If one wants to enclose space, inflating a balloon is a quick and easy way. But, the space is fragile and is difficult to access. One pin prick and the space is history. And, getting to the space enclosed presents a challenge. Tents are a bit more stable and much more accessible. A tent will provide protection from the elements if winds are not too strong and the shelter is pitched on high enough ground.
Cathedrals, on the other hand, are far more permanent. The main body of The Cathedral of Saint Mary in Salisbury, England was completed in only 38 years, from 1220 to 1258, and still stands. The clock in the spire, the tallest church steeple in England, dates to about AD 1386 is supposedly the oldest working modern clock in the world. Thirty-eight years doesn’t seem so long when one considers that the cathedral remains in use almost 800 years later!
A much newer church building, Philadelphia’s Highway Tabernacle, was built by the Fifth Baptist Church in the mid 1850's and remains in use. A cursory glance at the workmanship informs one that the place was not quickly built. And, Solomon’s Temple took seven years to build and required 30,000 laborers working in shifts!
When it comes to spiritual formation, we must commit to more than 75 minutes a week on Sunday morning. To be formed by the Holy Spirit, one must learn to wait and to listen. The truths of the Holy Spirit ought to be allowed to ferment in the human spirit over time. The ornaments in Solomon’s Temple and the handiwork of the far more modest pre-Civil War Highway Tabernacle were shaped by skilled hands over months and years. The corrective shaping of human lives twisted into grotesque forms by willful sin and evil pressures in every nook and cranny of the world, requires time. To become the habitation of God worthy of His Name deserves and requires uninterrupted quality time.
Charles Wesley’s spiritual formation began at his mother’s knee when he was a boy. He wrote the lyrics of songs sung 250 years later. Deemed so important in English culture, Wesley’s hymn, "Love Divine All Loves Excelling," was sung by the congregation in attendance at Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding in 2010. The truths are Wesley’s lyrics are of cathedral stature and permanence.
Joy of heaven to earth come down,
fix in us Thy humble dwelling,
all Thy faithful mercies crown.
Jesus, Thou art all compassion,
pure, unbounded love Thou art;
visit us with Thy salvation,
enter every trembling heart.
Breathe, O breathe thy loving Spirit
into every troubled breast;
let us all in Thee inherit,
let us find the promised rest.
Take away the love of sinning,
Alpha and Omega be;
end of faith, as its beginning,
set our hearts at liberty.
Come, almighty to deliver,
let us all Thy life receive;
suddenly return, and never,
nevermore Thy temples leave.
Thee we would be always blessing,
serve thee as Thy hosts above,
pray and praise Thee without ceasing,
glory in Thy perfect love.
Finish then Thy new creation,
pure and spotless let us be;
let us see Thy great salvation
perfectly restored in thee:
changed from glory into glory,
till in heaven we take our place,
till we cast our crowns before thee,
lost in wonder, love, and praise.
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