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Every new chapter that begins for a church is a chance to renew their connection with everything that has gone before so that we can step into an unknown future with confidence.

You start doing something significant. You know it will make a difference and then it begins. It might start with small bugging frustrations but they all pile up until it would be easy to walk away.

How do you keep going?

Ezra 4-6 is a long story of a community finding a way to manage the oppositions, hold ups and snags along the way.

In the wake of a political miracle, Israel arrived back in their land. There was so much to do: houses to build, a temple to rebuild, a city to renovate, food to be grown and borders to protect.

But first they worshipped.

They knew that regular worship would define them, shape them, remind them of their identity. It still does.

It might not be a perfect experience, but it is the most important thing that the returning church must do.

The book of Ezra is the account of the regathering of God’s people. God had never given up on them even when they were invisible to the rest of the world. But the day came when they became visible again.In doing so they began to rediscover what it meant to be God’s people.

The lessons are as relevant as ever – especially to us in a new building.