Haggai, the prophet, was charged with inspiring people to rebuild the temple out of the rubble left from Solomon’s grand temple. Inspiring people is a challenge even when the resources are present and good. But Haggai was inspiring people to take ruins and build something that wasn’t going to match up to their past memories. How did he do it? In Haggai 2:4 he tells them to be strong because God was with them. When we know God is with us we can face the greatest challenges. And that’s the message of Christmas—Emmanuel—God is with us.
