Some of you will know that during 2020 I’ve been working my way through a personal study of the 12 Minor Prophets whose writings appear at the end of the Old Testament. I started it during first lockdown as a way of keeping sharp and because I realised that in all my years as a follower of Jesus I haven’t really given them more than a cursory glance, even when I have been reading right through the whole Bible.

As I said in a previous post, I discovered that although these prophets spoke many years ago their messages had a surprising contemporary edge. Is I decided that I’d publish some short reflections on the Minor Prophets as a podcast called “Ancient Prophets:Modern Message”.

As the year turns I’ve completed my study of 9 of the prophets…3 to go!

The final 3, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi all delivered God’s message to the people of Israel after their return from their traumatic exile in Babylon. The world they had known had been swept away in a torrent of invasion, destruction and exile. They returned to a land and a city (Jerusalem) that bore little resemblance to the one they had left behind.

Early this morning I was reading Haggai (it’s a very short Bible book, 2 chapters, 38 verses). I was struck with how apt this prophet’s message is as we leave 2020 behind and tread fearfully and hopefully into 2021.

However things may appear, many things that we took for granted a year ago have gone. It’s also true that some very good things; a renewed sense of community after the divisiveness of the original Brexit vote in the UK, an increased awareness of systemic racism, and more of a commitment to looking after our planet have come into sharper focus and we should strive not to lose these things again.

In the church we have been freed from the comfort and limitations of our buildings…not that church buildings are bad, but they have become the focus of escape from the world and an “attractional” gospel that bears little resemblance to the church of the first Christians, a place where we put on weekly services that often lack any real engagement with the world at large (I was encouraged to see that when services went online, many churches also found ways to continue the practical ministries of feeding the hungry and caring for the poor which get us out of our buildings and into the community to share the love of God in practical ways). Those of us who lead have been reminded of our responsibility to equip our church members to live for Jesus in the places where God has placed them…family, work, government…wherever they spend the majority of their time. The work God has for the church to do is not restricted to a couple of hours in our buildings on a Sunday.

Haggai writes to the people of Israel at a time when they are struggling with two things: firstly, they have lost their sense of focus and secondly, they are spending too much time looking back instead of moving forward.

[3] Then the LORD sent this message through the prophet Haggai: [4] “Why are you living in luxurious houses while my house lies in ruins? [5] This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says: Look at what’s happening to you! [6] You have planted much but harvest little. You eat but are not satisfied. You drink but are still thirsty. You put on clothes but cannot keep warm. Your wages disappear as though you were putting them in pockets filled with holes!

Haggai 1: 3-6 NLT

For them, the Temple represented the major way that God had chosen to interact with his people. Sadly, the first returners had become focussed on rebuilding their own homes and lives with little thought for God’s greater plans…they were neglecting the rebuilding of the Temple, the symbol of God’s presence among them. As coronavirus becomes less of a threat and restriction on our lives, let’s not get side-tracked into restarting all our church activities, or even our personal lives without paying attention to what God is, and wants to be, doing among us and through us. The people of Israel were not prospering because they were not doing things God’s way…let’s not miss out on what God wants us to be doing in this new world.

Haggai identifies the reason they are not getting on with the rebuilding that God wants.

[2] “Say this to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Jeshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of God’s people there in the land: [3] ‘Does anyone remember this house-this Temple-in its former splendour? How, in comparison, does it look to you now? It must seem like nothing at all! [4] But now the LORD says: Be strong, Zerubbabel. Be strong, Jeshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people still left in the land. And now get to work, for I am with you, says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies. [5] My Spirit remains among you, just as I promised when you came out of Egypt. So do not be afraid.’

Haggai 2: 2-5 NLT

It seems that they were looking back to the way things were, and consequently couldn’t believe that a new way of doing things, in a much simpler Temple might actually be what God wants. They’re losing heart because the work they’re doing seems inconsequential. Let’s not lose heart in the new things that God is wanting to do. Let’s not retreat into the safety and security of doing things the way we always have. That seems more like laziness than faith. Working, worshipping and witnessing will probably look quite different, although some things may remain the same. A minister friend of mine confided, “We weren’t prepared to do ministry like this at college”.

The issue is not about doing old things, it’s failing to recognise and take part in the new when that’s what God wants. We may well have to work hard and pray hard, listening and watching for glimpses of God’s Spirit and finding ways to do the things God says. God is still at work, and I believe he will equip his people to join in with what he’s doing.