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"So we built the wall. And all the wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work" (Nehemiah 4:6).
As we head into summer, there is a lot to be grateful for at St. Paul’s. But there is also a sense that we are standing right on the edge of something still unfolding.
What has been a hope, a prayer, a noble idea, a set of drawings, meetings, parking inconveniences, sacrifices, and faithful planning is now about to become something far more tangible — a blessed reality. In just a few weeks, children will walk through those doors. Families will gather in those rooms. Ministry will expand in ways we are already beginning to imagine. And the life of this congregation will step into yet another visible expression of what God has been doing here for 177 years.
That is not a small thing. But it is also not a final thing. Even a project like this is a continuation: another brick in the wall God is constructing through His Church. An important, and yet small, part of the much longer story God has been writing among His people.
Throughout this whole construction process, I have often thought about the book of Nehemiah, the only book in the Bible primarily about a construction project. Nehemiah reminds us that even holy building seasons are never without tension.
In Nehemiah 4 (Neh. 4:1–4), the people of Jerusalem are rebuilding the wall while simultaneously navigating criticism, distractions, fear, and discouragement. Some didn’t like what was being built. Others spread discord. Some simply wanted the people to lose heart before the work was complete. Not everyone who spoke into the moment was invested in the work itself. And yet their words still created weight for the workers (Neh. 4:10–11). That is a quiet reality of any shared mission. But Nehemiah does not let the noise become the story. Instead, he keeps bringing the people back to what is true: the people had a mind to work (Neh. 4:15).
Therefore, Nehemiah remains faithful, even under tremendous pressure. He knows the Lord is in control and who he is in the Lord. He sees those proximate to him (Neh. 6:6–9; 6:12–13), and he sees what God is doing among His people. Therefore, no matter the surroundings, he kept on encouraging God’s people in the work.
Not because the work was easy. Not because every voice was invested or supportive. Not because there was no fatigue or tension along the way. But because God had given them something worth building together. Remembering the greatness and awesomeness of the God who has blessed us with so much (Neh. 4:14). That is where we stand as well. We are not stepping into a new building as if the story were starting over. We are stepping into another chapter of a 177-year story of God’s faithfulness at St. Paul’s. And we enter summer carrying something far more important than square footage or freshly laid carpet — we carry Christ.
We carry Christ forward into summer and into this new season. We carry with us Christ in all ways — not just the easy ways, but the costly and faithful ones too. We carry His love and His Word, His call to repentance and His complete forgiveness, His commands and His blessings, His death and His resurrection. We tell the wonders He has done for us; we carry those wonders with us.
As those who carry Christ, I pray you realize this summer is an opportunity for you to look at it as Nehemiah does — to be faithful and to keep building. Even when the work on the building is done, the work God is doing in our hearts keeps going. He keeps building us and forming us into the people of His purpose and His plan. We keep worshiping. We keep serving. We keep trusting that God is still at work among His people, even when frustrations, failures, and fears arise.
Because ultimately, this has never been about bricks alone. It has always been about the Lord who builds His Church.
And He is not finished yet.
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