In the ruins

Again I am building on another's foundations. Nothing I have I can call my own. Everything is on loan from heaven, and may heaven give the increase…

I experienced a lot of mixed feelings when I looked at this photo, and I still can’t sort them out.

The first thought that came to mind was that the Christian Church built itself, institutionally and geographically, on top of pagan sanctuaries, in most cases not waiting for them to ‘die’ but, under the Christian emperors, taking matters into their own hands.

Some pagan temples were converted into churches, but many were not: they were simply demolished and churches built, perhaps, out of the resulting raw materials. I wonder what the history of the church in this photograph was. Was it built at the time the pagan sanctuary around it was demolished, or much, much later?

Another thought that came to mind was more of an allegory. Civilisation around it can lie in ruins, but the Church remains.

Now, stepping away for a moment from that allegory and into the real world, what do we see? Is it the Church following Jesus and ‘preaching the good news to the poor’ (Luke 4:18, Isaiah 61:1) that we see? Is it the Church mystically seen by the holy prophets ‘restoring ruined cities’ (Isaiah 61:4) and called ‘repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to dwell in’ (Isaiah 58:12)?

Suburbs where dwell workers who commute daily to the inner city are called ‘dormitory communities’. The workers come to town to work, but after work they sleep.

Something similar has happened to the Church. Its members commute to the worship center, and then return to ordinary life, where they sleep, spiritually.

Who will awaken Jesus in the boat of our souls,
for the sea is very rough?