My faith looks up to Thee,
Thou Lamb of Calvary, Savior divine!
Now hear me while I pray, take all my guilt away,
O let me from this day be wholly Thine!
Once when I visited an old, large cathedral, it was downtown somewhere, I can’t remember, but a choir was practicing at the front of the sanctuary. Beautiful music echoed everywhere. The church was empty and even though I was in the back near the narthex, I could tell they were singing a hymn in Latin. I recognized the tune as one of my favorite hymns, “My Faith Looks Up to Thee.” There was nobody around, so I began singing along. I don’t think I was too loud, but it was sure was nice harmonizing with the choir way up front. That’s when a church worker approached and in no uncertain terms told me I was being a disturbance. “Shhhh!” He said. I looked around at the high arches and lovely stained-glass windows, the tables of candles and statues – wasn’t this a place to praise God?
I'm not about to pass judgment on any cleric at that cathedral. But I have to admit, the church building, from that point on, felt a little too “religious,” a place of formality and ritualism. That’s when I thought of Luke 4:33-35 where it says that, “In the synagogue there was a man possessed by a demon, an evil spirit. He cried out at the top of his voice, ‘Ha! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are — the Holy One of God!’ ‘Be quiet!’ Jesus said sternly…”
Did you hear that? Did you get it? Evil spirits – that is, religious spirits – feel very at home in some churches. They feel very comfortable in church buildings, or even congregations, where the focus is on rituals and traditions, rather than the vibrant, happy, buoyant life of the Spirit of Christ.
So I have a suggestion. Should you ever happen to visit a big old downtown church somewhere, won’t you softly fill it with prayers and hymns and remind those old arched ceilings that they were built for the glory of God? And you know what? You just might chase away a few religious spirits.
Used by permission of
JONI AND FRIENDS
P.O. Box 3333
Agoura Hills, CA 93176
© Joni and Friends