Good morning. Like many, I was greatly saddened with the news when I heard that one of the world’s great treasures was burning. April 15, 2019, at around 6:20 in the evening, it was reported that a significant fire was burning beneath the roof of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. The ancient structure was many things to many people, but one thing it was not was fireproof. Just the opposite was true. The ancient timbers were vulnerable to any spark, and the fire’s destruction was immediate and massive. The spire collapsed, most of the roof was destroyed, its upper walls were burned, stained glass windows melted, the grand organ was ruined, over 400 metric tons of lead which had covered the roof came crashing down. The damage was incredible, and many of the losses are irreplaceable. This was the definition of a tragedy.
But Notre Dame is being rebuilt. Will it be the same? Of course not. Are they doing the best they can to make it as close to the original as possible? Of course they are.
One day they will proclaim that the reconstruction project is finished. Notre Dame will again be considered magnificent. It will be what many consider the greatest example of a church bringing glory to God.
Around the world there are many different descriptions for what could be considered “a church”. Churches may be cathedrals, or they may be thatched roofs attached to poles in the midst of a jungle. Churches may have beautiful glass windows, spires that touch the sky, seating for thousands, and spaces designated for every kind of mission and ministry imaginable. Or a church may be made of rusted metal sheets for a roof, mud and grass bricks for walls, and windows that have never known glass.
When people walk by any of these churches, or any other of the thousands of differing styles, sizes, and kinds, what might they say?
What a beautiful church!” “Wow! That church is incredible!” “What a pitiful place.”
I look forward to the restoration of Notre Dame. I feel that it is a beautiful symbol, a piece of history, a wonder to behold. But I will try to never be confused about a glorious building and think that it represents a “church”.
1 Timothy 3:14-15 is one of many scriptures which speak to the truth that a “church” is a group of people, not a physical structure: I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth.
The household of God, which is a group of believers, this is the church of the living God, never to be confused with a building.