Dear Friends and Family of University Hills Lutheran Church,
Greetings to you and your family in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ!
We’ve been informed that the demolition permit for the old church building should be approved by the city of Denver soon. This is good news and shows that we are indeed moving toward the construction of a new building in which to worship. There is, of course, a bitter-sweet aspect to the news as well, as many of us have dear memories of being confirmed, married, even baptized in the old sanctuary. Some of us attended grade school at U-Hills. Consequently, there is an element of sadness to this latest news.
The Gospel lesson that was read recently was from Matthew 16:13-20. The people were saying all sorts of things about who Jesus was, from “a prophet” to “Jeremiah” to “John the Baptist,” Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” And Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Jesus says in response that the Father has revealed this to Peter, and that Jesus will build his church on this confession, saying that the very gates of hell will not prevail against it. The Gospel of Jesus Christ has been preached at University Hills for sixty-eight years, and the Christians who have gathered there for services in that span of time have continued to make the same confession that Peter made, two thousand years ago: “Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.” With that confession, we also confess: “He lived and died and rose from the dead for me and all sinners. I am saved by grace alone, through faith alone.”
This reminds me of the hymn which we sung that same Sunday, “Built on the Rock.” The first stanza is memorable:
Built on the Rock the Church shall stand
Even when steeples are falling.
Crumbled have spires in every land;
Bells still are chiming and calling.
Calling the young and old, to rest,
But above all the souls distressed,
Longing for rest everlasting.
Church buildings don’t last forever. The recent fire that destroyed a good deal of the Notre-Dame Cathedral illustrated that. Many churches fell in Europe during the devastation of WWII. Our own building, it has been determined, is not a good candidate for the remodel necessary to ready it for use as a sanctuary. We, therefore, have opted to take it down and erect a new one, complete with worship space, offices, and accessible restrooms. The building will include unfinished space for a warming kitchen and classrooms, which we ourselves will finish at a future date. Thankfully, God’s Church stands, even when the buildings do not.
Verse three of “Built on the Rock” illustrates that perfectly:
We are God’s house of living stones,
Built for His own habitation.
He through baptismal grace us owns
Heirs of His wondrous salvation…
Ephesians 2:19-22 says, “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.”
Buildings will fall and rise, but the Church, the people of God, built into a holy habitation and temple of God, will remain until the end of time, and on into eternity.
As we look back and reminisce about the special occasions that we associate with our old church building, we are reminded that what made them memorable was what took place there, and with whom we shared it. Our baptism, or perhaps that of our child, was a forgiveness of sins, God putting his name on us, putting his Holy Spirit into our hearts. Our wedding was a commitment before God and each other, God uniting two into one flesh. The funeral of our loved one was a thanksgiving to God for their life shared with us, and a commendation of their soul to his care until the Day of Resurrection should come and we be reunited once again. Our confirmation was a day when we proclaimed publicly our faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, confessing that the doctrine of the Evangelical Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod was true to the Scriptures, which are the only norm of faith and life.
These memories will live on, as will our faith in Christ and our love for him. We will continue to meet together each Lord’s day. We will celebrate the holy Eucharist. We will baptize our children. We will teach the Scriptures to young and old alike, both in our congregation and to those nearby. And, we will continue to proclaim Christ as crucified and risen from the dead, and returning one day to take us all home.
In these days of change and uncertainty and as we move forward in faith with our building project, I pray that our Lord Jesus Christ will continue to be your Rock and your Fortress, and that, relying on Him alone, you will have joy and peace.
In the name of Jesus,
Pastor Vanderhyde