Yet now take courage, O Zerubbabel, says the LORD; take courage, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest; take courage, all you people of the land, says the LORD; work, for I am with you, says the LORD of hosts, according to the promise that I made you when you came out of Egypt. My spirit abides among you; do not fear.
God has left the building. To be specific: God was never in the building.
How often do we rely on finding God in some kind of contained structure - built, imagined, actual or projected?
The prophet Haggai wanted the original hearers of this text, and God wants us to hear today: God’s presence cannot be contained to temples, houses of worship, church buildings, even mobile tents. “For I am with you, says the Lord of hosts, according to the promise that I made you when you came out of Egypt. My spirit abides among you; do not fear.”
The courage Haggai wants his audience to embody is not tied to the glory days, it’s tied to the present glory of God among us, God abiding here and now.
We need community to build habits and rituals that stick. Feel free to use the comments section as a place to name what you're taking from a frame into your day.
I hear in this, "listen for the Spirit move in space." While I prep the new app and other things, listening along the way for movements and beyond will matter today.