What was. . . and what was done to it. . .
And what was done to repair the renovation . . .
Wednesday, July 5, 2017
A picture is worth a thousand words. . .
Here is a picture of a chapel as it was once built, of a renovation that modernized the structure, and of the restoration that repaired the destruction of the past. It is an apt illustration of how well-meaning people show how they can misunderstand what happens in the liturgy and turn a decent church into something plain and ordinary. It is also a reminder that what takes place in the divine service is never plain and ordinary but the majesty of heaven glimpsed on earth in the mystery of Christ's presence in His Word and Sacraments.
What was. . . and what was done to it. . .
And what was done to repair the renovation . . .
What was. . . and what was done to it. . .
And what was done to repair the renovation . . .
There is also a dingy trend in contemporary worship that strives to block out all natural light from the worship space so as to make maximum use of stage lighting, quite the opposite of many traditional, historical/ancient cathedrals whose architecture allows sunlight to come streaming in from the east. I lived in Las Vegas during the ‘70s where I attended events in showrooms of various casino hotels on the Strip. Recently, I visited an evangelical church on a weekday and poked my head into the “sanctuary” and immediately thought of the way it reminded me of a Vegas showroom. It was “painted” completely black, walls and ceilings, and had a stage at one end with control booth at the opposite end. And of course there was the impressive array of stage lighting suspended from the ceiling. I could almost picture a Keno board in every corner and a cocktail waitress striding across the floor toward me to take my order. Compare that to Our Savior Lutheran Church in Houston: http://www.osl.cc http://locator.lcms.org/nchurches_frm/c_detail.asp?C431360
ReplyDelete