Renovation projects always seem to cost more and take more time than planned or expected. Ten years ago my wife and I began a house renovation here in Delft. Six months of hard work and too many cost overruns later we were ready to move into our new home. It was cause for celebration!

And yet, there were some things that still needed to be done. I think there are still a few things that we were going to get around to doing later that never quite got finished. Maybe this summer ….

Last summer in our sermon series on Ezra we followed the long and costly restoration of the temple in Jerusalem at the end of the period of Israel’s exile. We ended that series in chapter six with the temple complete, dedicated, and celebrated with great joy by God’s people during the annual observance of Passover.

Job complete? Not entirely. There was more restoration and renewal yet needed. There was a community in need of renewal.

This Sunday we will pick back up that story and look at Ezra chapter seven and see how the Lord had His hand on and how Ezra would lead an inside-out restoration of God’s people.

Come join us this Sunday for an inside-out look at the world.

Bob Landon