“I laid a foundation as a wise builder …
If anyone builds on this foundation … his work will be shown for what it is …” excerpts
from 1 Cor. 3
Anyone walking around Trinity Church in Jeffers (Montana)
today will think they are in the middle of a war zone. The place is a shambles.
The front steps and wheelchair ramp have been demolished and removed. The steps
to the parish hall are gone. The Sacristy has been gutted, and dirt, dust, and
debris are everywhere. The furnace has been pulled up out of the crawl-space
and Jesus has been found.
No, really … Jesus has been found! Contractors found a five
foot tall wooden carving of a Sacred Heart Jesus. He could use a bit of a
cleaning, but is otherwise in fine shape. He was located in a space that was
inaccessible until after the floor had been removed in a small add-on
connecting the church with the parish hall.
What on earth was the statue doing there? Who put it there,
and why?
I have lots of questions, but the “find” is exciting. Since
the hall was dragged over to its current location from a nearby ranch in the
1950s, we know we don’t have a relic dating back to ancient times, so we are
unlikely to find many Indiana Joneses making a pilgrimage to Jeffers. That’s
too bad. Their brain-trust would be helpful.
I learned, talking to one of our locals that the statue used
to sit in a corner of the church building, greeting people who came to worship.
Apparently the day came when he no longer needed to be there (in the minds of
some), and so he was taken away. He once was lost, but now is found … Hey, that
would make for a wonderful song!
Now, I know that a statue is an “it” and not a “he”, but
Jesus was a teacher – a rabbi – and I believe He continues to teach us, if only
we would look and listen.
Since our renovations will take months to complete, we will
have time to consider what to do with Jesus. The real question in the meantime,
of course, is what will Jesus(!) do with us (WWJDWU – I wonder if that would
sell well as a bracelet)?
It seems like my life is constantly under renovation. Try as
I might to stay ahead, there are things that always need fixing. There is
always dirt and debris that needs to be picked up from the things I do, and
there is always the stuff that falls apart because I haven’t been taking care
of them the way I ought to have! Oi vei!
But what joy there is in finding a treasure beneath the
floorboards. That, in itself, has made the journey a wonder – and we’ve only
just begun!
How about with life? I wonder if the fear we have of digging
into our souls – the fear of finding scary things (like spiders and cobwebs –
and there are plenty of those, I’ll tell you!) doesn’t diminish the very real
possibility we will find, instead, treasure – a pearl of great price?
What if, by digging down deep, we discover, not a monster,
but a source of peace and blessing? It reminds me of the old song (One Tin
Soldier) where the valley people make war on the mountain people to steal their
treasure, only to discover that which was hidden was nothing more than a sign:
“’Peace on earth’ – was all it said.”
I look at the Sacred Heart of Jesus statue, and he seems to
be at peace. He holds up his hand in a sign of blessing, and suddenly I am,
myself, at peace, and I like that feeling.
A statue does not bless, of course. A piece of wood does not
actually bless, but it is a blessing. I believe God works through all of
creation, including those odd bits of stuff we run across every now and then.
When we see what we have in front of us, and take a moment to ponder, think, or
ruminate on the person, place, thing, or situation, we have an opportunity to
receive a blessing.
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