Final Thought... Reflections on Egypt Part 4

One final thought about Egypt and then I’d like to move on to another topic. The city of Luxor is incredible. 25% of the world’s antiquities are found there. This was my first trip there, even though it was my second trip to Egypt (We went to Sinai instead on our last trip!). It doesn’t take much to imagine what the ancient Egyptian civilization looked like. The Temple of Carnac is immense. The Luxor Temple, although not nearly as large, is equally impressive. The Valley of the Kings, located on the west side of the Nile, is incredible. Because of the dry desert climate, much has remained as it was over 3,000-4,000 years ago, at least to a certain extent.

Even though they have stood up well, they are ruins. The civilization is gone, only preserved in museums all over the world. The ancient gods of the pharaohs are no longer worshiped, but studied by historians and archaeologists.

I discovered that there is a reason the pyramids and tombs of ancient Egypt are on the west side of the Nile. It is because that is the side on which the sun sets. The god “Ra” is depicted as the sun, so when it sets, it signifies death. Interesting, right? The ancient Egyptians were very much concerned with the afterlife. In fact, once the pharaoh assumed position, he set the workers to task, building his pyramid or tomb, and all of his treasure to take with him into the afterlife.

Anyway, I couldn’t help but think of our own church building. What do you think people will say about it 1,000, 2,000, or even 4,000 years from now? Will there even be a church building or a world for that matter?

I said last time that the church is not the building, but rather the church is the followers of Jesus. Don’t get me wrong, many wonderful and life transforming events take place in the church, particularly in the sanctuary. But I think the question of whether or not there will be a church building is a moot point.

We don’t worship buildings or idols, no matter how sentimental we may be toward them. We worship a living God who is active and present in our everyday lives and is very concerned that we live, not just for the afterlife, but that we are agents of His kingdom here on earth! That means that we live out our faith in our everyday lives.

As the ancient Egyptians worked to build their own access into the afterlife, we, as believers in Jesus, celebrate that access has been provided for us. Let me leave this topic by offering you the words of truth that come to us in the Gospel John: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life” (3:16).