Make Time for Devotion
“‘Do you see all these great buildings?’ replied Jesus. ‘Not one stone here will be left on another, everyone will be thrown down.’” (Mark 13:2)
While visiting the city of Berlin, Germany, during a travel seminar while I was attending seminary, I witnessed firsthand the extent of the destruction that devastated the city during World War II. Bombs and gunfire ravaged the city, and more than sixty years later, the damage in some parts of the city remains a freshly healed scar — still tender, still beating with pain and loss.
Not immune to the violence were many of the city’s cathedrals, which like the denizens of Berlin, were victims of wartime atrocities not immune to the sin and depravity of the world. These sanctuaries needed a “sanctuary,” and like millions of others, were turned away.
Jesus reminds us that the biggest buildings — even buildings dedicated to a sacred purpose — are like the human hands who engineered them, mortal, finite and limited in time and space. Even if a monument exists for thousands of years, like the great pyramids of Giza, having been spared by human greed and violence, the elements of wind, fire, heat and the natural cycle of the seasons will slowly tear down what we have built up.
We Christians like to build buildings, dedicating their use and purpose to the Glory of God. The great cathedrals of the world were constructed as places of worship and as an offering of time, talent and beauty. Yet Jesus reminds us that even those buildings are like blades of grass, susceptible to decay. What is infinite, however, is the love and grace of God. Even if the mountains themselves quake and crumble into the sea, God is ever with us! God is greater than the mountains, more glorious than the grandest of temples.
When we put our faith and trust into the church building itself, we are creating an idol, believing in false and finite god. But when we put our faith and trust into the Eternal and Living One, the God who is grander than anything human beings can create, we revel in the “love that will not let us go.” Which would you rather choose?
Do you ever find it difficult to put your faith in trust into the “eternal and living One,” as Meredith describes God, or do you have prayers, rituals, or other ways of trusting the Holy Spirit? Join the forum to share your thoughts on this devotion.
Prayer: Eternal God, whose Word endures forever, we are constantly reminded of our fragile finitude. Help us to remember that Jesus Christ alone is the cornerstone, the sure foundation, and that though all will pass from this world, You are always with us. In the name of the Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer we pray, Amen.
About the Author
Meredith Kemp-Pappan is the administrative assistant for the Office of Church Growth of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). A recent graduate of Austin Seminary, she has an M.Div. and is a candidate for ordained ministry. Meredith is also pursuing a Masters of Art in Spirituality from Bellarmine University. In her “free” time, she enjoys reading, knitting and expanding her culinary expertise.
Book Discussion
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