This is my most recent church newsletter article. In due time, I’ll try to add some more pictures of some of the cathedrals and other bright and beautiful things that we saw in Europe. (If this redundant, forgive me. From May 7 until May 21, my parents, my wife, my one-year-old daughter and I all visited my in-laws in Budapest, Hungary. My in-laws, the Gibsons, have lived on the mission field in Budapest for 10 years, since my wife was a college freshman. They counsel other English-speaking missionaries [Budapest is an Eastern European hub for Campus Crusade and at least 4 other missions agencies], so they do not speak Hungarian, but they can order food at local restaurants. Also, while we were there, Liz and I visited Vienna; my parents went to Vienna, too, as well as Prague and Gras. Before I bore you further with itineraries … )
My wife, our daughter and her parents just down the road from St. Stephen’s Cathedral.
On our most recent vacation, my dad made two observations about an old cathedral. First, he said it was very beautiful. Second, he said it was very ornate, and someone probably “wasted a lot of money.” He was joking, a little. And churches of all stripes in all ages have been guilty of wasting money, but he raised an interesting question.
Are beautiful churches a waste of money or not? Should churches be primarily utilitarian? Or should churches be beautiful for God’s sake?
St. Stephen’s Cathedral, in downtown Budapest.
As you think on that, you may (if you’re a Presbyterian) remember that the Westminster Shorter Catechism tells us man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. Should we not also enjoy His creation, as well? Should we not also exercise our dominion over creation in such a way that builds churches (and works of art) that point to the heavens and to the one who is larger than life, greater than self and lasting forever? If the God of Scripture is beautiful (Ps. 27:4), then we should prize things which reflect that beauty (Phil.4:8), and remember to give all glory to the Creator and Source of all beauty (Gen. 1:31; Rom. 11:36).
“I am the way, the truth, and the life.”
– Inscription (in Latin, which my classically-educated wife had to help translate) above the main archway of St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Budapest, Hungary.
I Do Not Run Aimlessly 