Tenth Avenue North - CathedralsSample

Cathedrals

God's Spirit no longer dwells in buildings made by man.
He lives in us.
We are His cathedrals.

"Imagine yourself as a living house.
God comes in to rebuild that house.
At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing.
He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof;
you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised.
Presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts
abominably and does not seem to make sense.
What on earth is He up to?
The explanation…He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of-
a new wing, an extra floor, making courtyards…
You thought you were being made into a little cottage:
but He is building a palace.
He intends to come and live in it Himself."
-C.S. Lewis

When I think of myself as a palace of God's presence,
it changes the way I look at a lot of things.
It changes my view on life.
It changes my view on calling.
It changes my view on sin.

I realize I think of sin in a way God never meant me to.
Like Adam and Eve,
I think of it as stuff I want to do, but am not allowed.
As if God were the ultimate kill-joy.
But that is not what Jesus says.
He says, “the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy,
but I have come to give you life,
and life to the full!" (John 10:10)

FULL!

When I realize I'm a cathedral of his Spirit,
I think less about not doing bad things,
and more on how to enjoy God more.
Fill the space. Let it overflow.
Let joy take temptation's place.

Also, in those great cathedrals of old,
people on the run would cry out for refuge!
"SANCTUARY!" They would scream.
They would hide away in their time
of greatest need within the cathedral’s walls.
Oh could it be that way with us!?!?

My heart swells at the thought of God's people
basking in this two-fold glory He's bestowed on us.
As His cathedrals,
we are invited to commune with Him with immeasurable joy,
and to become a place of refuge for sinners.
We have been redeemed to be a sanctuary of His Spirit,
and a safe place for all.