Skyscrapers

My friend Bob Skinner has an extremely knowledgeable eight-year-old grandson, Liam.  He is fascinated with tall buildings, and seems to know everything about the tallest buildings, not only in this country, but the whole world.  He can tell you where the buildings are located and their exact height.  In our Gospel lesson for this weekend, the disciples are impressed with the size and height of the Temple in Jerusalem.  It was the tallest building of its time, being over ten stories high, and, including the courtyard, it covered four and a half football fields.  It would have dwarfed anything in the Holy Land for sure!

How about you?  When you see skyscrapers, are you amazed?  That’s one part of living downtown that I enjoy–-standing on the sidewalk and looking up at the Salesforce Tower at forty-nine floors.  How exciting, for many different reasons, it would be to see the tallest building in the U.S–-One World Trade Center in New York City at ninety-four stories!

“Jesus, however, was not impressed with buildings.  He was, and is, impressed with people of faith who show generosity, compassion, mercy and grace.  It is a reminder of how easy it is to get distracted by the things of this world and ignore the greater gifts.”  Adapted from SundaysandSeasons.com

Prayer:  Gracious God, help us to focus on what is truly important—not the size of buildings, people’s homes, or the size of other church’s attendance.  Help us to focus on you as our greatest example of how to live.   May our actions show compassion and your grace to all we meet and greet.  May we see others as you do, looking at them and loving them no matter who they are.  Amen.

Bob and Liam about 5 years ago.