“Moreover Jehoiada the son of Paseah and Meshullam the son of Besodeiah repaired the Old Gate; they laid its beams and hung its doors, with its bolts and bars. 7 And next to them Melatiah the Gibeonite, Jadon the Meronothite, the men of Gibeon and Mizpah, repaired the residence of the governor of the region beyond the River. 8 Next to him Uzziel the son of Harhaiah, one of the goldsmiths, made repairs. Also next to him Hananiah, one of the perfumers, made repairs; and they fortified Jerusalem as far as the Broad Wall. 9 And next to them Rephaiah the son of Hur, leader of half the district of Jerusalem, made repairs.” Nehemiah 3:6-9 NKJV
“But it so happened, when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, that he was furious and very indignant, and mocked the Jews. 2 And he spoke before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they fortify themselves? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they complete it in a day?”” Nehemiah 4:1-2
“There were also those who said, “We have borrowed money for the king’s tax on our lands and vineyards. 5 Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, our children as their children; and indeed we are forcing our sons and our daughters to be slaves, and some of our daughters have been brought into slavery. It is not in our power to redeem them, for other men have our lands and vineyards.” Nehemiah 5:4-5
God who made man,
Here Lord God we see the best of man and the worst. The best – team work. They set about rebuilding the walls united in determination. It had to be team work to match up the wall and build the joining bits together. They realised they had a common enemy who now resorted to mocking. Mocking hurts and there was threat of attack! Fear and anxiety are strong weapons. But together they encouraged each other to be strong. As we read later, they took turns at guard duty (Nehemiah 4:16-17).
But there was a hidden dark side to this team. They were extorting each other as there was a famine and some had no recourse to food while building the city wall. So Nehemiah had to remind them they were all on the same side and should not be taking advantage of each other. And they listen and responded, and put it right. Teamwork is not always easy.
You say the same to us today: “Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.” (Philippians 2:1-4). Help us and our church practice this . . .
In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
Worship Sunday 20th September 2026
I was tempted to have ‘For I’m building a people of power’ here. But the worship below reminds me who I want to be like and please. Jesus my Lord. And who forgives us when we don’t always get it right. And who it is humbles us when we don’t naturally agree or get on with everyone . . .
All the room was hushed and still
And when the bowl was filled
He stooped to wash their feet
And when it was complete, he said
This is what I’m asking you to do
This is why I’m kneeling here beside you
This is what I want my church to be
This is what I want the world to see
Who it is you follow
Love each other, One another
Love each other
In the way that I have loved you
Walk together, And whatever comes
Love each other
In the way that I have loved you
Let the room be hushed and still
Let us go to where he kneels
And join him as he serves
And learn his ways of love
Chorus
Lyrics: Graham Kendrick © 2009 Make Way Music