Zechariah 4:1-10; Revelation 21:1-14
‘Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, says the LORD of hosts’
Visitors to Durham Cathedral often stand and look up in quiet amazement. Stone upon stone, arch upon arch—rising to a height and scale that must once have seemed almost unimaginable. And one of the questions they ask is this: how did they ever begin?
Because in 1093, when the builders dismantled the much smaller Saxon church and set out to build what we now see, they did not have the finished structure before them. They had no certainty of success, no guarantee of resources, no clear sense of how long it would take. Only a calling—and the courage to begin.
The people in the time of the prophet Zechariah knew something of that same feeling. Returned from exile in Babylon, they stood before the ruins of the Temple in Jerusalem. The foundations had been laid—but the work had stalled. The task ahead was daunting, the resources limited, the future uncertain. And into that moment comes not a rebuke, but a promise.
For the word that the Lord speaks through Zechariah is not one of complaint or challenge, but rather encouragement and support. The vision in today’s passage includes a picture of lamps kept alight by oil from the olive trees which stand by them. A vision of the Lord’s provision for his people – when it comes to rebuilding the Temple, the Lord will give his people all they need.
‘Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, says the LORD of hosts’
Not by human strength. Not by organisational brilliance. Not by sheer determination.
But by the ongoing, sustaining, faithful work of God.
Today here in the Cathedral we have in mind two projects where this encouragement also might be usefully heard. Today Jane Maycock is being installed as Canon Missioner at Durham Cathedral. In the words from the beginning of the orders of service: ‘Inspired by our saints, Cuthbert and Bede, the mission of Durham Cathedral is to offer everybody the opportunity to encounter God and know God’s love in Jesus Christ.’ Now that mission is not just Jane’s responsibility – she will be pleased to hear! It is a mission we share across the whole Cathedral. But within the priorities Vision 2033 of Encountering God: Pilgrimage, Prayer and Proclamation, Jane will have oversight for that priority of Proclamation, through evangelism and discipleship, public-square engagement and social action partnerships.
Now that is no small task, and it would be easy to feel a little daunted.
But the message from Zechariah is to focus not on our resources for the task but to seek such resources from God. Not try harder. Not be more capable. But rely more deeply on the Spirit of God. And here, the Cathedral’s daily rhythm of prayer is not an optional extra; it is the well from which everything else must flow. Inspired by our monastic tradition, morning by morning, evening by evening, we place ourselves again in God’s presence—not because we have time to spare, but because without that dependence, we have nothing to offer.
A similar note might be struck with the second project in our hearts today, the Lesotho-Durham Link, whose 40th anniversary we are marking. This has been a very special relationship, and today we thank God for all that has been achieved in terms of sharing in God’s mission and seeing young lives in particular touched with the love of God. But as many here will know, what has sustained this link is not simply activity, but relationship—and not simply relationship, but shared faith. Time and again, those who have travelled to Lesotho speak not first of what has been given, but of what has been received: a depth of trust in God, a resilience in faith, a generosity of spirit that challenges and renews. This has never been a project driven simply by human initiative. It has been, at its heart, a shared participation in the life and mission of God.
‘Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, says the LORD of hosts’
And then, perhaps, we are invited to widen our vision still further. In the Book of Revelation, we are given that extraordinary picture: a new heaven and a new earth. A world in which death and mourning and crying and pain are no more. It is a vision so vast, so far-reaching, so different to what we see around us in the world today, that it can feel almost beyond our imagining. And we might well ask: how could such a future ever come to be? The answer, of course, is that it cannot—by us. The one seated on the throne says: “See, I am making all things new.” Not you are making, but I am making.
The fulfilment of all things is not the result of human effort brought to its highest point. It is the gift of God’s renewing power, bringing to completion what he has begun. And so, whether we are thinking of a great cathedral, or a new ministry, or a partnership across continents, or even the renewal of the whole creation, the truth remains the same: We are not called to accomplish these things in our own strength. We are called to participate—faithfully, prayerfully, dependently—in what God himself is doing.
Be it in Lesotho, across our Diocese under our new Bishop, Rick, within and from our Cathedral, we thank God for our partnership in our shared mission. But not only that, today we also thank God for our shared dependence, not on our own resources but on the strength, power and spirit which the Lord so graciously gives. So today, as we pray for Jane, give thanks for the Lesotho link, and look towards the future to which God is calling us, we do so with confidence—not in ourselves, but in him. For the work before us may be great. But the promise is greater still.
‘Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, says the LORD of hosts’
Amen.