The House and Its Builder
A new sanctuary in Oklahoma, carved to tell the Bible’s story, raises an old question about who does the building.
Trinity Presbyterian in Owasso, Oklahoma, a congregation in the Presbyterian Church in America, has its own building at last. Since it was established in 2011, the church met in many locations. Now it has arches and carved hammerbeams. A hammerbeam is a horizontal timber that helps carry a roof. Here the carvings tell the story of the Bible, so the structure itself becomes something to read.
A building that preaches is a fine thing. It is also a tempting thing, because it is easy to admire the work of our hands and forget whose work it serves.
For today’s study, read Psalm 127. The opening line sets the terms: “Unless the LORD builds the house, the builders labor in vain.”
Sit with that word, vain. The psalm does not forbid building. It orders it. Skill, stone and craft are good; they are simply not first. Ask of your own week what Trinity’s carvings ask of a passer-by: whose story is this house telling, and who is holding up the roof?
Then give thanks, and get back to the labor—now rightly placed.
Sources
- Goodbye, ‘Sam’s Club’ Megachurch. Hello, Stained Glass. — Christianity Today
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