Family of Origin: Ezra
Ezra 1:1-4; Nehemia 8:1-3
1In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah, the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and also to put it in writing: 2“This is what Cyrus king of Persia says:“ ‘The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. 3Any of his people among you may go up to Jerusalem in Judah and build the temple of the Lord, the God of Israel, the God who is in Jerusalem, and may their God be with them. 4And in any locality where survivors may now be living, the people are to provide them with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with freewill offerings for the temple of God in Jerusalem.’ ”
1all the people came together as one in the square before the Water Gate. They told Ezra the teacher of the Law to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded for Israel. 2So on the first day of the seventh month Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, which was made up of men and women and all who were able to understand. 3He read it aloud from daybreak till noon as he faced the square before the Water Gate in the presence of the men, women and others who could understand. And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law.
- How were Ezra and Nehemiah connected with one another?
Ezra’s focus was rebuilding the temple and religious reform.
Nehemiah’s focus was rebuilding the walls around Jerusalem
and political reform: in that day, politics and religion were
intertwined.
- What’s happening here?
God’s people are rediscovering who they are and whose they
are.
- What are our family resemblances to the Hebrew children?
- How are we discovering or rediscovering who we are?
- What is God calling us to do/be based on what we’ve learned from our Family of Origin over these past 8 weeks?
- Where do we go from here?
Today's Preacher
Debbie Reese is Co-Directing Pastor of Calvary UMC