Building or Being a Remarkable Church?

While the girls were shopping on Fifth Ave. during our recent trip to NYC, I was standing outside watching the traffic on the street and the sidewalk. H&M was one of the clothing stores on Bailey’s radar that she just had to visit. There were several H&M stores in the area. We chose the one across the street from St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

St. Patrick’s is an incredible building. There’s no doubt why it is a must see for tourists. It is an architectural and historical monument and the largest Gothic Catholic Cathedral in the US. (See photo taken w/ my trusty cellphone. Apologies to Mike Adams.)

An Asian man stopped in front of me to take some photos of the church. I wondered what he was thinking. Of course, he was in awe of the beauty of the structure itself. While watching him snap pictures, it dawned on me that if I were a tourist in Asia witnessing grand Buddhist or Hindu temples, I would be awe-struck with the mastery of the building but deep down I would think, “What a waste for such an empty religion.”

Then it dawned on me. The Asian tourist may be thinking the same thing.

Do we show the power of the Church through more than just architecture? Does the world witness the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives? Do they know more about Christ because of the magnificence of our faith or the magnificence of our buildings?

Building remarkable church buildings is one thing. Being a remarkable church is another.