This is my church.
I love this place.
I love it when it is full of people.
I love it when I’m there all alone.
I think everyone should sit in an empty sanctuary once in a while.
This is the view from my pew. Third row from the front, right side.
There was a bit of a mishap a couple of weeks ago when the Christmas decorations were being taken down and put away.
Do you see it?
Let me zoom in a little more for you.
Steve, who obviously is not afraid of heights, was up on top of the canopy pulling the garland and big wreath over the ledge to store until next Christmas, when his foot went through the roof. I’m happy to report that Steve is okay.
That perforation in the plaster has become very dear to me this week. I have been reading about the four men who brought their paralyzed friend to Jesus on a stretcher (Luke 5:17-26). They couldn’t get through the front door because of the crowd, so they hauled their friend up onto the roof, dug a hole through the tiles and lowered the stretcher right in front of Jesus.
This raises several questions:
- What did Jesus think when His teaching was interrupted with debris falling from the ceiling?
- Who swept up the dust and fixed the gaping hole?
- How did the owner of the house feel about the new skylight?
Some better questions:
- As one of the four friends, would I have had the persistence to climb up on somebody’s roof and bust out a hole? Or would I have said, “Sorry, buddy, it’s too crowded. We’ll have to come back another time”?
- As the paralytic on the stretcher, would I have put myself in the hands of four of my friends and let them carry out this cockamamie scheme?
- As the owner of the house, would I have been so upset about the hole in my roof that I would have missed the miracle?
Some even better questions:
- Do I know anyone paralyzed by fear or sorrow or guilt who needs to be carried to The Healer?
- Do I have enough faith to go to unusual lengths (or heights) for the sake of a lost friend?
- Would I break through a wall to get somebody to Jesus?
I hope the trustees don’t fix that hole anytime soon.
From the third pew on the right, it is a beautiful reminder that sometimes,
faith goes through the roof.
a small drop of ink 
I love this! Thanks Dinah.
Your insights are always so spot-on! A few thoughts from my notes:
– It seems that a good portion of the crowd were religious leaders from many areas of the country. No doubt some them were blocking the way to Jesus. Who and what are the “Pharisees” in my life that are blocking my way? Do I get so caught up in the rules and laws and traditions of living that I miss the miracles at hand?
– Who has carried me? Whom do I need to carry?
– How persistent am I to learn and grow in faith? Do I give up if there’s too much in the way?
– Jesus forgave the sins of the paralytic AND he healed him. It is difficult for us to “see” forgiveness of sins…we must accept on faith. But healing a paralytic is visible, more tangible. Sometimes it takes a visible miracle to help us see a more powerful “invisible” miracle. Jesus has the authority to do both.
– How many of us immediately follow, with no questions asked, when Jesus speaks in our lives?
So many good insights. It would be so fun to sit down and compare notes!