Zechariah 2:1-5 – And I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold a man with a measuring line in his hand! Then I said, "Where are you going?" And he said to me, "To measure Jerusalem, to see what is its breadth and what is its length." And behold, the angel who talked with me came forward, and another angel came forward to meet him, and said to him, "Run, say to that young man, Jerusalem shall be inhabited as villages without walls, because of the multitude of men and cattle in it. For I will be to her a wall of fire round about, says the Lord, and I will be the glory within her."

A few years ago a neighbour moved into the house next door and one of the first things he did was to dismantle a pole fence which had been constructed between our properties. To me it felt like an act of neighbourliness, an unspoken gesture which took away a physical item of perceived separation between two neighbours. It reminded me of something I had read about Zechariah's vision that Jerusalem would be rebuilt without walls. In fact it was, and stayed that way for 80 years until Nehemiah did erect fortifications, walls that kept out strangers as well as enemies, and drew a firm line around the people, exclusive, remote. It is a reminder that the same thing can happen to churches, denominations and individuals. The walls we build: is there a balance between openness and security?

Prayer: Heavenly Father, help me to be open and accepting. Deliver me from being judgmental and sceptical. I pray for a Christlike attitude which meets people where they are in whatever need they may have. May I glorify You in being a channel of Your love to others. Amen.

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