23 July 2023
We have been reflecting on learning to notice God in our current preaching series. As I was studying this week, I wrote this about the story of Israel and their experience of the manifest presence of God…
When the 1st temple is dedicated under Solomon’s rule, the glory comes down. It is clear and apparent to all. But when the 2nd temple was dedicated after the return from exile (book of Ezra), the presence of God doesn’t demonstrably appear. Theologians argue that the sense of God’s absence was profound and made the Jews reflect more deeply on what the return from exile really meant. Certainly, it deepened their dream of a day when God in his fullness would come to the temple again. And indeed, for all those centuries following until the coming of Jesus, that longing only intensified. They were home but still felt in exile. They ached for God’s coming in the Messiah.
When it comes to noticing God, make sure to notice and include the feelings of longing. Nostalgos in Greek (from which we get nostalgia in English) means longing for home. Jesus has not yet returned. The new creation is not yet fully realized. This world is still in a mess. So we pray and long for and yearn and groan like a woman in childbirth (Rom 8). But embedded within that longing is not merely wishful thinking of a bright tomorrow or a dreamy return to an imagined past. No. That longing is rooted in the events of Jesus’ life and ministry. His story 2000 years ago guarantees our story in the future. His story goes on even now through you and I. He has included us in the cast of characters. He will one day bring the story to a triumphal conclusion.
So in the meantime, we are excited to be part of the story of the God who has come close. This is where our lives belong. This is our purpose. This our home – close to the presence of the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12v2). We long for God’s full presence on Earth. And one day, we will see face to face (1 Cor 13v12). In the meantime, we still feel in exile but one day our perfect home will be brought down to earth (Rev 21v2-3). So we pray now, “Come Lord Jesus” (1 Cor 16v22), “your kingdom come on Earth” (Matt 6v10).
Julian Holdsworth
BSBC Pastor