Haggai 1:15b-2:9; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17; Luke 20:27-38
Rev. Kenneth M. Locke
Interim Pastor; Orchard Park Presbyterian Church; Carmel, IN
Do you ever wonder if God is with you? Seriously, do you ever wonder is God really here? Is God aware of what’s going on in my life? Does God have a vision for my future?
Churches ask these questions, too. When a church burns down, when there’s a scandal, when a beloved pastor leaves, we wonder. Is God with us? Does God see what’s happening? Does God have a vision for our future?
These are the questions Haggai is getting at in our Old Testament Lesson. The time is about 520 BC. The exile in Babylon is over. The people have returned and started rebuilding the temple. But now the work has stalled. People are losing heart. Are we ever going to finish? Does God even know what a sorry state we’re in?
Haggai’s answer is Yes! Yes, God knows and Yes, God cares. God has a vision for our future.
“4 But now be strong, Zerubbabel,’ declares the Lord. ‘Be strong, Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land,’ declares the Lord, ‘and work. For I am with you,’ declares the Lord Almighty. 5 ‘This is what I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt. And my Spirit remains among you. Do not fear.’”
9 ‘The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the Lord Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the Lord Almighty.”
This is the consistent message of the Bible. God cares. God is present. God sees. God hears. God has a vision for our future.
The certainty that God is with us, and that God has a vision for our future, is what underpins our Epistle Lesson. The time is about 100 AD. There are some who believe Jesus has already returned. The second coming has already happened. God’s work with humanity is done. We are on our own. That was the rumor making the rounds.
The writer of 2nd Thessalonians is emphatic. No. The Day of Lord, the Second Coming, has Not happened yet. Stop fretting about it.
The writer says what matters is God chose you. God chose to love you. God’s vision for your future is still in progress.
In the meantime, like the people returned from Babylon, be firm. Don’t be swayed. Keep your eyes on what God will do.
Jesus, too, is adamant that God has a vision for our future. This life is not the end of our relationship with God. Jesus doesn’t provide many details of that vision, but he is very clear in God we are always living.
“He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.”
As we all know, my time with you is coming to its natural end. Absent anything out of left field, my last day with you will be December 31st. At times like this, it’s normal for a church to be a little anxious.
I tell you, my friends, there is no need. We are a good church. We are doing good ministry. We have competent and dedicated leaders. Our Pastor Nominating Committee is hard at work.
But more importantly, we don’t need to be anxious because the consistent message of our Scriptures is still true today. God cares about us. God hears us. God sees us. God is with us now. And God has a vision for our future.
Beloved, be strong. Do not be easily unsettled. The future glory of Orchard Park will surpass its former glory. God will grant us peace.
This is how much God loves us. Thanks be to God. Amen.
