In September of 1985 my church burnt to the ground...
Illustration
Object:
In September of 1985 my church burnt to the ground. The building was not worth much, as it was a 100-year-old white clapboard structure, though the worth of the building in memories was immeasurable.
The trustees, to their credit, had replacement insurance on the building. On the open market the building could have sold for no more than $50,000. But to replace the several thousand square-foot structure came to $1 million. In rural Pennsylvania, a million dollars could build you a mighty edifice.
We were fortunate to have a college art instructor as an advisor. He spoke of something I never thought of and will long remember -- the building we construct in 1985 will be a testimony of our faith and beliefs in 2085. The building, for over a century, will stand as a testimony to our faith. The idea of an edifice was disbanded, surrendering to a testimony of our simple rural faith.
Saul realized that he was living in a great house, but the art of God had no Temple of its own -- instead it rested in a tent. Saul felt that was only right that an appropriate resting place for the ark be constructed. After a dialogue with the prophet Nathan, it was concluded that the task would be passed on to one of Saul's successors. But it was understood by Saul that the Temple would be a testimony to the faith of Israel.
[The pastor may personalize this illustration by substituting the first person pronoun "I" for "somebody I know told me...." or "There was an incident a friend described to me" or "I read..." Another approach, though I am personally hesitant to do this, is for the pastor to arbitrarily select a name to make the story sound more personal and easier to relate to: "John told me..." or "Mary shared with me this experience...."]
The trustees, to their credit, had replacement insurance on the building. On the open market the building could have sold for no more than $50,000. But to replace the several thousand square-foot structure came to $1 million. In rural Pennsylvania, a million dollars could build you a mighty edifice.
We were fortunate to have a college art instructor as an advisor. He spoke of something I never thought of and will long remember -- the building we construct in 1985 will be a testimony of our faith and beliefs in 2085. The building, for over a century, will stand as a testimony to our faith. The idea of an edifice was disbanded, surrendering to a testimony of our simple rural faith.
Saul realized that he was living in a great house, but the art of God had no Temple of its own -- instead it rested in a tent. Saul felt that was only right that an appropriate resting place for the ark be constructed. After a dialogue with the prophet Nathan, it was concluded that the task would be passed on to one of Saul's successors. But it was understood by Saul that the Temple would be a testimony to the faith of Israel.
[The pastor may personalize this illustration by substituting the first person pronoun "I" for "somebody I know told me...." or "There was an incident a friend described to me" or "I read..." Another approach, though I am personally hesitant to do this, is for the pastor to arbitrarily select a name to make the story sound more personal and easier to relate to: "John told me..." or "Mary shared with me this experience...."]
