October 13, 2021

Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness – Ps. 96:9

As with most people, I was struck by the beauty of Saint John's the very first time I saw it. One doesn't need to be a particularly religious person to appreciate the beauty of the church or (more specifically) the high altar and reredos, but I think it helps. It helps because, as religious people, we recognize that there are “thin places,” places where the presence of God is palpable. Saint John's is one of those places.

It's not just the high altar and reredos that say, “Within this place is the beauty of holiness” although those certainly grab your attention, It's also the way the morning sun shines through the Resurrection window causing the center aisle to shimmer like a glassy sea. It's the way the evening sun shines through the windows of the south transept causing light to appear like tongues of fire on the rogation altar, on the pulpit wall, and in the choir. It's the story of Christ's birth as found in the windows of the south transept. It's the story of Christ's life in the windows of the nave as taken from the Gospel of John. It's the depiction of his ascension in the window of the north transept. It's the starry expanse in the tower entrance. It's the presence of the archangels Michael, Uriel, and Raphael surrounding the high altar. It's knowing that we worship with angels, archangels, saints above, saints below, and all the company of heaven. All of these things remind us that we worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.

But the beauty of holiness is not, and should not be, only the physical, holy space of the building.

John Henry Newman (high churchman and priest in the Church of England, leader of the Oxford Movement, and eventual convert to Roman Catholicism) preached a sermon entitled, “Holiness Necessary for Future Blessedness,” in which he argues that personal holiness is necessary for a right relationship with God.

“The more frequent are our prayers, the more humble, patient, and religious are our daily deeds, these holy works will be the means of making our hearts holy, and of preparing us for the future presence of God.”

We also have the ability to reflect the beauty of holiness in our lives. Our habits, our language, our attitudes, and our priorities can all reflect a life of holiness. All of these things take work and practice. As Newman points out, being contented with a measure of religion or partial holiness takes no real effort at all and will not lead us to holiness. If we want to reflect holiness, we must work to be holy.

So may we all strive first for the kingdom of God. May we strive to follow the narrow path. May we see holiness as a life-long goal of worshiping God in thought, word, and deed. And may we then intentionally worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness – both in the beauty of the Lord's house and in the beauty of a holy self.

Blessings,