A solid foundation is needed when building a house, if someone wants the building to be a strong and durable building. Likewise, a fellowship of believers needs a strong foundation so that it can always survive and bear much fruit. The foundation needed is absolute direction to God the Creator and grow based on obedience to Him. Unfortunately, many fellowships or maybe even churches often live their fellowship lives no longer based on this. We are distracted by many things that make worship of Him increasingly marginalized. Hopefully our reflection this time can remind us of a solid foundation and bind us in His love.
The Jews who had just returned from Babylon longed for stability and peace in life. The standing of the house of God, whose construction process was winding, became an early sign of the recovery of their lives. Worship was held again in that place. It became a sign of hope that had sprouted after so long. Right on time they finally celebrated the great feast that God Himself commanded to be done, namely Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Both are major holidays that must be celebrated every year as recorded in Deuteronomy 16:1-17. Both remind of the liberation from slavery in Egypt that God brought to the ancestors of the Israelites. The Passover lamb was sacrificed and eaten together as a reminder of God's goodness that was experienced again by the people during the post-exile period. They were freed from exile and were able to worship in the house of God.
The next phase is the story of Ezra's return to the promised land. He is described in Deuteronomy 7:6 as a scribe who is skilled in the Law of Moses given by the Lord. His arrival was accompanied by some other Israelites, priests, Levites, gatekeepers, and servants in the Temple. This additional explanation describes a gradual plan to restore religious life centered on the newly established house of God. Ezra and the priests came to establish and instill the Law of God in the hearts of the people, to then be absorbed in daily life. Religious life was restored based on the establishment of the Law of God among the people.
A deep longing for God's Torah and a religious life centered on His will, may always animate each of our ecclesiastical communities. Often our church or fellowship is full of various activities, but on the other hand we forget to interpret these activities in the light of God's word. If that is the case then our church life and fellowship are no different from other communities or associations outside the church. Remember God's goodness and place Him as the basis of all our fellowship movements. Like the Jews in the story above who again remembered God's love and goodness and celebrated His inclusion in submission to God's decrees.
