Unwrapped

For you shall rebuild the ancient ruins.

As the rubble falls away.

As the pieces fall.

As the broken falls.

As the dust settles.

As the dust settles.

For it is not as it seems.

Soon you shall be bursting at the seams.

Yet first you are confronted with the seems.

“For it seems to me…” you want to say.

Yet it is not as it seems.

For how does one approach the ruins?

For everyone wants to keep their distance from the remembrance of the loss, the defeat, the rejection, the ruin.

For no-one wants to go there.

For it is a tomb.

It is a cave.

It is a rubbish tip.

It is a place for the discard, the disregard, the place without regard, the place no-one wants to regard.

Yet is it the place that contains my building materials, the materials of a new life, the materials of that which is material to me.

Am I not the God of restoration?

Am I not the God of resurrection?

For they rolled away the stone.

For the unwrapped by friend Lazarus.

For they were wrapt in the process of unwrapping.

For what is your disposition?

What is your attitude to loss?

When you place your hand upon the loss, how do you feel?

The tears well up in my eyes, I want to move on, I cannot dwell in the habitation of loss. I do not regard the things of Egypt, for I now dwell in the wilderness of worship with you.

Yet to move forward to the promise, you must first go back to that which you have left behind.

Put on the old suit. Suit up!

For you left as the prince, but now return as my deliverer, my rebuilder, my restorer.

For in the past the prince was adorned in the robes of royalty, and acted like the kings representative.

Now you dress like an ambassador of the King of Kings, a royal prince adorned with the power of my presence.

For the prince wears the colours that represent his kingdom. The king defines the colours of his kingdom.

Who would you rather be? A Prince or my deliverer?

For I am not slack concerning my promise to you.

I am not shy about the gifts I have given you.

For I have given you the coat of many colours. The cloak of many kingdoms. The manifestation of my favour and delight.

For the builder wears the old work clothes, in the knowledge that they will get dirty as the work is performed.

Yet the construction manager wears the suit, and the hard hat, and directs the work of the workers in order that they perform it.

The owner wears the fancy clothes, with all the frills, and all the thrills, and acts like he owns the place.

For the rebuilding of the temple nears completion, and awaits my fullness to flow in and around it.

And there you stand observing the final touches, making the final touches, putting the icing upon the cake.

Yet how do you feel about this? For you know what is going to happen next.

The illumination of that which was desolate. The beacon of light filling the building that was condemned. People lining up for the opening, in awe of the light that appears within and without.

Yes this is what restoration looks like. My healing power on display. The restoration of that which was condemned. The unwrapping of the resurrected one.

For one wraps up the dead, another unwraps the resurrected. For the purpose is to display freedom. The rising of that which was dead and buried. The fragrance of death vanishing in the presence of my life.

Yet these words echo in your ears…

the Joy of the Lord is your strength.

In the context of mourning, these words echo in your ears.

For the first step was to recognise the opportunity to rebuild.

The second step was to “let your hands be strong, and get on with building the temple”.

The third step was to keep building despite the opposition, the intense wave upon wave of attack.

The fourth is the refusal to come down, to go down, to be down, to look up with expectation and keep building. For I am your hope. This is my plan. This is my place you are building.

The fifth is the restoration of desolation, the inhabitation of that which was desolate. The birth of community in the broken place, the defeated place, the place of the ruin.

The sixth step is to recognise this is my gift to you. My power on display, my glory on display, my light on display, my purpose on display.

For it is one thing to build, it is another to occupy it.

For this is your kingdom, this is your territory, my gift to you. A palace for my people, with a vibrancy never seen before.

So when you place your hand on your broken self, expect me to restore and rebuild you, just as I have rebuilt your business.

Act like the deliverer, expect me to magnify you, accept yourself, agree with your promotion.

For the one who returns shall be given the finest robe, and possesses all power to deliver, to overcome, to bring freedom, to express the fullness of my desire.