Everyone, make a difference
Nehemiah 3:1-32
This has been another very busy and productive week, here at our Chester Road Baptist Church building. Our kitchen is getting upgraded to commercial-standard. Jesus spent so much of His time sharing food and hospitality. And through this, people got to encounter Him and experience Shalom – His peace, wholeness. Tat’s exactly what we want for people here when we open our Wellbeing Café. In order to do that, we need to make sure the food is safe and delivered efficiently – hence the kitchen upgrade.
Next to this, we have the Foyer. What a fabulous space this is. And what vision as a church, we/ they had back in 2005 for building that; to see a light, spacious, social space, where people can connect with each other and, through that, also with God as well.  So, we want to be building on that, continuing that vision, yes on a Sunday, but also throughout the week by opening up or Wellbeing Café – a space where people can come and connect with each other and, hopefully, through that, experience something of God’s Shalom too. It’s so it’s exciting!
Next to that, we’ve got the church sanctuary and, wow, things are really happening here. Two weeks ago, the wooden benches (the pews) were removed and we’ve started to level the floor, preparing for when we then put in the new flexible, comfortable seating. It’s really taking shape. There’s an awful lot of work still to do and it’s going to be tight but we’re still on track to re-open on 27th June. Again, how exciting!
2,500 years ago, there was another facilities project on the go. After the Exile, Jerusalem had fallen into disrepair. Its gates were broken, its walls compromised. As tough as things had been during the Exile, things would get even tougher if nothing was done to the fabric of Jerusalem. Vulnerable to repeated attacks, they would gradually decline. Something had to be done. This was no vanity project. It was about ensuring the future survival of this faith community.
Nehemiah might have brought vision, strategy, and then set about mobilising people to get involved, but this was way bigger than one individual. There was no way Nehemiah could do this on his own.  And, just relying on the same ‘usual suspects’ wasn’t going to work either.  It needed to be everyone.
When Nehemiah pitched the challenge at the end of Chapter Two, the people responded immediately with “Let us start re-building.” Literally, let us rise-up and build. They were joining a movement, they were entering into the struggle.
That’s exactly what we need too. There is more challenge than we can shake a stick at. There is need in every direction. So much work that needs to be done. Jesus said the field are dripping with harvest.
For our Next Generation, Stay and Play has already re-opened. Messy Church – relaunching 12th June, and our Brigades are finalising their plans too. And, in just five weeks, we re-launch our Sunday morning service. Carys, our Children & Families Worker, is developing a great plan to welcome back children and young people. We need Sundays at Chester Road to be full of fun, energy, creativity, safety, friendship – because that’s what God is like! We want our children and young people to get a vision of God. Carys needs a team of people to work with her. Is that you?
Then there’s all that’s needed to make our Sunday services work too:
•	Hosts/ Welcome Team
•	Refreshments
•	Tech Team – sound, projection, live-streaming cameras
•	Worship Team – musicians and vocalists
•	Communion prep
And we’ve not yet mentioned Job Club or our Wellbeing Café. And right now, as we’re taking the opportunity to prepare our facilities for the next phase of mission and ministry, there’s heaps of work still be done: painting and decorating; deep cleaning… Let the revolution begin. Let’s rise-up and build.
With the task so big, Nehemiah ‘chunked’ it into sections. If it was left to just one or two to do everything, by the time they finished, it would have been too late. The work couldn’t wait. The time was ‘now’. That’s the same for us too. We’re doing a lot on our buildings all at once simply because of the lockdown situation.
Nehemiah set about creating unity of purpose and diversity of people. There was a real mix of professions, ethnicity, ages, gender. Some were labourers, others entrepreneurs or Government Leaders. And just look at us. Isn’t that just so true of us here at Chester Road Baptist Church. Bring it on!
With so much to do, people couldn’t be too precious about what they did. Their ‘day job’ might have been as a goldsmith, working behind the perfume counter at Boots, or whatever. But, right now, the need was to repair walls, not gold jewellery. Just roll your sleeve up and get stuck in. You might be a teacher, but, right now, the way you can serve is to make teas and coffees that grow community. Or, maybe you’re an accountant but what you can do is release some of your energy and creativity into our children’s ministry…
And the priests, even the High priests, who normally did their ‘God stuff’, were getting stuck in too. In verse 1, “Eliashib the high priest and his fellow priests went to work.” Beware of leaders that don’t muck in. The priests repaired the Sheep Gate. This was probably the route sacrificial lambs took on their way to the Temple. “They dedicated it and set its doors in place.” There might have been building work going on all around them, but worship couldn’t be put on hold.
A reoccurring theme in Chapter 3 is ‘restoration’ and ‘repairing’. For example, in verse 4, “Meremoth son of Uriah, the son of Hakkoz, repaired the next section.” That word, translated as “repaired” is more like ‘to make firm or strong’. It didn’t mean putting things back as they were previously. The aim was not to rewind the clock to how things used to be in the past, rather to anticipate and be ready for what was coming.
Some who served were from Jerusalem. This was their city, their Temple. It might have been all they’d ever known. Rise-up and build. But, they didn’t use their longevity, their history, to create barriers for others. They were to repair walls, not create additional walls. If you’ve been here a long time, your job is to use your knowledge and belonging to welcome and include others – so that they too quickly feel like they too belong. But others were from elsewhere – from the likes of Jericho, Tekoa, Gibeon, and Mizpah. Jerusalem wasn’t their home ‘home’, it wasn’t even their responsibility, but still they opted to join in. Soon, it was hard to tell who was new and who had always been there.
Nehemiah was canny. He seems to have tasked people with repairing that part of the wall closest to their home; repairing on their doorstep, being a blessing to their neighbours, their street or apartment building. Maybe you too have that sense of responsibility towards your family or immediate neighbours, extending the mission and ministry of Chester Road Baptist Church to them too.
In leading all this, Nehemiah wasn’t just repairing physical walls, bricks and mortar. He was repairing their sense of purpose, their mission, their unity.
Unity rarely comes by siting around and trying to find what everyone can agree on. Unity is more often found in mission. We love working with others. Its why we’re part of, not one, but two local Churches Together groups. When we look down and inward, we quickly slide into our differences. But when we roll our sleeves up and serve alongside each other, we rediscover our unity.. in Christ.. in our shared humanity.
Not everyone got on board. A few struggled. In verse 5, “The next section was repaired by the men of Tekoa, but their nobles would not put their shoulders to the work under their supervisors.”  It wasn’t that they weren’t capable, it’s that their attitude was all wrong. It wasn’t that they lacked the tools, they were the tools! Too full of pride, they thought the work ‘beneath them’. Let’s keep our own attitudes in check. Whilst the bosses might have had ‘unbending necks’, their people didn’t. The cracked-on, despite the poor example set by their leaders, by repairing not just one but two sections of the wall.
Now, aren’t you relieved you weren’t asked to read today’s Bible passage. So many names, so many people – different people – all mucking in, all rising up together to repair Jerusalem.
Now imagine, instead of reading about Hanun, Shallun, Meshullam… Your name was included in the list of those that rose-up to rebuild Jerusalem? That’s the opportunity and challenge you have today. I would love YOU to join me and so many others in our growing community that is Chester Road Baptist Church to rise up, get involved. To find out more, go to ChesterRoadBaptist.org.uk/volunteer Talk to me or Carys. Get involved! DannyBrierley@ChesterRoadBaptist.org.uk