Church Buildings

How lovely is your dwelling place,
Lord Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints,
for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and my flesh cry out
for the living God. (Psalm 84:1, 2 NIV)

We know that The Church is not a building. It is God's people in the world. But all of those places where The Church gathers has its own importance. Over the years, I've been in a lot of church buildings, from grand cathedrals to tiny one-room chapels. All are beautiful in their own way.

If you have attended the same church for many, many years, you know the very special beauty of your own place of worship. Some areas may hold more beauty to you than to someone else because of a significant life event or a special moment with God.

At Holy Cross, I love going into the sanctuary in the early-to-mid afternoon to see the sun shine through the large, red-stained glass cross behind the altar. It is breathtaking in its beauty. There is also a section along that altar railing that is so special to me. I had some special time with Jesus right there. I also love the baptismal font where I watched my children and so many others become part of The Church.

Every church building is special to someone and even if we have never set foot into it, we can find beauty in each worship space just by looking at the love that went into creating it. Do an image search on Google for churches. You will find so much beauty...some grand, some humble... But all created with love.

Lord,
How beautiful indeed is your dwelling place...every place on earth where your name is praised and your love is shared. Amen.

Joys: church buildings and the people that worship in them;another great day for a hike;all the signs that spring is here