In post-Christian and postmodern America, religion is not what it used to be. The glory days of cultural Christianity have long since passed. Christians are no longer the sole dominant force in society. Christians live as one group among many, and their lives are a work in progress. All this sounds a lot like the exiles who returned home to Jerusalem. Their glory days had long since passed. They were no longer the dominant force in the Persian Empire, but they were simply one group among many. What's more, their lives were a work in progress. During the seasons of Lent and Easter, we'll see how Zechariah pointed people to their suffering Messiah, who would be rejected and killed by his own people, but who came to give hope to his people. As we study the book of Zechariah, we'll see how his encouragement to the Israelite exiles still encourages us today, as we live as foreigners who await our real home in heaven.