After the great London fire of 1666 destroyed
much of the city, including the churches and the cathedral of St. Paul, Christopher Wren, the Surveyor General, was tasked with the rebuilding. Nine years after the fire, Wren began work on the cathedral, a task which consumed the next thirty- five years of his life. John Claypool, in his book, God Is an Amateur, recounts what happened next:
When the project was finally completed, and Sir Christopher himself was a very old man, he personally conducted the then reigning monarch, Queen Anne, on an extensive tour through the whole building. When it was over, he waited with bated breath for her reactions. In typical British terseness, she used three adjectives to sum up her feelings:
"It is awful, it is artificial, it is amusing." Can you imagine how the old builder must have felt when the one person whose opinion he valued the most described the "magnum opus" of his life in this way?
However, a biographer says that on hearing these words, Sir Christopher let out an audible sigh of relief, sank to his knees, and thanked her majesty for her graciousness.... For you see, back in 1710, the word "awful" meant "awe-inspiring," the word "artificial" meant "artistic," and the word "amusing" meant "amazing"(p.9-10.)
Claypool's point is that the meanings of words change. In every age, the words--and deeds--that present the message of grace must be reformulated to meet the changing circumstances around us. The old message must be born again in new words, in new ministries, and in renewed lives--yours
and mine--that accurately present the beauty, power, and hope of the Christ-life. The eve of the twenty-first century presents a wonderful opportunity to explore new visions of ministry. Christ calls us to this task and the Spirit empowers us; therefore, let us give ourselves to it wholeheartedly so that in the end, we might stand before the throne of grace and hear those wonderful
words, "Well done thou good and faithful servant--that was truly 'awe-inspiring, artistic and amazing!'"
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