And Yet Again

Nearly every element in this morning’s service can be tied to three verses in the sermon text. In Haggai 2:7, the Lord makes two promises: to “shake all nations” and to fill His house with their treasures. The opening and closing psalms that we sing this morning address both. In Why Do Gentile Nations Rage—Psalm 2, we find the Lord breaking the kings of the earth with an iron rod, “smashing them in pieces small.” By contrast, All Nations Clap Your Hands—Psalm 47 presents a happier vision, with the “heirs of Gentile thrones” praising God and bringing in their offerings right alongside the children of Abraham. In Haggai 2:8, the Lord reminds us that the wealth of all the nations is His in the first place (“The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine”). We see this reflected in the communion hymns, The Voice Of The Lord Is Over The Waters—Psalm 29 and Take My Life And Let It Be. We are encouraged to “give to the Lord the honor due His name,” and we respond that He should take “[our] silver and [our] gold.” Haggai 2:9 gives us a hint of a messianic promise: the latter glory will be greater than the former, and peace will prevail on earth. The center of the service makes the connection with the coming of Christ more explicit, with Scripture readings (Isaiah 60) and hymns (Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus; O Come, O Come Emmanuel) that are usually associated with the Advent season.  Though perhaps unusual at the end of August, this passage seemed to demand that we sing about the “Desire of nations,” who comes to bind His people together in one heart and mind. —Henry C. Haffner