by Pastor Victor Chen

There is an interesting passage in the Bible that I never quite understood. It was only recently when searching for a passage that about “reopening” church that I finally discovered its significance:

And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid. But many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers’ houses, old men who had seen the first house, wept with a loud voice when they saw the foundation of this house being laid, though many shouted aloud for joy, so that the people could not distinguish the sound of the joyful shout from the sound of the people’s weeping, for the people shouted with a great shout, and the sound was heard far away. (Ezra 3:11–13 ESV)

The people of Israel were allowed to return from exile to rebuild the temple of the Lord. This passage describes the dedication of the foundation of the temple being rebuilt and there was great excitement and joy as a result.

But there was also great sorrow and weeping. Why? The “old men” who had seen the original temple in all its glory wept that things had come to this point. Rejoicing over a foundation? They longed for “how things were”.

And so here in this dedication is a great mixture of emotion, literally shouting and weeping, joy and sorrow, hope and mourning.

As our church reopened many of our ministries, I saw this same mix of emotions.

For those who had grown weary of staying at home and being apart, we were just happy to be together, learning together, fellowshipping with one another and worshipping the Lord together. “Look at what the Lord is doing!”

For those who had been part of the church when it was bustling and full of life pre-COVID, it was sad to see that things had changed so dramatically. ”Can’t we go back to how things were?”

So who’s right? What do we do with these two contrasting attitudes and perspectives?

I don’t think we can completely dismiss the experiences of those who enjoyed our church in previous times. We are always encouraged to look back and remember God’s goodness towards us.

However, I don’t think we can stay in the past and be overly critical of how things are now. Things may never be the same again and dwelling on “how things were” will not help us in moving on.

I found the words of the Lord in Haggai particularly insightful in how to proceed as a church. These words come shortly after the aforementioned passage in Ezra in the biblical timeline of rebuilding the temple. Note, the physical temple never reached its former glory. In fact, it was later destroyed and remains absent today.

The Lord here is pointing to something (or someone!) greater, and that is where I believe the Lord wants us to focus on.

 ‘Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory? How do you see it now? Is it not as nothing in your eyes? Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, declares the LORD. Be strong, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land, declares the LORD. Work, for I am with you, declares the LORD of hosts, according to the covenant that I made with you when you came out of Egypt.

My Spirit remains in your midst. Fear not. For thus says the LORD of hosts: Yet once more, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land. And I will shake all nations, so that the treasures of all nations shall come in, and I will fill this house with glory, says the LORD of hosts. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares the LORD of hosts.

The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the LORD of hosts. And in this place I will give peace, declares the LORD of hosts.’” (Haggai 2:3–9 ESV)