September is a pivot month for most of us. Summer is coming to a close and fall schedules are kicking off. School is back in session, and we move back to two services at The United Church. Most of us enjoy summer calendars with fewer obligations, but when September rolls around, our planners quickly begin to fill. We begin to consider our commitments. What events and commitments deserve to be a priority for us? In short, what are we going to allow to fill our calendar in this busy season?
The first Sunday in September is a special one for us. It’s Labor Day weekend, and we will gather in one service at 9:30 a.m. We are planning a more casual service with communion. It will include guitar music, a skit, and a sermon that introduces us to the fall series.
We’re stepping into a new series on the last three books of the Old Testament. The title of the series is “The Last Prophets.” We will walk together through Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. This series will take us through the season of Advent. The context of this series is fascinating. The people of God have returned from exile and are putting their city back in order. As you might imagine, it takes time to rebuild. And it is crucial to plan and strategize. In this sense, this series naturally highlights the fall season change.
Haggai uses a phrase four times in his short book (1:5, 1:7, 2:15, 2:18). He tells the people, “give careful thought to your ways.” In our busy and hurried world we rarely do this. We are often going non-stop from the time we get up to the time we lay our heads on the pillow at night. It is not that we are negligent. We are just too busy to take time to pause and reflect. In ancient Israel during this season of rebuilding, the people had focused their energy on their own houses. But they had not yet taken the time to rebuild the temple. It still lay in ruins. God gives them just short of twenty years and then addresses them through the prophet Haggai. Zechariah comes along just a few months later. Malachi comes one to two generations later. And then there is silence for 400 years. The Old Testament closes with this group of people resettled in the land. Silence until Jesus comes on the scene.
The challenge for the people of God is to consider their priorities. They’d been moving along, not really intentional. God is calling them to consider, to plan, to invest their time and energy in places that honor Him. As we step into this fall season, I’m eager to walk through these books with you. I hope you’ll be a part of this study by reading the passages ahead of time and showing up on Sunday mornings to engage these important texts together.
Worship Schedule
- September 06 - Preparing for the Fall (Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi)
Additional Readings: Psalm 126:1-6, Hebrews 1:1-2 - September 13 - Priorities (Haggai 1:1-15)
Additional Readings: Psalm 127:1-2, Matthew 6:19-21, 33 - September 20 - From This Day On (Haggai 2:1-23)
Additional Readings: Psalm 46:1-7, Matthew 8:1-4 - September 27 - Return to Me (Zechariah 1:1-21)
Additional Readings: Psalm 130, James 4:8
