Walking on the Word

”In the first year of King Cyrus’ reign, a decree was sent out concerning the Temple of God at Jerusalem: Let the Temple be rebuilt on the site where Jews used to offer their sacrifices, using the original foundations. Furthermore, the gold and silver cups, which were taken to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar from the Temple of God in Jerusalem, must be returned to Jerusalem and put back where they belong.” Ezra 6: 3 & 5


It must have been a startling moment for the people of Israel to hear that King Cyrus of Babylon had issued a decree that allowed them not only to return to Israel, but that their temple was to be rebuilt. King Cyrus was a savior of sorts. He was willing to look beyond the past and into the future. He was willing to do justice to those who had been oppressed for many years. He seemed to know that there was something at work in the world greater than his own reign. He knew that the work of the restoration of a people and of a holy place was something sacred.

I have a hard time thinking of anything that has been quite so transformative in our own times. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) of South Africa is perhaps the closest we have come. The TRC was a court-like body assembled after the abolition of apartheid. Witnesses who were identified as victims of gross human rights violations were invited to give statements about their experiences. Perpetrators of violence also could give testimony and request amnesty from both civil and criminal prosecution.

The work of the TRC, much like the work of King Cyrus of Babylon, was grounded in the reality that to seek reconciliation and peace with those from whom we are estranged is the work of bringing about God’s realm on earth. Some people use the word “kin-dom” to speak of God’s kingdom as a way of saying that when we are doing the work of reconciliation we are recognizing the “kinship” we share with all people. The work of an ancient king to right a wrong, and the work of a government to do the same, sometimes seem a far cry from our day-to-day living. Still, I believe they stand as examples of what can happen when we realize that we are part of something greater than ourselves, when we act in ways that acknowledge that all of us are children of God, and when we recognize that our enmity between each other is a barrier to coming close to God, to finding peace for our souls and hope for the living or our days.

Perhaps today is a day when you begin a journey toward reconciliation with someone to whom you are estranged. Perhaps today is a day when you reconnect with God by laying down the burden of carrying a heartache of the past, because to do so is to help bring about God’s “kin-dom” upon the face of the earth and to begin the journey of restoring your own soul.

Prayer
Holy One, remind me that you desire that all your children live together in peace. May it be so this day. Amen.

Hope for Tomorrow's Families