Under construction

It is not the beauty of a building you should look at; it’s the construction of the foundation that will stand the test of time.
–David Allen Coe


A few weeks ago, I had been at the labyrinth at University Hospitals and was walking back towards the Church in the Circle, deep in thought. I paused, and really looked at the Holy Oilcan.

Our landmark steeple is currently covered in scaffolding. Workers busily moved up and down, behind and around, shoring up broken places, restoring wholeness to this place we call home. It’s important work, repairing our cathedral.

What’s even more important is what’s going inside UCUMC—and I don’t mean the renovation of our chancel. Our building is magnificent, and the restoration and renovation will makes us better able to truly say all are welcome, all the time. But it’s the tireless, never-ending work of the Holy Spirit happening in our hearts that truly takes my breath away.

Every Sunday, our hearts are drawn back here. Every Sunday, God is waiting. And every Sunday, we each have a choice: We can come to worship, greet one another and leave relatively unchanged; or we can try harder, making ourselves more available to the work of the Spirit. Join a class or small group. Help with the coffee hour or Neighborhood Lunch. Do more. Become more. And then—take the “new you” back into the world, and be the change you want to see in the world. It all begins with you. (This week: a look at some biblical “construction projects,” as found in The Message. I encourage you to explore beyond the cited verses.)


Monday “This is the story of Noah: Noah was a good man, a man of integrity in his community. Noah walked with God. . . . God said to Noah, ‘It’s all over. It’s the end of the human race. The violence is everywhere; I’m making a clean sweep.’” Genesis 6:9-13

Tuesday “At one time, the whole earth spoke the same language. . . . Then they said, ‘Come, let’s build ourselves a city and a tower that reaches to heaven.’” Genesis 11:1-9

Wednesday “[Ezra said,] ‘Blessed be God, the God of Our Fathers, who put it in the mind of the king to beautify the Temple of Jerusalem. . . . My God was on my side and I was ready to go. And I organized all the leaders of Israel to go with me.’” Ezra 7:27-28

Thursday “God spoke to Joshua, ‘Look sharp now. . . . Here’s what you are to do: March around the city, all your soldiers. . . . Repeat this for six days. . . . On the seventh day . . . the city wall will collapse at once.’” Joshua 6:1-5

Friday “They were trying to intimidate us into quitting. They thought, ‘They’ll give up; they’ll never finish it.’ I prayed, ‘Give me strength.’” Nehemiah 6:8-9

Saturday “The farm of a certain rich man produced a terrific crop. He talked to himself: ‘What can I do? My barn isn’t big enough for this harvest. . . . I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones.’” Luke 12:16-18

Sunday “Jesus found the Temple teeming with people selling cattle and sheep and doves. . . . Jesus put together a whip out of strips of leather and chased them out of the Temple.” John 2:14-15


A human being is a being who is constantly “under construction,” but also, in a parallel fashion, always in a state of constant deconstruction. –Jose Saramago

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