Welcome to Resurrection Parish as we begin the third week of our message series, “Unexpected.” Most of us make plans for our lives – what college to attend, what to major in, what our career path will be, how much to save for retirement, etc. However all of us have experienced times when life has not gone as planned. Sometimes the unexpected is a pleasant surprise, but more often than not it is unwelcomed. Depending on the circumstance it can be anywhere from jarring to overwhelming.
We have also noted that during times of the unwelcomed unexpected some people survive and thrive, while others struggle and sink. For some, the unexpected becomes an opportunity to grow deeper in their faith, while for others their relationship with God becomes estranged.
Of course by definition we cannot plan for unexpected events but we can prepare for them, and that’s what this series is all about. Looking at Sacred Scripture, we have already discern some lessons about who thrives when the unexpected happens, and those that don’t. Lesson One, people who grow in faith in unexpected circumstances grow because they’re connected to a community. Lesson Two: People who grow in faith in unexpected circumstances, see their problem as an opportunity to grow. Lesson Three: People who grow in faith in unexpected circumstances accept the reality that God is good, even when life is not. Lesson Four: People who grow in faith in unexpected circumstances eventually identify opportunities to use their pain to help others. Last week we looked at when we are in an unexpected place because of our poor decisions. Our faults and failures do not exclude us from God’s mercy and grace.
This week we are going to look at how we can prepare ourselves for the unexpected by looking at this weekend’s first reading from the Book of Nehemiah, a book all about rebuilding. Nehemiah is a civil leader at the time of the end of the Babylonian Exile. Because of their unfaithfulness, Jerusalem has been left in ruins and many of the Israelites have been in exile in Babylon for 70 years. Nehemiah has been given permission from the king of Persia to take the Israelites back to the Promise Land and to rebuild the walls around Jerusalem and to restore the Temple. At that time, a city without walls was viewed as a disgrace; weak and vulnerable.
The passage we just read takes place after the city walls have been rebuilt and the people are having a victory celebration. During the rebuilding of the city walls, the priest Ezra, in starting to restore the Temple found a scroll of the Law of Moses, which for us would be the first five books of the Old Testament.
“Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly, which consisted of men, women and those children old enough to understand” (Nehemiah 8). After the walls were rebuilt, people were hungry to learn more about their Jewish heritage and faith much of which had been lost. “Standing before the Water Gate, he read out of the book from daybreak till midday, and all the people listened attentively to the book of the law” (Nehemiah 8). We are not sure why it was called the “Water Gate,” but in the same way we need water to refresh and restore our bodies we need God’s word to refresh and renew our souls.
“Ezra read plainly from the book of the law of God, interpreting it so that all could understand what was read” (Nehemiah 8). Ezra reads from God’s word so that everyone could understand it and apply it. When there were passages that were not easy to understand, Ezra stopped and explained. It wasn’t enough for the word of God to just kind of wash over the people. He wanted them to understand it, to absorb it, and from what follows, they did.
After the reading of God’s word, Nehemiah says: “‘Today is holy to the Lord your God. Do not be sad, and do not weep’ – for all the people were weeping as they heard the words of the law” (Nehemiah 8). All of a sudden they were getting it. They understood what God had done for them. They understood what God could do for them. They were both weeping in sorrow for what they had missed, what might have been and in gratitude for what could still be.
Nehemiah encourages them and says: “Go, eat rich foods and drink sweet drink, and allot portions to those who had nothing prepared; for today is holy to our Lord. Do not be saddened this day, for the joy of the Lord is our strength” (Nehemiah 8). Nehemiah tells the people
that the day and their gathering are meant to be a celebration of what God is doing, of what God can be in their lives. He describes it in a striking phrase: “The joy of the Lord is our strength” (Nehemiah 8).
So what does this all have to do with our series “Unexpected”? One of the ways we grow our faith in unexpected circumstances is by growing our faith in ordinary circumstances first. This might include daily quiet time, listening to him in Scripture and speaking to him in prayer, and weekly worship of God at Mass. Every time we come to Mass and lend ourself to this experience – worshiping through your sung participation, being attentive to the message, and being thoughtful and grateful in receiving communion – its like a deposit in your bank account, it’s a deposit in the relationship account you have with God. We increase our understanding of God and who he is.
It’s like any relationship. Any person you know well, it is because you have built that relationship over time. You’ve gotten to know them, spend time with them, rely on them for emotional support.
The same is true with God. Its investment and through such an investment the joy of the Lord really can become our strength. And that’s going to equip us for whatever might be ahead.