Vision Sunday 2026

“Let Us Rise and Build”

Good morning, church family.

Every new year brings with it a strange mixture of hope and hesitation.

Hope—because we believe God can do something new.

Hesitation—because we’ve all lived long enough to know that good intentions alone don’t change anything.

A new year doesn’t automatically make things better.

But a God-given vision, embraced by God’s people, absolutely can.

Vision Sunday isn’t about pressure.

It’s not about numbers or calendars or checklists.

It’s about listening together for what God is already stirring among us.

In Nehemiah chapter 2, God gives us a picture of how spiritual vision works—not in theory, but in real life.

Text: Nehemiah 2:17–18 (ESV)

2 In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad in his presence. 2 And the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, seeing you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of the heart.” Then I was very much afraid. 3 I said to the king, “Let the king live forever! Why should not my face be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ graves, lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?” 4 Then the king said to me, “What are you requesting?” So I prayed to the God of heaven. 5 And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ graves, that I may rebuild it.” 6 And the king said to me (the queen sitting beside him), “How long will you be gone, and when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me when I had given him a time. 7 And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let letters be given me to the governors of the province Beyond the River, that they may let me pass through until I come to Judah, 8 and a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress of the temple, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall occupy.” And the king granted me what I asked, for the good hand of my God was upon me. Nehemiah Inspects Jerusalem’s Walls 9 Then I came to the governors of the province Beyond the River and gave them the king’s letters. Now the king had sent with me officers of the army and horsemen. 10 But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant heard this, it displeased them greatly that someone had come to seek the welfare of the people of Israel. 11 So I went to Jerusalem and was there three days. 12 Then I arose in the night, I and a few men with me. And I told no one what my God had put into my heart to do for Jerusalem. There was no animal with me but the one on which I rode. 13 I went out by night by the Valley Gate to the Dragon Spring and to the Dung Gate, and I inspected the walls of Jerusalem that were broken down and its gates that had been destroyed by fire. 14 Then I went on to the Fountain Gate and to the King’s Pool, but there was no room for the animal that was under me to pass. 15 Then I went up in the night by the valley and inspected the wall, and I turned back and entered by the Valley Gate, and so returned. 16 And the officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, and I had not yet told the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the officials, and the rest who were to do the work. 17 Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned. Come, let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer suffer derision.” 18 And I told them of the hand of my God that had been upon me for good, and also of the words that the king had spoken to me. And they said, “Let us rise up and build.” So they strengthened their hands for the good work. 19 But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they jeered at us and despised us and said, “What is this thing that you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?” 20 Then I replied to them, “The God of heaven will make us prosper, and we his servants will arise and build, but you have no portion or right or claim in Jerusalem.” The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), Ne 2:1–20.

Introduction

Nehemiah arrives in Jerusalem.

The walls are broken.

The gates are burned.

The people are discouraged.

And then he speaks these words:

“You see the trouble we are in… Come, let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer suffer derision… And they said, ‘Let us rise and build.’ So they strengthened their hands for the good work.”

This passage gives us a vision not just for rebuilding walls—but for rebuilding a people.

And this year, God is calling us to build with order, fellowship, and mission.

I. Vision Begins with Order

“You see the trouble we are in…”

Nehemiah doesn’t start with blame.

He doesn’t start with guilt.

He starts with honesty.

“You see the trouble we are in.”

That’s vision.

Vision doesn’t ignore reality—it faces it with faith.

Nehemiah had already prayed.

He had already fasted.

But before he could rebuild, he had to recognize what was broken.

The walls weren’t just rubble—they were exposure.

Without walls, the city had:

No protection

No identity

No stability

Disorder made them vulnerable.

Church, hear this carefully:

Disorganization doesn’t mean we lack faith. It means we lack structure.

God is not glorified by confusion.

God is honored when His people steward well what He provides.

Scripture tells us:

“All things should be done decently and in order.”

Order is not unspiritual.

Order is biblical.

When things are disorganized:

People get overlooked

Volunteers burn out

Vision gets buried under chaos

But when there is order:

Ministry flows

People feel cared for

Growth becomes sustainable

This year, God is calling us to build with intention.

To plan better.

To communicate clearly.

To steward wisely.

Not so we can control things—but so we can care for people.

Application:

Ask yourself:

“Am I helping bring clarity, or adding confusion?”

Because vision always begins with order.

II. Vision Grows Through Fellowship

“Come, let us build…”

Nehemiah doesn’t say, “Watch me build.”

He says, “Come, let us build.”

Vision is never meant to be carried alone.

Walls don’t rise because of one leader.

They rise because people work together.

Side by side.

Hand to hand.

Heart to heart.

This wasn’t just a construction project—it was community formation.

The people didn’t just rebuild stone.

They rebuilt trust.

They rebuilt belonging.

They rebuilt identity.

That’s fellowship.

Acts 2 tells us the early church devoted themselves to:

Teaching

Fellowship

Breaking bread

Prayer

They didn’t just gather on Sundays.

They shared life.

A church can be friendly and still be lonely.

A church can be busy and still disconnected.

Biblical fellowship is deeper than attendance.

It’s shared life and shared mission.

Illustration:

A single log pulled from a fire cools quickly.

But logs stacked together burn longer and brighter.

That’s fellowship.

Application:

This year, God is calling us to move from:

Attending → belonging

Sitting → serving

Knowing names → knowing stories

Ask yourself:

“Who am I building with?”

Because walls don’t rise when people work alone.

III. Vision Is Proven by Action

“Let us rise and build.”

This is where vision becomes real.

They didn’t say:

“That’s a good idea”

“Let’s talk about it later”

“Someone else should do it”

They said:

“Let us rise and build.”

Vision always demands response.

Faith that never moves never builds anything.

James reminds us:

“Faith without works is dead.”

And church—reaching people requires movement.

It requires:

Inviting

Serving

Loving intentionally

Leaving comfort

The walls weren’t built for the builders.

They were built for:

Families

Children

Future generations

In the same way, the church does not exist for itself.

We exist for those who are not here yet.

Jesus said:

“Go and make disciples.”

Not “wait.”

Not “be comfortable.”

But “go.”

Illustration:

No one accidentally reaches someone for Christ.

Someone has to care.

Someone has to invite.

Someone has to show up.

Application:

Ask yourself:

“Who is God placing in my path this year?”

Because vision always points outward.

Conclusion: Strengthened Hands for a Good Work

Nehemiah ends this moment with a powerful statement:

“They strengthened their hands for the good work.”

That’s what vision does.

It strengthens weary hands.

It unites willing hearts.

It moves God’s people forward together.

This year, God is calling Journey Church to:

Build with order

Build in fellowship

Build for others

Not because everything is broken—

But because God is still building.

So today, we don’t just turn a calendar page.

We commit our hands.

We commit our hearts.

We commit our future.

And together, we say:

Let us rise.

Let us build.

And let us trust God with what comes next.