Loving God, through your Son Jesus, you have promised to be with us always, even to the end of the age.  Help us to see the signs of your presence, even in the midst of turmoil and destruction; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

    This is the Anglican Cathedral in Christchurch, New Zealand (show picture).  This is what it looked like before the earthquake that struck in February 2011.  This is what it looks like now (picture).  The bell tower, and later the rose window, came crashing down, and the remainder of the building is unsafe and propped up by supports.  Many other buildings in the center of Christchurch were damaged, as well, and 185 people lost their lives.  Many were left asking the question, “What do we do now?”

    While debate continues about what to do with the ruins that are still there, a transitional cathedral was built on a different site that could withstand future earthquakes (pictures).  It was the first major construction project in Christchurch following the 2011 earthquake, and it made use of all available technologies as well as recycled materials.  The project took over two years to be completed, and the transitional cathedral was dedicated in August 2013.  It was seen by many as a sign of hope rising out of the death and destruction.

    This is just one story out of the many that have been told over the years of destruction and then rebuilding.  However, in many ways the destruction that took place in Christchurch, NZ is not nearly as traumatic as the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem.  The city of Jerusalem was actually under siege for ten years at the hands of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.  The siege finally ended with the massacre of many of the inhabitants, and then with those who were left being taken away to Babylon as slaves.

    The walls of the city were broken down, and the Temple was burned and knocked down along with all of the biggest houses in Jerusalem.  All of the items of value from inside the Temple were taken to Babylon along with the majority of the people.  The only ones who were left in the land were the poorest among the people - left there “to be vinedressers and tillers of the soil” (2 Ki. 25:12).

    And so, as the book of Ezra begins, it has been about 70 years since all of this death and destruction, and the people are finally told, “You are going home.”  However, imagine what it would have been like to arrive back at Jerusalem only to find heaps of rubble and charred remains.  Can you really go home again?

    The people start by rebuilding their own houses, for they need to have somewhere to live.  And then people bring their contributions to the building fund, which was started by King Cyrus of Persia.  The first time they all gather together is when the altar is rebuilt, and then by the time they get to laying the foundation for a new Temple, it is now in the second year after they had returned to the land of Judah.

    Today, in places like Christchurch and in other places around the world, it is always a lively discussion when you talk about whether to rebuild or not and what to build if you do.  This is especially true when you’re talking about church buildings.  Some are of the opinion that churches should be looking after the least fortunate rather than spending millions on buildings.  Others want to see a church that looks exactly like what they had before.  And still others want to see a totally different type of building that includes affordable housing and community space as well as a worship space.

    Even in Jerusalem, there were those at every step along the way who opposed the rebuilding of the Temple.  Some of these were neighbouring peoples who didn’t want to see Israel become a strong nation once again.  Others were probably the poor who had been left in the land who wanted their own place to live and something to eat far more than they wanted a rebuilt Temple.

    However, in the case of the people of Israel, there is no denying the central place that the Jerusalem Temple had in their relationship with God.  They had been taught that this is where God lives.  The glory of the Lord hangs out in the Temple, and the proper place to worship is in the Temple, and all of the necessary sacrifices need to be offered at the Temple.  They didn’t know any other way to worship God.  And so, for most of the people, and especially for the priests and the Levites, rebuilding the Temple was the only viable option.

    What we’re talking about here, though, is not just a building program, but a longing for the reassurance of God’s presence.  And in the little snippet that we heard today from the gospel of Luke, we get a glimpse of how God’s presence appeared in the Temple in a new way in the infant Jesus.  Of course, we will also hear in the Christmas story how the glory of the Lord is no longer confined just to the Temple.  The glory of the Lord is out in the fields with the shepherds.  God has been let out of the Temple!

    And so, today, where do we go and what do we do when we are longing for the reassurance of God’s presence?  For many people, the answer would be to go to church – gather together with others, worship and pray, and receive the Sacrament of the Altar.  There is no better assurance of God’s presence in our world today.

    Yet, at the same time, things have changed since the rebuilding of the Jerusalem Temple.  We talk about how God became incarnate in Jesus Christ – God in the flesh!  This means that God is not only present in places of worship, but wherever God’s people are to be found.  And so if somebody is sick and not able to get out, and a brother or sister in Christ comes to visit them, God is there.  If somebody is in need and a brother or sister in Christ supplies their need, God is there.  And even if I am all alone and call out to God in prayer, trusting in the name of Jesus, God is there.

    During this season when we look for the coming of Emmanuel - God with us - may we continue both to be and to see the light in the darkness.  For God is near, and we look for the signs of God’s presence, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Advent 3 (NL 2)                            Ezra 1:1-4; 3:1-4, 10-13
December 13, 2015                        Luke 2:25-28a
St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church
Pastor Lynne Hutchison

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