Last week, I was visiting Geneva on business and I had one afternoon free to do some sight-seeing.  Geneva is a beautiful city nestled in the Swiss mountains with peaceful Lake Geneva sitting on the Rhône River.  There are many sights I could have chosen to see, but I made a bee-line for the historic St. Pierre’s Cathedral in Geneva’s old town area.  St Pierre’s is the place where John Calvin made his home as he pastored the 16^th century Geneva congregation through the reformation movement that changed the course of the church.

St. Pierre’s had its beginnings in the 4^th century as a relatively humble church building but since Geneva was the headquarters for the bishop in that area of Europe, the church quickly grew in prominence.  The church facilities were expanded several times over the centuries including a massive 12^th-13^th century project that produced the current magnificent structure.  The cathedral continued to receive updates over the years including the addition of an 18^th century neo-classical façade on the front that I believe is a bit jarring compared to the graceful mix of Gothic and Romanesque lines of the older building.  The exterior photo is included below – you can be the judge.  Regardless, it is a very unique structure and bursting with history.

One of the most fascinating things about St. Pierre’s is that the original church foundations have been partially excavated underneath the current structure all the way down to the original top soil some 20 feet on average below the current floor of the cathedral.  You can tour the excavation under the current cathedral and see the artifacts found among the previously buried ruins.  My friends and I started out by touring the underground dig and when they kicked us out a closing time, we went up and toured the cathedral.

The current cathedral is impressive in its size and construction.  Like most old reformed churches I have visited which tend to be very austere, St. Pierre‘s retained very little of the ornamentation of its Catholic origins.  The reformers did retain the stained glass which provides a nice flourish alongside the simple beauty of the interior with its elegant and towering vaulted ceilings.  How wonderful it would be to transport my congregation to the cathedral for a Sunday morning worship service just to hear the beautiful a capella singing fill the entire space.  Calvin retired the organ from the services in St. Pierre’s as part of the reforms and it would be amazing to recreate a 16^th century worship service in honor of his position on Christian music.  We could even sing “A Mighty Fortress is Our God” in an effort to get the period setting correct.  I don’t think Martin Luther would mind!  James could climb the stairs to the two-story pulpit wrapped around one of the main columns in order to deliver the sermon.  There’s not room to move around up there, so he would have to stand still!

Unfortunately, there doesn’t appear to be much worshipping going on in St. Pierre’s anymore.  According the curator on duty (curators belong in museums), the building hosts individual worshippers daily but formal services are scheduled only on special occasions.  I understand the sensitivity of having crowds tromping through this historic site on a weekly basis, but still it’s a shame the vaulted ceiling doesn’t host the sound of singing, praying and preaching at least once per week.  I don’t think Calvin would approve.

I think it’s a striking difference from the accounts I read of the daily revival meetings that were held in the cathedral during the powerful beginnings of the reformation movement.  Congregants were starved for the Word of Truth having lived on a diet of tradition, arbitrary rules and regulations and the marginalization of grace and faith through a practical teaching of salvation by works alone.  At last they were hearing from the Living Word in their native tongue!  I also think it’s a striking difference from the narratives I read on the various placards positioned in the archeological dig below the cathedral.  In the 4^th century, the church was the center of life in the town of Geneva.  A fourth century Christian entered this life nurtured by the church, they were taught spiritual and practical lessons as children by the church, they received a believer’s baptism by immersion in a full-size baptismal fount, they lived their adult lives intimately connected to the church and to the bishop that help them navigate the trials of life.  When they died, they were frequently buried on the church grounds.  An astonishing number of human skeletons were unearthed in the excavation along with evidence of everyday life happening right there on church property.  In the 4^th century, again in the 16^th and likely during many other periods of history, this facility of stone housed a vibrant living church.

Of course, therein lies the lesson of my experience!  As impressive and beautiful as the cathedral is, it is not the church.  The Apostle Peter for whom the building is named had this to say about structural stones in I Peter 2:4-5:

As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

Peter reminds us through his beautiful poetic language that we are the spiritual house of God consisting of individual living stones placed together on the foundation of our Savior the rejected stone.  We are assembled by God Himself as He adds us to the church.  Unlike the cold stone cathedral/museum, this living Christian building has the God-given role and responsibility of being a holy priesthood – every single one of us!  Peter has this to say about the priesthood of believers as he wraps up these thoughts in I Peter 2:9-12:

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.  Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Next Sunday when I enter our beautiful building, I know I will notice the stained glass, the vaulted ceiling and the elegant wood rafters.  I appreciate the way the structure facilitates powerful and effective worship for the gathered congregants.  But it is not the church.  Someday, perhaps it will be a museum with a curator.  I hope not.  Today it houses a vibrant loving church family that is dedicated to worshipping and serving God as they also serve each other and the world.  I am privileged to be a living stone in that spiritual building.  I think John Calvin would approve.  Even more important to me, I think Peter would approve which means that God approves.

Until next week,

Meet me at the intersection!

Previous Intersections Articles

Thinking of legacy…	Ready, set, shop?	I Thank God for you

Last week, I wrote about the rapidly diminishing element of privacy in the Internet age, the need to be vigilant about what is published to the Internet about the details of our lives.  I also pointed out that we all should reconsider any notion that we can effectively compartmentalize our behavior and secret away parts of our lives.  Although I identified society’s increasing inability or unwillingness to “forgive and forget” preventing many from attaining a “clean slate” restart, I did not offer any alternative hope that “forgive and forget” might still be attainable.  I have to admit that I was hoping some of you might catch that omission and comment on my intentional miss.

My very good friend and long-time source of accountability, Richard Beasley included these words in his comment:

I also feel God’s call to grace – I know that I have done things that I don’t want on Facebook and hope we can find ways to forgive, teach and encourage in this all too public lives world!

My brother and fellow participant in the gospel of grace, Roy Taylor also felt something important was missing from that article and added this reminder in his comment:

Thank God that because of the sacrifice of Christ we truly can be forgiven and God truly can forget all our trespass and sin against Him. That the handwriting of ordinances that was against us was nailed to His cross and God will never count it against us again and “forget” our debt eternally.

Amen, brothers.  In addition to Roy and Richard’s “official” comments, several of you made a point of brining the message of grace to me face-to-face as you had opportunity.  In fact, God is willing and able to not only forgive but also forget.  Hear God’s words through the prophet in Isaiah 43:25:

“I, even I, am he who blots out
    your transgressions, for my own sake,
    and remembers your sins no more.”

Seeking a clean slate and a fresh start?  God is willing and able to grant you that restart – it is yours for the asking.

What about here in this world and in this age?  Is there any clean slate restart available?  Are we doomed to carry the burden of our past sins around with us reminded at every turn of our inadequacies by a society with a perpetual Internet-powered memory?  Read what Jesus had to say to us on the subject in Matthew 18:21-35.

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt. The servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’  The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go. But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.  His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’  But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt.  When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened. Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to.  Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.”

Church, I believe Jesus’ teaching is clear.  We have collectively and individually been forgiven of our sins and our transgressions are remembered no more by the master.  Now we are to go and do likewise.  If there is no place else left on earth where a clean slate is possible, the church must still be that place.  Come join me at our next Forgiven-Sinners Anonymous meeting and hit the restart button on your life.

“Hello, my name is Mike and I’m forgiven sinner.”

 Until next week,

Meet me at the intersection!

I learned many foundational sales concepts from a great natural salesman, Chris Yates.  I worked with Chris early in my career at PFSweb and I still hear his voice in the back of my head reminding me to pay attention to the details because my audience will be paying attention to the details.  One of the most important pieces of advice Chris would drill into me during our preparation for a sales call was: “Don’t focus on features!  Talk about benefits!  People don’t make buying decisions based on features.  People buy benefits and you have to make them believe in you and your benefits!”  Chris believed so strongly in this principle that he would literally tear up a presentation that was feature-centric and throw the shredded paper at me across the table.  Today, whenever I review a presentation, I hear Chris’ British-accented voice telling me, “Benefits not features, man!”

Chris’ primary rule of selling is exactly right and he has been proven right time after time in my experience. At PFSweb, we have great technology, wonderful facilities, fantastic people, rich and diverse commercial experience, happy clients willing to give us glowing references and a proven ability to execute on a complex project plan.  I have all these things at my disposal during my sales cycle with a client prospect.  But these are just features of my company.  Why would a client prospect care if we have great technology, facilities and people?  They will only care if they understand what benefit we can deliver to them using these features.  We can use our great technology to save them money and make them better at serving their customers.  Our fantastic people are passionate about our clients and their brands and they will do whatever it takes to execute each client’s mission flawlessly.  We use our facilities to protect our clients’ products and deliver great experience to our clients’ customers with every customer interaction.  Saving money, winning new customers, taking care of loyal customers, enhancing the brand and capitalizing on market opportunities are reasons a prospect might buy from me rather than my competitor who might even have a more impressive feature list than mine.

What does this have to do with faith?  I’ll tell you.  Sometimes I think we forget this principle when we talk about our faith and our church homes.  My congregation has great programs such as in-depth bible classes, energetic worship services, intimate small groups, a great youth program, impressive facilities and a great staff of caring ministers.  These are great features for sure, but so what?  What are the benefits?  How about we equip you to deal with the problems of life using the wisdom and teaching from God’s word, we help you worship God with passion and intimacy while receiving the blessing of fellowship and affirmation in return, we help plug you into a small group of faithful friends who will come alongside you and share in your life, we help your kids live faithful lives while they are still teenagers and encourage them to make good choices, we provide a place for you to come explore your faith and where it is safe to ask any question or share any doubt and we surround you with a staff of coaches, mentors and counselors who are dedicate to help you in your walk of faith.  Do you see the difference?

Jesus knew the difference.  He could have told his insecure and fearful disciples not to worry because heaven was a really great place with many amazing features such as fancy spiritual condos.  Instead he told them not to worry because he personally was making arrangements to live in eternity with him and the father.  See what Jesus told his disciples in John 14:1-3:

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.”

I’m certain the rooms in the heavenly mansion are without compare.  I can’t wait to see them.  However, it’s not the heavenly décor that has me sold-out on Jesus Christ – it’s the company I get to keep.  Jesus promised me he his personally making a place for me to be with him in his father’s dwelling place.  Now that’s what I call a benefit.  As good as the features of our church homes may be and as competent as we may be in describing the tenants of our religion, let us never forget to put the benefits first.  Believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and live with God for eternity – Sign me up!

Until next week,

Meet me at the intersection!