Joel Russell-MacLean

Jerusalem was now rebuilt and ready to be inhabited again. The walls and the gates were restored. The temple was rebuilt. The people had gathered for prayer, study, grieving, repentance, and celebration. Now, for the well-being of the city, people moved in with fanfare, leaving their homes and extended families behind in the villages. A city is, after all, not buildings, but people living together in a shared way of life.

Jerusalem was the city built by people who responded to God’s heavenly call. They had a vision of God’s purposes on earth and humanity’s destiny, a vision of a heavenly city, and they sought obediently to live that out in their city on earth. The realities of sin complicated the fulfillment of their vision.

We have a vision of a new Jerusalem descending from heaven to earth one day. It is the city of the Triune God, the angels, and all the saints, living together in a shared way of life.

This Sunday, we will face starkly how sin continues to complicate our efforts to build the city. Before our worship service, we will hold a secular time of remembrance, prayerfully acknowledging the cost of human conflict and the destruction of cities. We are also observing All Saints’ Day, naming those among us who have died in Christ this past year and joined the angels and the saints in God’s presence.