Rescued Pieces

 

He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he 

prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, 

and not only for that nation but also for the scattered 

children of God, to bring them together and make them one. 

John 11:51-52

She stands at the doorway of forever, looking from the future to now. In her time the church stands as one, healed and whole. In our time it is in pieces, longing for what will restore it. That is Jesus the Messiah, the Savior who joins all the scattered children of God to make them one.

This beautiful church, The Stavropoleos Monastery in Bucharest, Romania, dates to 1724. Time and earthquakes have damaged it over the years, but it was always restored. These days it holds parts of murals saved from churches demolished during that country's communist regime. These pieces were rescued and kept safe. Now they are on display for us to see.

The church has been pastored since 1991 by father Iustin Marchis, the first hieromonk, a monk who is also a priest, of the church in the last century. The choir of the church is known for a rare type of neo-Byzantine singing, featuring a single voice accompanied by an extended note called an ison. 

Come and sit here with me. 

Not now. I'm not there yet. Maybe one day.

She looks from now to the future when the church is restored and the children of God are one. Maybe she will sit here in this courtyard. She will remember all the ways it has changed, earthquakes and time or revelations of God. She will be grateful. It seems the whole Earth is shaking. 

Do you feel it too?