The Church of Our Lady of Týn in Prague, where we are now,
has a gothic style and is located in the old city.
Its steeple is more than 80 metres tall.
Being in Europe these past two weeks or so made me think a lot on the power of the old. One reason why Europe is so attractive is because the past is preserved so well in their buildings and architecture and museums and these structures are so huge and so strong, you know they are built to last. Through the years, they have survived the seasons, the wars and the generations.
That brings me to the point here. It seems that a really dangerous temptation of us is the desire to be new and innovative... to discover groundbreaking truth or some new methodology that changes Christianity, and then be able to speak prophetically into the church. I can't tell you how many times I talk to young pastors who, when asked why they are going into the ministry, say, "I want to change this or that about the church."
There is, of course, some level at which this is good. We really do need to rethink the state of the church on a continual basis.
But the need for newness is not the primary need of the hour. The problem is not that most people need a new way of hearing the Gospel, but that most people have never heard it at all. My goal each Sunday is not to give what the people in front of me will perceive as a "new approach" to the Word, but simply to explain the really old Word in as clear and as relevant a