I have never visited the Notre Dame Cathedral. The beauty and grandeur of this old church lives in my mind only through the images I have seen. But like most of the world, I felt the horror and impact of seeing it in flames on live tv.

The loss of any church building through fire, intentional or accidental, is a tragedy! A Mosque was on fire in the middle east at the same time as Notre Dame burned. If those two were not enough, a man was charged with burning 3 churches in Louisiana. Tough week for church buildings!

While the loss of of each of these church buildings may not be the same from an architectural or historical position – the pain is real for those members who are left to pick up the pieces and rebuild.

The culmination of these events during the week leading up to Easter reminded me of the joy of the unique message of Jesus. While we recognize the historical and emotional impact of a building like Notre Dame, there is a difference between the building a church meets “in” and the Church of Jesus Christ. Jesus said, “… I will build My church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). He was declaring to the world the Church—His chosen people—would not die out.

Buildings may burn and bring great sadness but people can have the assurance of God that loss is limited to this life and not the next.

If you have more questions about the message of Jesus, I would love for you to join us this Sunday at Journey Community Church where we will discuss the idea of “Celebration” in a world full of reasons to not celebrate.