This week we start into the last of the historical books - Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther.  Ezra begins the account of what happened to God's people when they returned from exile.  There are lots of reasons for optimism before you start reading.  Perhaps the people have learned their lesson.  Have they? Perhaps given a fresh start, they will remain faithful to God. Will they?  The first order of business is rebuilding the temple so God can once again take up residence there and be worshiped there.  Read to find out how things went.

Be sure to check out the blog for the guiding questions as you read and for the opportunity to interact with each other.  We enter our rhythm of LEARN-READ-INTERACT.

From How to Read the Bible through the Jesus Lens, Michael Williams makes these points about Ezra:

Phrase: Temple Restoration
Theme: God brings the exiles back to Jerusalem and directs that his temple be rebuilt.
Christ-Focus: Through Christ, God is building a living temple (Ephesians 2:19-22).
Implications: Let us join God's construction crew (1 Corinthians 3:10-17).
Questions: What are you building with your life? What kind of life does this building demand?

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