By Pastor Bob DeKlavon
I know….I expected to end the title with “the end.”
Two thoughts converged on my thinking today.
One, today, is the anniversary of D-day.
June 6, 1944, was the great allied expedition against Nazi forces at Normandy, France.
It really was the ‘beginning of the end’ for WW 2 as the allied forces stormed those beaches.
We had the privilege of standing on the shore in Normandy—incredible courage needed there.
We also had the honor of standing in the cemetery as an almost religious experience.
Even though the war was not over—it was coming to an end.
The second thought that hit me was reading through Nehemiah again.
If you have not read the book in awhile—do yourself a favor and do so.
Nehemiah comes to the ruins of the city of Jerusalem and in 52 days gets the walls built.
One of those moments in time I would love to have seen is when they celebrated the finish.
In Nehemiah 12—two great choirs stand on opposite walls.
In Nehemiah 12:43 it says:
And on that day they offered great sacrifices, rejoicing because God had given them great joy. The women and children also rejoiced. The sound of rejoicing in Jerusalem could be heard far away.
You may recall--Pastor Jay and I recreated a sense of this with our church years ago.
Having gone through Nehemiah--he led one side of the body in praise while I did the other.
When great things are done…it is a time to celebrate.
Today, we had a group of people gather at the group to prepare the building for tomorrow.
Tomorrow marks the first Sunday in 11 weeks that we CAN gather as a church body.
Many still are hesitant to gather in crowds and it is totally understandable.
But….for those who do……we are going to celebrate.
This celebration is not for that which has ended.
This is a time to look forward to our new beginning.
It marks a day when we can begin to connect ‘in person’ as a church body.
It also looks forward to the day when we can ‘all’ be there together.
As we were working today at church—there was definitely labor but also a sense of joy.
Our 3 year old grandson was brought along and he asked me if this was for a birthday party.
I thought about it and answered: “yes it is.”
I know it hasn’t been a year but it is just nice to think of many of us gathering again.
As Malachi went through the morning, he told several people about the birthday party.
That is what it feels like…as we celebrate the ‘beginning of the beginning.’