Assigned Scripture
Ezra 3:1-6
In early autumn,[a] when the Israelites had settled in their towns, all the people assembled in Jerusalem with a unified purpose.2 Then Jeshua son of Jehozadak[b] joined his fellow priests and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel with his family in rebuilding the altar of the God of Israel. They wanted to sacrifice burnt offerings on it, as instructed in the Law of Moses, the man of God. 3 Even though the people were afraid of the local residents, they rebuilt the altar at its old site. Then they began to sacrifice burnt offerings on the altar to the Lord each morning and evening.
4 They celebrated the Festival of Shelters as prescribed in the Law, sacrificing the number of burnt offerings specified for each day of the festival. 5 They also offered the regular burnt offerings and the offerings required for the new moon celebrations and the annual festivals as prescribed by the Lord. The people also gave voluntary offerings to the Lord. 6 Fifteen days before the Festival of Shelters began,[c] the priests had begun to sacrifice burnt offerings to the Lord. This was even before they had started to lay the foundation of the Lord’s Temple.
New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Group Response
Following the weekly gathering, you’re invited to respond to the service by engaging in group discussion.

Soon or later, everything about us – our families, our work, and especially our worship – takes the shape of an altar hidden in the routines of our lives
Discussion Questions
1. Have you ever had an encounter with God that was personal and tangible? Describe it. What were the characteristics of that encounter?
2. Do you have an altar somewhere in your life where you regularly meet with God and/or hear from him? Describe it what are your rituals?
3. Compare and contrast a church that rises from an altar with one that rises from a personality. How is the life that rises from an altered different from a life that rises out of talent or ambition?
4. Pray for one another about specific things in your lives