On the side of the Kentucky History Museum in downtown Frankfort these words by a former Kentucky governor are written, “I’ve never met a Kentuckian who wasn’t thinking about going home or actually going home.” While I meet a lot of people when I travel who say, “I’ve never been to Kentucky,” I also meet many who say, “I passed through. It’s a beautiful and friendly place. I would like to go back.”
Kentucky is a beautiful place, almost anywhere you go. There is substantial poverty, but there is nature’s beauty not far from anyone in our commonwealth. I’ve lived here, within a few minutes from where I was born, all but two years of my life.
Those two years were spent in Virginia, another beautiful place, when I was first married. My husband was in the Marines, stationed in Norfolk, Virginia, so we began our marriage in a little upstairs apartment there. Honeymooning, they were good years—except how much we dreamed of home! We spent much time thinking of what we would do when we returned to our family farm. We dreamed of building a house there, raising fruit trees, building a life on the banks of Elkhorn Creek.
There was a power and energy and love in those dreams. Then, finally, as the Viet Nam war began to diminish, came the word that Alan would be discharged. We returned to Kentucky in February, 1973. I remember how, in March, with snow flying all around us, we laid the foundation for a house and planted 2000 strawberry plants. A new life began.
Back to the Time of the Return from Exile
Those memories come back to me as I read today’s scriptures. We begin today a three-week sojourn with the people of the diaspora as they return to Jerusalem to build a new life after the Babylonian captivity. The time period of the return is 538 BCE. The Babylonians were defeated by the Persians in 539 BCE. Cyrus, the Persian ruler, then made a decree that people carried into captivity could return to their homelands.
The general time of the writings we will pray from these next three weeks is roughly 500 to 300 years before Jesus was born, the times of the Persian rule. The books of Ezra and Nehemiah give a historical account of the period, while the books of Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, Joel, and Jonah provide a more prophetic perspective. First readings through these three weeks will come from all of those books—almost like trailers for a movie—giving us glimpses of how a faith and culture were rebuilt.
Ezra
Today’s reading is the beginning of the book of Ezra. It actually replicates the very end of II Chronicles. It picks up the history of Israel to move it into a new era. Ezra was the high priest in charge as the temple was rebuilt. This book tells of the return from a priest’s perspective. See what is important in the way the priest sees things:
All the kingdoms of the earth
the LORD, the God of heaven, has given to me,
and he has also charged me to build him a house in Jerusalem,
which is in Judah.
Therefore, whoever among you belongs to any part of his people,
let him go up, and may his God be with him!
Let everyone who has survived, in whatever place he may have dwelt,
be assisted by the people of that place
with silver, gold, goods, and cattle,
together with free-will offerings
for the house of God in Jerusalem.'”
The priest sees that God gave Cyrus his authority and that with the release of the exiles came recognition that return needs to center on rebuilding the Temple, a house for God to dwell with his people again.
Ezra also draws a parallel between this exodus and the Israelites exodus from Egypt. In the Egypt exodus, the Israelites asked the Egyptians for gold, silver, and other wealth after the tenth plague, and the people gave it to them (Exodus 12: 36-37). Here, the king suggests their neighbors give the exiting Jews of their wealth—and they gave it to them. Ezra goes on in this chapter to tell of the wealth for the temple that King Cyrus contributed.
Parallels Today
I love to study history, but it is easy to get lost in interesting information, when Scripture is to do what Jesus says in today’s Gospel:
Jesus said to the crowd:
“No one who lights a lamp conceals it with a vessel
or sets it under a bed;
rather, he places it on a lampstand
so that those who enter may see the light.
For there is nothing hidden that will not become visible,
and nothing secret that will not be known and come to light.
Take care, then, how you hear.
To anyone who has, more will be given,
and from the one who has not,
even what he seems to have will be taken away.”
These readings are to be a light to me, to you, to the whole Church. How can this Scripture be a light to me, that I might be a light? That I might “take care, how I hear?” That I might be given more of God’s light—and avoid having what I have taken away?
Images
My prayer leads me to three scenes: The first scene is me, in my 20s, not minding the cold, as I retruned home and carefully put strawberry plants into almost frozen ground and moved the trowel, laughing, to smooth the concrete of what would be my home for more than 20 years. How can I remember the joy of returning home, of building?
The second scene is the disturbance in my heart these days about the wintered world our faith seems to be in: scandals in church and country; leaders perceiving they can live outside the law; deep divisions among us faithful as we try to determine how we follow the ways of God. How can I be a light in this darkness?
The third scene comes from a conversation I had last week with a person who works with missionaries in the Orthodox Church and a PEW Forum research study I read: there is a springtime of faith emerging in the Orthodox Church in the once communist nations. Faith is growing, greening up, rising from the cold Russian and Eastern European soil as missionaries bring the Orthodox faith back home to the people. How can I help green up the faith here, in this corner of the world?
And so today I pray:
Lord, inspire me with the stories of Ezra and Nehemiah. In them let me touch the green, green grass of home–home of my ability to work hard to build, home of the beauty of my community and of our faith, home of Your Church.
NOTE: Beginning next week, a new writer, a physician from India, will write the reflection the last Monday of every month. Thank you, and welcome, Annalise!
