Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Zechariah 2:1-13

“For I will be a wall of fire all around Jerusalem, says the Lord, and I will be the glory within it.” Oh, what a marvelous vision! This, the third vision of Zechariah, tells of the rebuilding and future glory of Jerusalem. It opens with a young man intent on measuring the length and width of the city walls as if to preserve the exact measurements of the physical place as it stands. His actions speak of a hope for the renewed glory of the city, but his vision is limited to recreating it exactly as it was, where the walls mark off the limits of the city. 

There is a greater hope. A greater promise for us: the coming into the city as a metaphor for us existing together. We do not need walls to protect us when God is alive within and around us. God will be the glory inside: in the multitudes of nations and peoples that stream to this new place. And God will be the walls made of fire; not just protection, but a beacon as far as the eye can see, calling for us to “Come, and live in the light!” 

In this time of the Advent of Christ, Zechariah’s vision is our prayer to God: “Come!” Advent is not just about awaiting the coming of the Christ child. It is also about expecting the coming of God among us, alive in the past and future city of Jerusalem. 

- Joshua Zentner-Barrett