THURSDAY, December 17

The temple lay in ruins, from a foreign invasion several decades before, followed by exile of the Jews. But now the exile was over. The people had returned and were setting out to restore the Lord's house to its former glory. Zechariah prophesied at the beginning of this project. It was the late sixth century B.C.

Struggles for control often afflict ecclesiastical building projects. Everyone "knows" what a holy space should look like, but seems to have a different opinion on the details of design and appearance. Many are unwilling to let go of their opinions. The result can be a painful division, with the losers walking out in a huff, perhaps never to return. The new church gets built, but there's blood all over the floor.

Perhaps Zechariah foresaw something like this twenty-seven centuries ago. So he reminded the would-be architects and contractors and decorators that they were not in charge. If the job was to be done right, it would be done not according to their taste in architecture and decor, but by the spirit of the Lord, a spirit manifest more in how people relate to one another than by what ecclesiastical buildings look like.

PRAY for the Diocese of Wusasa (Province of Kaduna, Nigeria)

Ps 50 * [59, 60] or 33; Revelation 4:9-5:5; Matthew 25:1-13