Ezra 3:8-13: a reflection

8Now in the second year of their coming to God’s house at Jerusalem, in the second month, Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and the rest of their brothers the priests and the Levites, and all those who had come out of the captivity to Jerusalem, began the work and appointed the Levites, from twenty years old and upward, to have the oversight of the work of the LORD’s house. 9Then Jeshua stood with his sons and his brothers, Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of Judah, together to have the oversight of the workmen in God’s house: the sons of Henadad, with their sons and their brothers the Levites. 10When the builders laid the foundation of the LORD’s temple, they set the priests in their vestments with trumpets, with the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals, to praise the LORD, according to the directions of David king of Israel. 11They sang to one another in praising and giving thanks to the LORD, “For he is good, for his loving kindness endures forever toward Israel.” All the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the LORD’s house had been laid. 12But many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers’ households, the old men who had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice. Many also shouted aloud for joy, 13so that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people; for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard far away.

When the foundation of the rebuilt temple is laid, the people respond with a striking mixture of emotions: great shouts of joy from many, and loud weeping from the old who remembered the former temple, so mingled that the two could not be told apart. Many shouted aloud for joy, the account says; but many of the old men who had seen the first house wept with a loud voice, so that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping. The laying of the foundation was a joyful new beginning, a cause for great rejoicing; and yet, for those who remembered the glory of the former temple, it was also a moment of grief, for this new beginning was not what had been before. Joy and grief were mingled together in that moment. This shows how joy and grief can be mingled in a new beginning that is not what was before. Joy and grief can be mingled in the same moment. A new beginning can carry both rejoicing and grief. New joy and old grief can sound together. God is present in both the shout of joy and the weeping.

Notice the mingling of joy and grief at this moment. The laying of the temple's foundation was a real cause for joy: after exile and loss, the work of rebuilding God's house had begun, and many shouted aloud for gladness. But at the same time, the old men who remembered the former temple, in its greater glory before its destruction, wept; for this new beginning, glad as it was, was not what had been before, and the memory of what was lost brought grief. And so joy and grief sounded together, so mingled that they could not be told apart. This reflects something true of many of our own experiences. New beginnings, even glad ones, often carry grief as well as joy: the joy of what is beginning, mingled with grief for what has been lost or left behind, or sorrow that the new is not all that the old was. We need not feel that our joy must be unmixed to be real, or that grief mingled with joy is wrong. Joy and grief can honestly coexist in the same moment; and God is present in both, in the shout of joy and in the weeping. We can bring both our joy and our grief to God, honestly, when a new beginning carries both. Joy and grief can honestly coexist in a moment of new beginning. God is present in both our rejoicing and our weeping. Do not feel your joy must be unmixed to be real. Bring both joy and grief to God when they are mingled.

That is worth taking to heart, for joy and grief can be mingled in the same moment, especially in a new beginning that is not all the old was, and God is present in both. We can feel that joy and grief cannot honestly coexist, that a real joy must be unmixed; but at the laying of the temple foundation, shouts of joy and loud weeping sounded together, so mingled they could not be told apart. Joy and grief can coexist. When a new beginning carries both joy and grief, do not deny either; bring both honestly to God, who is present in both. Bring both your joy and your grief honestly to God when they are mingled in the same moment, not feeling that your joy must be unmixed to be real, as when the foundation of the rebuilt temple was laid the people responded with a striking mixture, many shouting aloud for joy while the old men who remembered the former temple wept loudly, so mingled that the shout of joy and the noise of weeping could not be told apart; for the laying of the foundation was a joyful new beginning after exile and loss, a real cause for rejoicing, and yet for those who remembered the greater glory of the former temple it was also a moment of grief, since this new beginning, glad as it was, was not what had been before, so that joy and grief were mingled together, which reflects something true of many of our own experiences, since new beginnings even glad ones often carry grief as well as joy, the joy of what is beginning mingled with grief for what has been lost or sorrow that the new is not all the old was, so that we need not feel our joy must be unmixed to be real or that grief mingled with joy is wrong, since joy and grief can honestly coexist in the same moment and God is present in both, in the shout of joy and in the weeping, and we can bring both our joy and our grief to God honestly when a new beginning carries both.

Lord, when the foundation of the rebuilt temple is laid, the people respond with a striking mixture of emotions: great shouts of joy from many, and loud weeping from the old who remembered the former temple, so mingled that the two could not be told apart. Many shouted aloud for joy, the account says; but many of the old men who had seen the first house wept with a loud voice, so that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping. The laying of the foundation was a joyful new beginning, a cause for great rejoicing; and yet, for those who remembered the glory of the former temple, it was also a moment of grief, for this new beginning was not what had been before. Joy and grief were mingled together. Show me the mingling of joy and grief at this moment. The laying of the temple's foundation was a real cause for joy: after exile and loss, the work of rebuilding had begun, and many shouted for gladness. But at the same time, the old men who remembered the former temple wept; for this new beginning, glad as it was, was not what had been before, and the memory of what was lost brought grief. And so joy and grief sounded together, so mingled that they could not be told apart. This reflects something true of many of my own experiences. New beginnings, even glad ones, often carry grief as well as joy: the joy of what is beginning, mingled with grief for what has been lost. I need not feel that my joy must be unmixed to be real, or that grief mingled with joy is wrong. Joy and grief can honestly coexist; and you are present in both. Take that to my heart, for joy and grief can be mingled in the same moment, and you are present in both. When a new beginning carries both joy and grief, keep me from denying either; help me bring both honestly to you, Lord, who are present in both my rejoicing and my weeping.