2: Restore – Rekindling Worship and Honoring Our Legacy

1 Peter 5:10 NLT

In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation.

Series Introduction

Last Sunday we began the discussion on where we go from here.

We began the discussion last Sunday with the theme:

RETURN: Answering God’s Call to Come Back - Ezra 1:1-6

We focused on the biblical account of the Jews returning to Jerusalem after 70 years in Babylon, as described in Ezra 1:1-6. God stirred King Cyrus to allow the exiles to return and rebuild the temple, fulfilling His promise and demonstrating His faithfulness. The exiles' willingness to leave their settled lives and undertake the arduous journey home showed their deep trust in God.

We emphasized that spiritual renewal begins with returning to God wholeheartedly, turning away from sin and complacency, and re-engaging with the church community. We highlighted the importance of trusting God's plan and His readiness to receive His people back, just as He prepared the way for the Jews' return to Jerusalem from exile in Babylon.

We will continue looking into all of this using 3-themes taken mostly from the Old Testament books of Ezra and Nehemiah. The themes are these:

RETURN: Answering God’s Call to Come Back - Ezra 1:1-6 Last Sunday

RESTORE: Rekindling Worship and Honoring Our Legacy - Ezra 3:10-13 Today

REBUILD: Fulfilling Our Sacred Calling Together - Nehemiah 2:17-20 Next Sunday

We are each responsible for the future of Curry’s. No one of us alone can change the current course we are on. It will take the concerted efforts of everyone one of us, it will take all of this faith community. And we must not do this without consulting with and following the leadings of the Holy Spirit.

With that said let’s continue our discussion today with these words from Ezra 3.

Core Verses:

Ezra 3:10 NLT

When the builders completed the foundation of the Lord’s Temple, the priests put on their robes and took their places to blow their trumpets. And the Levites, descendants of Asaph, clashed their cymbals to praise the Lord, just as King David had prescribed.

Ezra 3:11 NLT

With praise and thanks, they sang this song to the Lord: “He is so good! His faithful love for Israel endures forever!” Then all the people gave a great shout, praising the Lord because the foundation of the Lord’s Temple had been laid.

Ezra 3:12 NLT

But many of the older priests, Levites, and other leaders who had seen the first Temple wept aloud when they saw the new Temple’s foundation. The others, however, were shouting for joy.

Ezra 3:13 NLT

The joyful shouting and weeping mingled together in a loud noise that could be heard far in the distance.

Core Message:

Kintsugi – (golden joinery) – Beauty from Brokenness: The Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold. In Kintsugi, the cracks and fractures of a broken vessel are not hidden but filled with precious gold, making the piece even more beautiful and unique than before. This is a powerful picture of God’s restoration. Just as a master artist can take shattered fragments and create a renewed bowl that glimmers with gold veins, God can take the broken pieces of our lives or church and mend them with His grace. The result is a testimony to His redeeming power – our scars become stories of His faithfulness. We might say, “See, this crack once meant ruin, but now it’s a line of gold by God’s hand.” This encourages anyone who feels “too broken” that , bringing beauty out of damage. God specializes in holy restoration

After returning, the Israelites’ first major task was to restore what had been lost – particularly, the worship of God at Jerusalem. In Ezra chapter 3 (Ezra 3:1-6), we see them rebuild the altar and offer sacrifices even before the temple is rebuilt, re-establishing worship in the ruins. Soon, they laid the foundation of the new temple, and a great celebration took place. Music and praise rang out to thank the Lord, because a vital part of their spiritual life was being restored. This was more than a construction project – it was the rekindling of their relationship with God as a worshiping community.

Yet, that moment was bittersweet. The younger people shouted for joy at this new beginning, but many older ones – who remembered the former Temple of Solomon – wept aloud when they saw the modest foundation of the new temple. “The people could not distinguish the sound of the joyful shouting from that of the weeping”. Why the tears? Because the legacy of the past was on their minds. The glory of the former temple and days gone by made them lament what had been lost. And indeed, the second temple was smaller in scale and less opulent. However, God sent prophets like Haggai to encourage them ((i.e.: Haggai 2:4, 9)

Haggai 2:4 NLT

But now the Lord says: Be strong, Zerubbabel. Be strong, Jeshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people still left in the land. And now get to work, for I am with you, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

Haggai 2:9 NLT

The future glory of this Temple will be greater than its past glory, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. And in this place I will bring peace. I, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, have spoken!”

Simply, Haggai was saying God was with them and that the glory of the new house would one day surpass the old.

Restoration honors the past but isn’t limited by it:

Restoring a Historic Church: Imagine an old, storm-damaged church building that a congregation decides to restore rather than abandon. During the restoration, workers salvaged old stained-glass windows and pews, refurbishing them to preserve the original beauty, while also installing a stronger foundation and modern reinforcements. The project might have moments of pain (when discovering how much was ruined) and joy (when seeing the sanctuary come alive again). This parallels spiritual restoration: We salvage what is sacred from our heritage– the truths, the values, and even the meaningful traditions that honor God – and we rebuild on those, fortified for today’s challenges. The end result is a “church” that honors its legacy yet is renewed and vibrant for the future.

The lesson here is that restoration honors the past but isn’t limited by it. The elders’ grief was understandable – restoration involves repentance and acknowledging loss – but God was doing a new thing. He was renewing true worship among His people, which was more important than stones and gold.

The metaphor here is that what God restores can become even more beautiful or meaningful, demonstrating His redemptive artistry. “Kintsugi, the Japanese art of rejoining broken pieces of pottery with gold, is a fabulous example of God restoring the broken places and making something beautiful from what was broken.”

For the church, “restore” means reviving our worship and spiritual foundations. It means returning to the core practices and values that our faith heritage is built on – the “altars” and “temples” of our life with God. This includes consistent prayer, authentic worship, reading and obeying Scripture, and loving fellowship. The Jews restored the altar of sacrifice, which for us points to restoring Christ-centered devotion (since He is our ultimate sacrifice). They rebuilt the temple foundation, which for us can signify rebuilding our lives on the foundation of Christ’s teachings. Sometimes in our personal lives or church life, these foundations crack or lie in ruins due to neglect, worldliness, or adversity. God calls us to repair the altar and rebuild the foundation – in other words, to restore the practices of worship and obedience that sustain our relationship with Him.

Legacy plays a role: we don’t start from scratch. The Israelites used what they had remembered and what was left (even the returning of the temple vessels Cyrus did in Ezra 1:7-11 was a sign of connecting to their legacy). In restoring the faith life of the community, Ezra later read the Book of the Law of Moses to the people (Nehemiah 8). He taught them God’s Word, showing that true restoration was about aligning with the ancient covenant. When the people heard God’s Law, they wept in conviction and then rejoiced, understanding it afresh. This demonstrates that a return to God’s Word and commands is at the heart of restoration. As one commentary noted, after exile Israel’s renewed life was defined by fidelity to the Law – this spiritual culture was the foundation that carried forward and even gave birth to the Church later. In every season of crisis or decline, “restoration… has always entailed a return to greater fidelity to the law of God and authenticity of life”. In other words, we restore by refocusing on God’s instructions and living them out with sincerity.

The Bible doesn't promise instant fixes, but rather a journey of transformation and healing.

In our journey, restoring the church means both preserving the precious legacy of truth and worship passed down to us and experiencing renewal for today. We respect the “old songs” even as we sing a “new song” to the Lord. We honor the faith and sacrifices of prior generations by rebuilding, not by leaving ruins. But we must also embrace the new work God is doing in our midst. The mixture of weeping and joy in Ezra 3 shows that restoration can be emotional and multi-faceted: it involves repentance for where things went wrong, gratitude for what God is rebuilding, and hope for future glory. Importantly, God’s presence was with them in the process (Ezra 3:11 says they praised the Lord “because He is good; His love…endures forever”). When God restores, His goodness and love are the foundation, not our efforts alone.

Reflection Prompts:

Ezra 3:12-13 is: – A direct biblical example of legacy (memories of the past) meeting renewal (joy for the new). Restoration often involves both grief over past loss and joy for present renewal. “When the foundation of the new temple was laid… many of the older priests and Levites who had seen the first temple wept loudly, while many others shouted joyfully. The sound of weeping and joy mingled together.”

External restoration (e.g., building the temple or walls) must be completed by internal, heart-level change through God’s Word. “After the physical rebuilding came the spiritual renewal. Ezra…led a revival by calling the people back to God’s law. …The nation experienced true transformation—not just outwardly but from the heart of individuals.”

Heart Check on Worship: restore the “altar”

Is your personal worship (prayer, praise, time in the Word) in ruins, in need of repair, or healthy?

What practical step could you take to restore the “altar” of worship in your daily life? (For instance, re-establishing a daily quiet time, or returning to church gatherings if you’ve stayed away.)

Honoring the Past: forgotten or neglected

Think about the spiritual legacy Curry’s Chapel has – past leaders, traditions, core values.

Which of these have we perhaps forgotten or neglected?

How might reclaiming some of those (in fresh ways) help restore vibrancy to our church?

Conversely, are there any “old ways” we cling to that might hinder the new thing God is doing?

How can we balance gratitude for the past with faith for the future?

The Word at the Center: God’s Word

When Israel was restored, Scripture was central (Ezra taught the Law; Nehemiah 8).

How central is God’s Word in your life right now?

Do you spend regular time reading/listening to it? If not, what plan can you make to restore that practice?

And as a church, how can we elevate God’s Word even more in our gatherings and ministries so that our renewal is rooted in His truth?

Areas in Need of Restoration: “first stone”

Identify one broken area in your life (or our community) you yearn for God to restore – it could be a broken relationship, a lost ministry, a personal character issue, etc.

Have you brought this concern to God in prayer, as Nehemiah did?

Allow yourself to mourn what’s been lost, but also to ask God for a new beginning.

What “first stone” could you lay this week toward rebuilding that situation? (E.g., an apology to begin reconciling a relationship, or dedicating time to serve again in a ministry you stepped away from.)

Celebration and Thanksgiving:

Restoration is ultimately a joyful act of God’s mercy.

What can we give thanks for even now as God is rebuilding us? Like the Israelites singing “He is good; His love endures forever,” take time to praise God for specific signs of renewal you see (in your heart, your family, or Curry’s).

How does gratitude fuel further renewal?

Prayer