In the book of Nehemiah, we read about a simple cup-bearer with a very large task set before him. The walls of Jerusalem lay demolished, the Jewish people are broken and scared, and foreign armies cover Jerusalem on all sides. God tasked Nehemiah, someone who knew very little about building walls, with the good and awesome work of rebuilding the broken walls of Jerusalem. Nehemiah knew he couldn’t do it alone, however, and he rallied the people to take back what was rightfully theirs.

The story of Nehemiah is often overlooked by many, but we believe that Nehemiah's story is one of the greatest reminders to all of us of the task at hand.

Jesus has commissioned us as believers with the good and awesome work of being His hands and feet. As the body of Christ, we should be united as one body of believers under the cross, and work together to find the broken walls in our lives and rebuild them.

Here at First Presbyterian, we are daily attempting (with God’s guidance and help) to rebuild the walls that the world has broken down. Just like Nehemiah, we can’t do this alone. Many hands are required for this task, and even simple cup-bearers are called to be more than what the world tells them they can be.

The point is, the church is not just a building, in the same was as Jerusalem is not just it's powerful walls. The church is the bride of Christ; His people. This building, if left to it’s own devices, would not go out and start telling people about Jesus. This building can’t shape and mold a young person’s life; only the gospel can. I encourage all of you to volunteer in some form or another, and help us rebuild the walls of a broken and dying world desperately in need of Christ’s love. Be His hands and feet.