TBT: Church Hill

A church on a hill

stands majestic and still.

It looms o’er the soul,

ancient and old.

In reverence we stand,

in spirit, hand in hand.

An aura of grace

hangs over this place.

Our God’s holy presence

surrounds us with unearthly essence.

At this church on a hill

be still as the stones

and you will feel close

to the Christian’s home.

Background:

I think this poem might have been written after going on a youth trip - I have some fuzzy memory of either my church’s youth group or my friend’s youth group having a retreat at a campus that had an old church. It had a genuine peace about it, enough that I felt the need to write about it.

Now, caveat - God’s people are THE church. No specific place is needed for His people to gather. It is still also true that spaces and how they affect our feelings are influenced by so many factors - architecture, historical context, the people with you while you are there. I think it is okay to be in awe of a space and its atmosphere as long as we don’t idolize that experience.

Also important, I believe it is a valuable skill to be able to enter any space and see how holiness dwells there - if God made all and is omnipresent, then holiness can be found everywhere. Even more so, if a member of God’s family is present, His very Spirit is present in a special way in that place because He is abiding in that person.

Lord, help us welcome Your Spirit to dwell richly in us. Help us to carry holiness with us, to enhance the holiness wherever we are by living as Your image there. All through Christ.

Wishing you goodness without end,

Jess