The Prophet Zechariah was deeply impressed by the rebuilding of the temple as a sign of God's favour towards His peole. He was convinced that the Lord would not only be the true protector of his people but also that a day was coming when many nations would join themselves to the Lord.

We are the people of that new day. When Jesus Christ was delivered into the hands of men and women and underwent death on the cross, He shed His blood for all men of all times and all places. When His life ended a new era began. Now the true faith is not limited to one people or one place. All the nations revere the name of the Lord.

We may be a small number at a gathering but we should never forget that we are joined with a vast number of faithful people throughout the world. Though we never see them all or even know their names, though their languages and customs differ from ours, we are all one through our faith in Christ Jesus. What we hold in common by means of faith is much more profound than any differences of language or culture.

We are never alone. In faith we must lift our minds and hearts to the consoling realization that we are united as one people of God back through the centuries in space and time, up to heaven and back again to the whole earth.