As
we embark on the latest Roosevelt project of updating and doing small
renovations of our house of worship, I am drawn to the notion that places of
worship should reflect God's glory and His beauty. While I understand the practicality
and logistics of meeting in a strip mall or warehouse or school gym or even the
open air, if something is to be built, should it not be the best version of
what we have to offer? Should it not reflect Christ's glory and grandeut? While
some are quick to want to modernize or update, it is important to maintain and
respect something built to be beautiful. All loveliness is His and cannot be
separated from Him. Let's try not to destroy it in our lack of foresight.
Cathedrals are not built in a day.
I was recently in Iceland and saw
small churches dotting the countryside that reflected just this notion. While
they have one central church in the capital that is daunting and brilliant, the
rest of the country is sprinkled with smaller places of worship that were
simple and lovely in their own right. They are not like the impressive and
sometimes overwhelming cathedrals of Western Europe or even the ornate churches
of Russia, but they caused you to stop and notice and reflect on Him. Their
beauty was their own and though they had to be built for the weather in the Land
of of Fire and Ice, the architecture was unique and stood out from the
surrounding houses and residences. Time, thought, and investment were evident,
despite the landscape and funds. It was obvious a house of worship was meant to
be set apart.
I hope we reflect and allow for His
character as we move forward in creating a place of worship that is welcoming and
houses all His people who were made in His Image.
Here are a few Icelandic examples
from my trip this week:
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