Here is the schedule of readings for the coming week:

• Sunday, 04 May 2025: Ezra 1–3
• Monday, 05 May 2025: Ezra 4–7
• Tuesday, 06 May 2025: Ezra 8–10
• Wednesday, 07 May 2025: Neh 1–5
• Thursday, 08 May 2025: Neh 6–7
• Friday, 09 May 2025: Neh 8–10
• Saturday, 10 May 2025: Neh 11–13

Return and Renewal

This coming week's readings from the Old Testament take us into a pivotal period in Israel's history – the return from exile in Babylon. After many years away from their homeland, something remarkable happens: the Persian King Cyrus issues a decree allowing the Jewish people to go back to Jerusalem. One can only imagine the mix of emotions this news brought – a fragile hope, certainly, but also the daunting challenge ahead. They faced the immense task of rebuilding not just a ruined city, but a whole way of life, their religious practices, and a future from the ashes of devastation.

As we read through Ezra and Nehemiah this week, we'll encounter two key figures whom God raised up for this enormous work. First, there's Ezra, a priest and scribe whose heart was set on restoring genuine worship and helping the people truly understand God's Law. Then comes Nehemiah, the governor, a man of great practical skill and leadership, driven by the urgent need to rebuild Jerusalem's protective walls. Their stories together show us the challenges of leadership and resilience, detailing the practical, often difficult steps needed to bring a community back to life and help it refocus on God.

Daily Readings

• Sunday, 4 May 2025: Ezra 1–3
  The week begins with the sense of possibility sparked by Cyrus's decree – an event that must have felt utterly astounding to the exiles. It’s a powerful sign of God’s providence, using even a foreign ruler to keep His promises. The first group of returnees quickly focus on the very heart of their faith: rebuilding the altar in Jerusalem. It's striking that before thinking about their own homes or the city walls, they prioritise the place of sacrifice, the essential meeting point between God and His people. This reminds us powerfully that any real restoration starts with putting worship – our relationship with God – first. When we look at our own parish altar, we see it as the source of the Eucharist, the spiritual sustenance that rebuilds us each week.

• Monday, 5 May 2025: Ezra 4–7
  The early enthusiasm soon runs into harsh reality as opposition from local people and political delays bring the Temple building work to a frustrating standstill. Years pass, and the people must have felt deeply discouraged. But God’s plan wasn't thwarted; He raised up the prophets Haggai and Zechariah (whom we read recently) to stir up the people and get them back to work. Eventually, under King Darius, the Temple was completed and dedicated. This section also introduces Ezra himself, sent back years later by King Artaxerxes with a particular task: to teach God's Law faithfully and make sure it became the guiding principle for the community. This part of the story clearly shows that opposition, while testing our faith and demanding perseverance, doesn't ultimately stop God's purposes.

• Tuesday, 6 May 2025: Ezra 8–10
  Ezra makes his own journey back to Jerusalem, leading another group of exiles. His decision to travel without a Persian military escort shows a profound act of faith, relying solely on God's protection on the dangerous road. However, on arriving in Jerusalem, Ezra finds a deeply worrying situation: widespread intermarriage between Israelites, including priests and Levites, and the surrounding pagan peoples. This was a direct breach of God's Law, which was given to protect Israel's unique identity as God's covenant people and their mission as a light to other nations. Ezra's reaction is one of intense grief and heartfelt prayer. This leads to a communal confession of sin and the difficult, painful process of repentance and separation from these unlawful marriages. It’s a sharp reminder of how seriously the covenant with God was regarded and the painful sacrifices sometimes seen as necessary to restore the community's spiritual health.

• Wednesday, 7 May 2025: Neh 1–5
  Our attention now turns to Nehemiah, who held an important position as cupbearer to the Persian king Artaxerxes. Despite his comfortable life, Nehemiah is heartbroken when he hears reports about the ruined state of Jerusalem's walls, which left the city vulnerable and its people shamed. His first response isn't political scheming but heartfelt prayer and fasting, seeking God’s guidance and favour. Only after this period of spiritual preparation does he approach the king to ask for permission and resources for the rebuilding. Once in Jerusalem, Nehemiah secretly inspects the damage by night before strategically gathering the people for the task. As expected, opposition quickly arises from powerful local figures like Sanballat and Tobiah. Nehemiah shows that true leadership means dealing with multiple challenges; alongside overseeing the physical rebuilding, he also tackles pressing internal problems, specifically the exploitation of the poor by wealthier members of the community. He demands social justice, reminding everyone that building a godly society needs attention to both its physical structure and its ethical principles.

• Thursday, 8 May 2025: Neh 6–7
  The opposition against Nehemiah becomes more intense, involving threats, lies, and intimidation designed specifically to stop the wall building. His famous, determined reply when invited to meet in the plains (which was likely a trap) perfectly captures his single-minded focus: "I am doing a great work and I cannot come down" (Neh 6:3). His determination, rooted in deep trust in God, proves unshakable. Against considerable odds, the wall is completed in a remarkable 52 days – an achievement so swift that even their enemies had to admit it was done with God's help. After this crucial success, Nehemiah uses his administrative skills to secure the city and organise its people, including compiling a vital list of the families who had returned from Babylon.

• Friday, 9 May 2025: Neh 8–10
  This passage describes a truly wonderful and significant moment in the restoration. With the security provided by the new walls, the entire community gathers together, and Ezra the priest stands before them to read aloud from the Book of the Law of Moses. The Word of God takes centre stage in the life of the restored community. The effect is immediate and profound; as the people listen, they weep, deeply moved by the realisation of how far their lives had drifted from God’s commands. Nehemiah and Ezra wisely guide their response, encouraging them to turn their sorrow into joyful celebration, because discovering and embracing God’s Word is fundamentally a cause for rejoicing. They go on to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles with new understanding, remembering God’s faithful care for their ancestors in the wilderness. This period of spiritual reawakening culminates in a solemn public gathering for confession, fasting, and a formal renewal of their covenant with God, where the people make specific, serious commitments to keep God's laws. It remains a powerful historical image of a community revived by truly hearing and responding to Sacred Scripture.

• Saturday, 10 May 2025: Neh 11–13
  The final chapters deal with the practicalities of establishing the restored community. Arrangements are made for enough people to live within the newly secured walls of Jerusalem to ensure the city can be defended and thrive. The completion of the walls is celebrated with a joyful dedication ceremony, full of music, processions, and heartfelt thanks to God. Nehemiah’s final accounts describe further essential reforms he put in place during a later visit, tackling ongoing issues like ensuring the Levites were properly supported financially through tithes, strengthening observance of the Sabbath, and once again addressing the persistent problem of intermarriage with foreign neighbours, which had sadly reappeared. His actions highlight the vital understanding that rebuilding a community is not a one-off event but a continuous process requiring constant vigilance, unwavering commitment, and a willingness to keep reforming where needed.

Building on Solid Foundations

Taken together, the books of Ezra and Nehemiah give us a compelling and very practical picture of what's involved in rebuilding a community and its faith after a time of deep crisis and devastation. Their stories show that true restoration is about much more than just physical reconstruction; it's fundamentally about putting worship back at the centre, diligently re-learning and living out God’s Law, actively pursuing justice for all, and corporately renewing our commitment to our relationship with God. Within these pages, we meet leaders who, despite their human weaknesses, show remarkable faithfulness, guided by prayer and God's Word as they bravely face both external opposition and internal failings.

As you spend time with these readings this week, perhaps think about the areas in your own spiritual life, or indeed within our wider parish community here in Sunderland, that might need some 'rebuilding'. Consider where we might need to consciously re-establish the 'altar' – making sure our personal and shared life of prayer and worship remains truly central. Think about where the 'walls' of our faith might need strengthening to help us withstand pressures from outside or discouragement from within. Let's also examine how well we are living out God's 'Law' – not seeing it as a burden, but as His loving guidance meant for our good. We can certainly draw inspiration from these texts to pray for the gift of perseverance that marked Ezra and Nehemiah so clearly, and ask for a renewed love for God's Word, recognising it as the essential foundation on which any lasting spiritual life must be built.