Our church has a new kitchen!  The old kitchen had served us well for over thirty years. Even though the apricot-coloured laminate was still in good condition, there was a mishmash of storage and the island bench made from chipboard was disintegrating.  The new fit-out has brought our kitchen into the 21^st century with state-of-the-art appliances, vast expanses of easy-to-clean stainless steel, and self-closing drawer upon self-closing drawer for storage.  It’s beautiful! 

My husband and I serve on the kitchen roster every fourth Sunday of the month and as I drop teaspoons into their new home in the cutlery drawer I am reminded of an elderly lady named Irene.  In the days when our church was nomadic traveling from rented hall to rented hall, Irene began buying teaspoons.  ‘These teaspoons are for our own church kitchen,’ she’d say.  ‘We need our own church home.’  At the time the leadership had no intention of building a church (and how it came about is a testimony for another time) but Irene was definite.  Every shopping day she’d buy another teaspoon for the future kitchen.      

            ‘Then the heads of the fathers’ households of Judah and Benjamin

            and the priests and the Levites rose up, everyone whose spirit God

            had stirred up to rebuild the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem.’

                                                                                                Ezra 1:5

My daily devotional led me to the book of Ezra.  Ezra, a direct descendant of Aaron, led a group of Jews back to Jerusalem.  God stirred up the spirit of some of the people.  My commentary says, ‘They were a spirit-stirred minority’.  I couldn’t help but think of Irene and her teaspoons.  At the time she was the only one talking about our church needing its own home.  God had stirred up her spirit, and she was acting in faith with every teaspoon purchase. 

What is God stirring up your spirit about?  If you’re reading this blog it’s probably to do with ministry to children.  Whatever the project, you might have to start small like Irene buying those teaspoons but when God directly influences your heart about something you cannot remain indifferent.  What has been prophesied over your life? 

The rebuilding of the temple unified God’s people, they laid the foundation, sang praises to God, and shouted a great shout.  The old men wept.  Irene never lived to see the church building.  I wonder what she would have done.  The teaspoons were used at the luncheon after the dedication service and are still being used today.  Even if you are a spirit-stirred minority begin the work today.  What will be your ‘teaspoon’?