Reflections: But first, worship

I’m fascinated with my current study of the Old Testament books of Ezra and Nehemiah, which describe the return of the Jewish exiles to their homeland. As often happens, I’m also finding parallels with current events, plus applications to my own life. 

Ezra opens with the amazing story of God’s timing for the return, just as prophesied; the support received from King Cyrus of the Persian empire, including retrieval of Temple objects seized years earlier by Nebuchadnezzar; and the unity between the Jews returning to their homeland and those who decided not to make the move but contributed financial support. 

In Ezra chapter 3, though, the thing that stands out to me is the priority placed on worship. 

After getting settled, likely basic living accommodations and planting food crops, the first large project undertaken is to rebuild the Temple as a physical place to encounter God’s presence. Being around builders and remodelers sometimes in my life, I would expect getting the foundation in place and then the facility dried in as soon as possible to be the priority. But for the returned exiles, their first act was to prepare for worship! 

The first item built was the altar, a place to worship and to restore the sacrifices representing the people’s relationship to their Creator God. Work then began on the foundation, but as soon as the foundation was in place, guess what? Another pause, time spent worshiping and thanking God before proceeding further with the building. 

Ezra 3 resonates with me because of all the times I think the timeline should be a certain way—for a household project, my online studies, or development of a freelance project—but things don’t progress as quickly as I’d like. Am I putting my project or timeline ahead of worship and prayer time? And when things are moving along, do I pause occasionally to rest and rejoice in God’s goodness? 

Our extended family is currently experiencing this principle in a way nobody wants to undergo, after a serious scooter accident nearly took the life of my husband’s young great-nephew. During his initial days of unresponsiveness in the hospital, we were in fervent prayer, and now that we hear about bits of progress each day, we keep praying but also pause and thank God for each item of good news, no matter how small, even as we anxiously await the next one. 

I also see applications among modern Jews in Israel. Even with the constant threat of missile attacks, families pause regularly for Sabbath, celebrated Passover together while being prepared to move quickly to shelter if needed, and continue to take comfort in God’s promises. I wonder if they think about the correlation with Ezra 3:3, which describes offering daily sacrifices “even though they feared the people of the land”—the surrounding nations. Some of those people were a safety threat, but the returning exiles rejoiced and worshiped anyway; and later chapters describe the posting of armed lookouts to keep watch while others worked. Today’s Israelis are thankful for a competent military, but also rejoice in the promises of God. 

I was also moved by the description in Ezra 3:12, of some older returnees—priests and heads of households—weeping over memories of the previous temple that was far more glorious, even as they rejoiced at the rebuilding. I know people who mourn previous traditions and church settings that no longer exist—I might even be one of those people, regarding certain worship settings, yet at the same time, I know God is doing new things to touch a new generation. 

For example, while I don’t consider online church a replacement for in-person relationships and fellowship, I admire the work of my son, whose expertise in creating appealing social media for his church has led to numerous people finding an appealing reel about the church online, clicking the YouTube link to hear the worship or a sermon, then deciding to visit in person, and eventually attending regularly and getting involved. 

So, I’ll participate in new beginnings, rejoice in progress, and use reasonable precautions while not giving in to fear. 

But first—worship!