RCL: Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10; Psalm 19; 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a; Luke 4:14-21 Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10 The book of Nehemiah is a continuation of the story found in the book of Ezra. These two books tell the story of the return of the Israelites to Jerusalem after exile. It is in these two books that…

Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10 The wall surrounding Jerusalem is finally completed, despite local detractors, and as the people have returned from exile, they are re-establishing traditions. When we think of walls today, perhaps the fall of the Berlin Wall comes to mind, but the wall around this city was protection against hostile neighbors, rather than…

Nehemiah 8: 1-3, 5-6, 8-10 All the people gathered together in the square before the Water Gate. (Nehemiah 8:1) In the Nehemiah reading, we hear about a joyful and united community of Israel that has gathered together to hear the Torah. After years of separation during the Babylonian Exile, Israel is one community again. The…

Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10 Ezra the priest and Nehemiah the governor were the leaders of the Jewish community in the post-exilic period, after the return of the Jewish people to Jerusalem from exile in Babylonia. The books of Ezra and Nehemiah are a narrative of the restoration of the Jewish people to their homeland after…