Matthew 16:13-18
There were seven of them. The wonders of the ancient world.
- The Hanging Gardens of Babylon — lush terraces of greenery and tree groves, artificially transplanted into the flat, arid regions of modern Iraq.
- The Statue of Zeus at Olympia — sixty feet of gleaming ivory, towering above his worshipers on a jewel-studded throne.
- The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus — for centuries a place of pilgrimage for the people of Asia Minor, its magnificence enclosing a palatial site the size of a football field.
- The Mauseleum at Halicarnassus — the spectacular tomb of King Maussollos, topped by a stunning statue of the king and his wife in a horsedrawn chariot.
- The Colossus of Rhodes — one hundred feet of hollow bronze honoring the sun god Helios, guarding the city's harbor and visible for miles out at sea.
- The Pharos of Alexandria — a four-hundred-foot white stone tower lighthouse on Egypt's Mediterranean coast, a fire constantly ablaze from its uppermost story.
- The Pyramids of Giza — a series of enormous limestone tombs rising from the sands of Egypt, the only one of these great landmarks that still remains.
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Earthquake, fire, and the advancing armies of foreign invaders toppled all but one of these world-renowned structures, leaving behind little more than their likenesses as etchings on old coins. One of the ancient wonders even collapsed into shards of metal to be sold off the scrap heap. These grandiose works were legendary, but they were not lasting.
There are other wonders, too, that have been recognized as being civilization's finest work, such as the Colosseum of Rome, the Parthenon of Greece, and Petra (the City of Rock) in Jordan. These wonders have been in many ways eclipsed by such modern wonders as Big Ben, the Eiffel Tower, the Empire State Building, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Statue of Liberty, the Suez Canal, and others. Time and tourism have also given "wonder" status to such natural works of art as the Grand Canyon and Niagara Falls.
I have been blessed with the opportunity to see each of these present-day wonders. The immense skill, artistry, and labor of those who created them are truly amazing. And of course, the beauty and grandeur of God's natural wonders are stunning, breathtaking.
But stand any of these wonders next to the church of the living God — or stand all of them end-to-end — and they pale in comparison.
What's so wonderful about the church?
You may think that's crazy. Perhaps the church has become for you a boring matter of routine. The sermons, the classes, the same old thing. Oh, every once in awhile — at Easter, maybe, when there's music and drama and pageantry — maybe then it has that "wonderful" look and feel about it. But the church on an every-day/every-week basis . . . a wonder?