Rubble, ruin and wreckage. Last week we heard the writer of Lamentations describe what he
saw and felt in the aftermath of the Babylonian’s destruction of Jerusalem and the temple. It
was an anguished cry from deep within his soul. It was as though his spirit was shaken to its
core.
But not quite. In the midst of the rubble it was as though the author’s eyes gazed higher and
further and caught a glimpse of hope!

“This I call to my mind,
Therefore I have hope.
The LORD’s steadfast lovingkindnesses never cease,
For His compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
Great is Thy faithfulness.” (NASB)

The fifth and final lament ends with more than a hint of hope in a restored temple and a
restored relationship with the LORD:
Restore us to Thee, O LORD,
That we may be restored;
Renew our days as of old. (NASB)

In some ways today, we too gaze at what seems to be a strange, shattered world. But we have
more than a hint of hope. “The LORD has done great things for them. The LORD has done great
things for us.”

This Sunday we will be in Ezra chapter 1, seeing the LORD begin restoration and rebuilding.
Bob Landon

TREASURE SEEKERS

Children aged approximately 3-7 years (school groups 0-4) are welcome at Discoverers, and aged 8-11 years (groups 5-8) at Explorers.  Please can Explorers kids bring their bibles?  The Discoverers room is available too for a self-supervised creche for 0-2 years.

Title: The Servant
Text: Isaiah 52:13 – 53:12
Big Idea: God promised that he would send his servant to die for the sins of his people, restoring their relationship with God and rising again in victory.
Aim: To teach that Jesus is God’s suffering servant who paid the price for our sin so that all who trust in him can be friends with God.