Today's Scripture Reading (September 26, 2023): Ezra 1 and 2
It was called
the Achaemenid Empire, an empire founded by Cyrus the Great. One of the things
that Cyrus and his Empire are remembered for is that they returned the exiles taken
from their homes by the Babylonians to the various places where they belonged.
This "return" included the Jews who were authorized to go home to
Jerusalem and the surrounding area, but they were not the only exiles who were
returned. All exiles from various places in the empire were given the opportunity to go home. However, not everyone received the decree of Cyrus happily.
After all, it had been five decades since these people had lived anywhere other
than Babylon or Persia. These exiles were a different generation from the ones
who had been unwillingly taken from their homes, a generation that did not
remember Jerusalem and didn't remember the temple. They had built homes in
Babylon and had children and grandchildren. They were content right where they
were. As a result, they had no desire to return to Canaan; this place was home.
As I considered
this journey, I began to remember some of my own. I was born in Newmarket,
Ontario, a town just outside Toronto, Ontario, Canada. At the age of eight, my
family moved to Calgary, Alberta, the home of the Calgary Stampede. When I was
sixteen, we moved to Sundre, just southwest of Red Deer, Alberta. From Sundre,
I moved back to Calgary, then to Winnipeg, Manitoba, where I met my future
wife, Nelda, and then back to Calgary. I spent twelve years in Claresholm,
Alberta, an hour south of Calgary, where both my children were born. And then, twenty-seven
years ago, we moved to Edmonton, Alberta, the home of West Edmonton Mall and
the Edmonton Oilers.
I have great
memories of all of those places. A church in Claresholm was recently going
through a pastoral transition, and I met an old friend who suggested maybe it
was time for me to return to Claresholm to finish my career. It was a bit of a
tempting offer to return to a place I knew with some old friends. But the
problem is that Claresholm is not my home. Newmarket is not my home. Once, these
places were home, and I was happy, but not now. Calgary is not my home.
Edmonton is my home. I have lived longer in Edmonton than I have in any other
place. I have friends here who are special to me, but even more importantly,
this is where my children and grandchildren live. This is home. It wasn't
always, but it is now.
Cyrus gives
the decree, and the people receive it, but many don't want to return to where
they once called home. Babylon, or some other town within the emerging
Achaemenid Empire, had become their home. Some were now living in Persian-dominated
territory. They already lived in the places where their children were born and
their grandchildren lived. These places were home, not Jerusalem.
And yet God
had set this in motion before the first exile left Judah. It is a struggle that
we all sometimes have to suffer through. But our service to God is a
responsibility. Christians are not the ones who chase after God's hands, always
seeking gifts from him like a child greeting a traveling parent with words like
"What have you brought for me this time?" We seek after his face; his
presence is enough for us, and we live lives of responsibility to him. Some
received the declaration from Cyrus and made the tough decision to become part
of the remnant that would return and rebuild what was once Israel. They gave of
themselves and what they had to support the project and the return home. They
would give their sweat and treasure to rebuild the land of their ancestors because
they believed that this was what God wanted from them.
As I struggled
with this passage, the thought came to me that I am not a Christian because I
am loved. Even though I know that if no one else loves me, God loves me, that
does not define who I am. I am a Christian because I love; God's love travels
through me to others.
A friend is
always asking why Christians are so entitled and why we think we are perfect. My
answer is always the same: that shouldn't be who we are. We are a people of
responsibility. We love even when no one else seems to love. We serve even when
no one else serves. We reflect the person of Jesus to those around us. This is
who we are and what makes us Christian.
Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ezra 3
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