The Lord of the Mulligan

The greatest invention ever has got to be the mulligan. Right? Do you know what a mulligan is? It is what you do after you take a really bad shot in golf. I mean when you just blow it. You cry out this word and then the shot doesn’t count and you get to take another shot. Now I can’t prove it, but I think I may hold the world record for use of mulligans.

So a mulligan is a redo, it is a second chance. And who doesn’t appreciate a second chance? Can you think of a time or a situation when you got to have a second chance? I remember the first time I took the driving test to get my license from Missouri. Mindy and I had just moved down to attend seminary and didn’t spend a whole lot of time studying for the thing. I failed the test. It was kind of ridiculous too. I said that a speed limit was slower than what it really was, or that an item sticking out of a truck was shorter than what it really was before you put the flag on it. Anyway when I failed the test they gave me a mulligan, a do over, a second chance. I looked up the ones I missed and ten minutes later went up to take the test. They gave me the exact same test, and I passed it perfectly.

While it does not put much confidence in the drivers from Missouri, it does illustrate how great it is to have a second chance. We see in the story of Nehemiah a second chance of sorts for God’s people. Our God is the God who gives second chances. He is the Lord of the Mulligan.

Over the past weeks we have seen Abraham grow into a great nation. God blessed them so that they would be a blessing to others. After they were led out of slavery in Egypt God made another covenant with them. He would be their God and they would be his people. And God would dwell in their midst. They finally enter the Holy Land and then they finally get a king. But the kings did not work out too well.

David was mostly good, but with Solomon things started going south. By the time we get to Solomon’s son Rehoboam, well the kingdom splits and now there are two. Israel in the North and Judah in the South. The people forget the covenant and they forget God. They go after false gods and live more and more like the nations around them. Until finally in 722 B.C. the Assyrians come in and destroy the Northern Kingdom. It falls.

About 134 years later the Babylonians come in and destroy the Southern Kingdom. The temple is destroyed and the walls of the city are knocked down. The rich and powerful and leaders are taken away and relocated within the empire of Babylon. And the questions come hard and fast.

What just happened? How did we get here? Has God given up on us? Are we still his people? Have we blown it? Is it too late? Why haven’t mulligans been invented yet? Well, maybe not that last one. But you get the idea. We know what it is like to ask questions. We find ourselves faced with just the right situation or with circumstances and the questions come hard and fast for us too. They might even sound very similar to the ones that the people in exile were asking.

If there were a worst case scenario that God’s people could have imagined at this point in time, what they found in the exile was even worse than that. And yet, as bad as that was. It was not a completely hopeless situation. In fact, God had not abandoned them or given up on them. And what we eventually see is that God restores them and brings them back. He gives them another chance. He gives them a mulligan.

Around seventy years after the exile. There is a new world power. The Babylonians have been defeated by the Persians. And King Cyrus decrees that the God’s people can return back to their homeland. So they go. Now, fast-forward about another seventy years. The temple has been rebuilt, but the walls around the city have not. A little more than 140 years after the exile they are still feeling its effects. And while restoration has begun, it is still not complete. This is where we meet Nehemiah.

Nehemiah was an aristocratic Jew. He lived in the capital city of Susa, and is serving in the court of the Persian king Artaxerxes. Nehemiah receives a visit from his brother Hanani who reported that the walls of the city still have not been rebuilt and this news causes Nehemiah great anguish. Why would it matter? Why would this be such a big deal?

In those days a city needed a wall in order for it to be safe and secure and protected. Without walls anyone could just go anywhere and cause all kinds of trouble. The wall protected the city and offered security for the residents. For Jerusalem to be fully restored, this wall needs to be built.

So what does Nehemiah do? He prays. Actually he weeps and mourns and fasts and prays. But he approaches the God of heaven and asks for help in this. Nehemiah is pretty far away. In fact, Susa is even further east than Babylon was. So he is in the modern day country of Iran. Not only that but he is not even a Persian. And while he serves in the court of the king, he is pretty much powerless.

So Nehemiah finds himself in a situation where he is very far removed from the problem, where he is really in no position to do anything about it, and what does he do? He prays. I don’t know about you, but I would be tempted to complain and gripe and moan and feel hopeless. I would be tempted to go on and on about how unfair it was. Not Nehemiah. He weeps and mourns. But then he also fasts and prays.

He prays. It can be easy for us to underestimate the power of prayer. But prayer is indeed very powerful. Not because of the prayer itself, but because of the one that we are praying to. As God’s own dearly loved children we can approach him with confidence, just as dearly loved children approach their dearly loved father. So when we pray, when we ask God to have mercy on a situation or for his will to be done, we are not just speaking empty words. But we are putting those situations that we find ourselves faced with and struggling with in the hands of the one who is certainly able to do something about it.

Nehemiah prays. God answers his prayer. Not because Nehemiah stumbled across some magical formula that when it is followed God is compelled to do whatever we ask of him. But Because the things that Nehemiah are praying for are in line with God’s will. They are part of God’s plan to restore his people. This is their second chance. This is their mulligan.

Nehemiah prays and God begins opening doors left and right. Suddenly Nehemiah finds himself as the governor in Judah and the work on the wall begins. They are met with great resistance, but that does not deter Nehemiah. And fifty-two days later the wall is complete. They stand as a reminder to the people that God has not given up on them, that he is faithful to them, that with him there is always a second chance. With God there is always a mulligan.

The story of Nehemiah is an awesome story. It is bigger than a wall and a governor. Because it is really a story about our God and his faithfulness. This God is our God too. And as he is in our midst and among us, he can accomplish great things, even things that seem to be impossible for us. The fact that the walls were rebuilt is nothing short of a miracle. But that is just how amazing our God is. Nothing is too difficult for him. And if you thought the walls were an impressive build, there is an even better thing that God builds. I am talking about the church.

Our God builds the church. Now I am not talking about a building. Challenge yourself this week and see if you can use the word church only in its proper context. We are the church. Jesus is our cornerstone. Because of him, we are the forgiven and restored people of God. We have been given a second chance, a mulligan. When we mess up, when we sin, then we confess our sins, and God hears that confession and for Jesus’ sake will then forgive us our sins. Another chance.

The Holy Spirit builds us up together into a living temple where God dwells. The building of a wall is no big deal for our God. What is even more amazing is this building that is the church. It is built with imperfect people, but people who are forgiven, people who have been joined with Jesus in his death and resurrection. So we are a people who no longer live for ourselves, but Christ lives in us.

When we come together, when we work together, and do our part then there is nothing that we cannot accomplish. Why? Not because of how good we are, but ultimately because it is our God who is working in us and through us and among us. Dream with me and imagine then the impact that this can have on our congregation, our community, our country and our world.

Does it give you goose bumps? It is absolutely awesome. Our God is working in our world, and he allows us to join with him in accomplishing that work. What an awesome privilege this is for you and me.

So then, we take a cue from Nehemiah and we pray. Would you please pray this week for the ministry of this congregation? We are approaching that time of year where we plan and budget and all that other kind of fun stuff for the upcoming year. So please pray. Pray that God would lead us and guide us. That we would have eyes to see what he wants us to see, and courage to follow where he is leading us, so that the work we do would allow us to be strengthened in our faith and life with our Savior, Jesus, and so that others would come to know that too. Amen.