The book of Nehemiah begins with a burden. Nehemiah hears that Jerusalem is broken down, its walls destroyed and its gates burned, the people are scattered, and their homeland is in ruins. In time, he realizes that he has been placed by God for this moment to help Jerusalem and the people return home, and rebuild. It is a difficult road, but he prays, plans, gathers people, faces opposition, confronts problems within the community, and leads the people in rebuilding what had been lost.
Nehemiah is not ultimately a story about a wall. The rebuilding of Jerusalem is just a part of the rebuilding of God's people. The completed wall gives them a place to gather, hear God's Word, worship, celebrate, and recommit themselves to God.
As we prepare for a new home on Madison Street, Nehemiah gives us a framework for thinking about what God may be asking of us. A building can serve the mission of the church, but the building itself is never the mission. God is building a people, and he invites his people to participate together in what he is doing.