amen!

Pastor Romero