The Cathedral

A ragging battle goes on everyday for our souls, but our works here on earth does not decide the outcome, the battle is won by what we do in our hearts.

For just a moment, imagine yourself in a magnificent cathedral, one with high ceilings supported by huge marble columns running down each side of the great hall toward the altar. Beautiful stained glass windows surround the altar and along the walls of the magnificent hall. The silver pipes of a great pipe organ stand beneath the stained glass window behind the altar, as though the pipes where great columns holding up the colorful window above the altar. The walls and altar glitters with gold and silver, the benches are carved from beautiful mahogany wood with soft red velvet seats cushions, and the floor is covered with a royal red carpet.

Now lets imagine that same great cathedral in the middle of the night, in total darkness. You can't see your hand in front of your face. You know the great organ and columns are still there, but we cannot see them. The great hall is cold, without form or warmth. Not a sound can be heard in the coldness of the night. Then a glimmer of the first morning sunlight begins to make the stained glass windows glow above the altar, and the shadows start to dance across the great hall. The empty wooden benches look lonely and without warmth as they face the altar. Then the first ray of sunlight cuts through the darkness like the blade of a golden sword, glittering and dancing as it shines through the beautiful stained glass windows. The cathedral is coming to life.

Then the first human enters the great hall, and the cathedral seems to come even more alive. The darkness and silence seems to vanish, as though they had never been there. Soon others enter, and take their places in the great hall. Then the beautiful organ begins to plays, announcing the coming of the master of the cathedral. We see the multitudes singing, and the walls seem to come alive with the sounds of the music. The cathedral is filled with warmth, and love, its dark coldness has been pushed aside.

But soon the service is over, the doors close as the last person leaves, and the night falls upon the great cathedral once again. This is the way it is with things made by the hands of men, they have no lasting value, and their beauty is swallowed up by the darkness. We get caught up in the beauty of the moment, but that moment quickly fades into the darkness of the night, as we are left hoping for another morning.

So what is it all about, why do we try to push the darkness away, just to have it return when we leave the great cathedrals? Our search for God is much like the light entering a great cathedral, but how do we make it stay? Brothers and sisters, if you're looking for God in a great beautiful building made by man you're looking in the wrong place. If you're looking for God in a certain ritual, or group of people, you're looking in the wrong place. Human hands do not make the beautiful cathedral of God, and nothing made by man can contain the God of the entire universe, nor will it have any lasting value. As with Solomon's temple, not one stone made by man will be left standing.

There is however a great cathedral where the light of God is always present and He stands before us in all of His glory, but can we see Him? The cathedral of the almighty God is not in an insignificant building, but is only found in the hearts and souls of His children. We come into this world with a cathedral filled with shinning hope, but then the darkness of human desires closes in on us, and blinds us to the beauty of the loving God who never leaves the cathedral of our heart. Although we may not always see God standing there in our darkness, He is always there begging us to come back into His loving light. He knows our every thought and desire, He sees the sadness and joy within our hearts, and He understands.

When we open our hearts windows to the light of God, His love and warmth rushes in to fill every corner of our heart's cathedral, and chase's the man made darkness away. When our heart's cathedrals are opened to God, we are filled with His joy, because we see the Master of the cathedral standing there upon His throne, and the entire universe sings His praises. The insignificant walls made by man no longer limit our sight, but we see God's beauty shinning beyond the ends of the universe. A heart filled with God's love will never again return to the darkness of mankind, because we now see the uselessness of manmade walls.

So you see, we don't have to go to a building to find God, He has brought His magnificent cathedral to us. The heart's cathedral is always with us, every minute of the day and night, we are never again alone. No matter how often the world tries to break the windows and tear down the doors of our heart's cathedral, the light never leaves us, even if all the walls are torn away. In the heart of a child of God, the love for God, and the love for our brothers and sisters burns with an unquenchable flame.

Our battle for eternal life is not fought in the streets and houses made by man; it is fought in the halls of our heart's cathedral. It is not important what we do; it is whom we love that leads us out of the darkness into God's eternal light. In our heart's cathedral, God sees our every thought and desire, and there is no place to hide. In the hour of our judgment, it is what we did in our hearts that justify us before the Master; it is our soul, which will go on forever, not our human shell.

We must be born again, not of human flesh, but of a spirit filled love for God. Love God in His cathedral of your heart, and you will have no problem loving man in his cathedrals made by hands.

God bless you, and I pray you open the doors to your heart, Jesus is there knocking at this very moment.