“We will not neglect the house of our God.” Nehemiah 10:39
After returning from exile in Babylon, Ezra and the priests gather the Israelites together in a great corporate assembly to renew their covenant with God. In his prayer, Ezra carefully pronounces how each offering, tithe, and “first fruit” of dough, oil, wine, etc. is to be brought accordingly into the house of God. As Ezra prays summarizing the Levitical instructions the Israelites have had for years, his recasting is so clear that you can practically “see” the disorder of their sinful ways atrophying and the good, pleasing order of flourishing provision, celebration, and thankfulness materializing before their eyes.
Paying careful attention to the house of God meant that the community shared in sacrificial giving (literally) right alongside celebration of corporate blessing of all that God had provided. God was at the center, and as each household embraced its responsibility to honor God’s house with sacrifices, they drew closer to Him and to one another.
“And we are his house...” Hebrews 3:6
The gospel has heralded great news to us that God’s Spirit is now pleased to dwell in and among his people. His tabernacle on earth is in the tents of our bodies. Therefore, “not neglecting his house” means “not neglecting one another.” The contributions that we bring to his house are the good deeds that we sacrificially do for one another to fulfill the law of Christ.
As our country is more openly reeling from and wrestling with a long shadow of racism that has come more to light, our student leadership has stepped up and extended a “411 Offering” to seek to combat systemic racial injustice in New Haven by investing in long-term services linked to inequity prevention within impoverished and underprivileged communities of color. We are joining a coalition of undergrad groups responding with love and good works, and I’m so proud of our student’s resolve to “not neglect the house of God” as they bring in these offerings.
Please pray alongside us in these ways:
1) To strengthen CU Lux in the grace of giving. We want to excel in it.
2) For God to cause spiritual growth in CU Lux over the summer. We want
to reach maturity.
3) For God to make a way (like never before) for us to meet members of 2024.
We want this house to be a home for many new students.
Thank you for your prayers, which rise up like incense in the house of God.
Warmly,
Clay Cromer
Ministry Director
Christian Union Lux
Please note: if you would like to receive regular updates on how to pray for Christian Union's work at Yale, please email prayer@christianunion.org.
