Things Built by Man May Crumble

Things built by man may crumble, but God’s life-giving presence persists

“We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, not made with hands.” Mark 14:58

Experiencing the spirit of ruined ancient churches and abbeys is one of the bittersweet adventures of exploring Great Britain. The ruins are just that… ruins. But, they are still impressive. In spite of the wreckage, the commitment of the builders to do their best to reflect the beautiful nature of God is apparent. Their desire to build something of permanence and beauty to honor God in Christ is clear. But, as with all things human, the lack of permanence of things temporal is evident.

So often, the ruins host sharp contrasts. There is the despair of collapsed and weathered stone, soaring arches that no longer support a roof, massive empty window frames, and bowed stairways. In contrast, God’s handiwork flourishes. Beautiful oases of flowers take root within the cracks of massive ruined blocks of stone. Grass carpets the floors upon which worshippers no longer walk. Amidst the ruins, God’s life-signs spring forth witnessing to the contrasts of resurrection versus death, eternal versus fleeting.

Would the builders of those ancient places of worship lament if they were to see the state of their creations? Perhaps for a bit. But they would quickly see how their once beautiful structures foster life in unforeseen ways. Or did they foresee?

The intent of the churchmen was not to build massive planters. Their mission was to witness to the glory of God in Christ, and to the promise bestowed in His resurrection. That mission has survived. The ruins are visited by multitudes of people each year. For many of those people, the visit is inspirational. The ruins, while no longer used for worship, stand as a proclamation. And they witness to substantially more people than they originally served.

The work God has in store for each of us is a great mystery. We may toil and toil, thinking that the toil is in vain, seeing no remarkable results for our efforts. But for how many generations hence will even the smallest act, perhaps something as simple as a kind word offered to a suffering soul, have an impact?

Our congregations are not about the buildings, but rather how the buildings are used. We will never see the full results of our ministries. They will have unforeseen results to the Glory of God in Christ. Our work carried out faithfully through our congregations in response to our commitment to Christ in our Baptism is of eternal value.