‘Keep awake,’ said Jesus. These are the closing words of that extraordinary chapter 13 of Mark’s Gospel. We might interpret his advice as ‘Expect the unexpected.’ The discourse came as the result of a sightseer’s admiration of the beautiful construction of the Temple. As it happened, he was one of Jesus’s disciples. His reaction was much as we might expect of a visitor to the Taj Mahal or Westminster Abbey. He was overcome, intimidated by the magnificence of a building dedicated to the glory of God.
Great buildings have a belittling effect on us mortals. This is as it should be. A cathedral church (i.e. a church with a bishop’s chair) or a great building designed with imagination invites us to consider the distance between us and our Creator. It engenders humility, a sense of creatureliness. It is at the same time subject to the changes and chances of events just as we are. A ruin like Tintern or Jedburgh compels us to think not only of the majesty and permanence of our Creator but also of a vulnerable incarnation of that Creator. He made himself one of us, tiny, limited, temporary. He acquired a human name, Jesus, meaning ‘God saves’.
And Jesus said: ‘Keep awake.’ We have to remember, as H.F. Lyte put it in the familiar hymn: ‘Swift to its close ebbs out life’s little day’. As it ebbs, we become perhaps more inclined to contemplate the meaning of it all. We know that impressive landmarks may have their day. Time is short and we must make the best use of it. Better to be awake to possibilities than to emulate the ostrich. The equally well known hymn by Watts ‘O God, our help in ages past’ stands alongside ‘Abide with me’ in its contrast between our brief life and the unchanging nature of God. We should not allow ourselves to become slumbering prisoners of inherited assumptions about power, privilege, class, race, identity. We can introduce others to great buildings and -- more important – to what inspired them. We can only do that if we keep awake.
It was a view of a handsome building that sparked this conversation between Jesus and his disciples. Handsome buildings can have that effect. We do well to take notice of them – and to remember that they too, like us, are here today and gone tomorrow.
HIS FINEST CHURCH
One neo-gothic church after another was constructed in the 19th century. Prominent among the church architects was Gilbert Scott. He considered All Souls’, Halifax to be his finest church. Completed in 1859, it had a 236 ft spire. It was made redundant in 1979.
MOBILE BOOKSHOP
St Peter’s church, Monkseaton, Tyne and Wear is at present without a Vicar. A new incumbent is expected in the autumn. The church operates a mobile bookshop with a booklist of 2000 titles. Books can be delivered. All books are priced at 50p, with children’s books at 10p.
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