Beautiful Churches
I’ve written a few devotions so I don’t think I’ve written about this but if I had, please pretend I did not. My college had a month and a half break between the fall and spring semester. The college would offer a limited number of classes in the month of January which they called the “J term.” Usually, these were more limited, special classes for a credit or two to help people to get extra credits or meet requirements.
In my Junior year, I signed up for a “J term” class titled something like Architecture and Culture in Europe. You could pay to go to Europe under the pretense of examining the architecture and culture of historic Europe. Upon your return, if you wanted the credit, you had to submit something like a 500-page essay. I never intended to write the essay so for me it was a trip to an exotic destination where I might learn something in the process.
We left on December 27th, and it took 3 days before we arrived at our first destination in Natz, Italy, in the Alps very close to Germany. We spent a week there and 2 weeks in Austria at a ski camp, a week with a host family and a little more than a week in another couple of places. I have lots of stories about that trip but I want to focus here on the cathedrals we saw.
To say they are beautiful would be an understatement. As opposed to our country, they have roads and churches that are over 500 years old. The cathedrals were built during the apex of the Catholic Church and all are very ornamentally decorated and adorned. As you might imagine, after the 10th or so beautiful church you visit dampens the amazement. You know, “another beautiful church, great.”
That was universally true until we took a day trip into, at the time, communist East Germany. The bus stopped at the boarder and two military members with automatic weapons walked down the bus aisle to check it out. Our West German driver was replaced by an East German driver and a party chaperone joined our group. I do not remember the city we stopped at to visit the church of Saint Nick. As I got off the bus, it felt as if a Wizard of Oz transition from color to black and white happened. The town was not decorated at all and even the residents all wore very monotone clothing. As we visited the cathedral, we all gasped. In comparison to all the beautiful churches we had seen before then, this one was bland and without any architectural embellishment - no stained-glass windows, no beautiful murals, a very unitary appearance.
“Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.” - Ephesians 5:25-28 ESV
“What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up. If any speak in a tongue, let there be only two or at most three, and each in turn, and let someone interpret. But if there is no one to interpret, let each of them keep silent in church and speak to himself and to God. Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said. If a revelation is made to another sitting there, let the first be silent. For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged, and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets.” - 1 Corinthians 14:26-32
“And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.” - Acts 2:42-47
At that point, I felt that the Saint Nick church had been cheated compared to the others. However, now I believe the building is less important than what is being taught and whether the members were equipped to go out and spread the good news. I think it is highly likely that the Saint Nick church was more alive and beautiful than all the other churches.
