Notre Dame

“By Your Spirit I will rise,
From the ashes of defeat,
The resurrected King,
Is resurrecting me....”

~ Lyrics from Resurrecting ~ Elevation Worship

Two years ago, the world watched on as the Notre Dame Cathedral burned. Hearts broke in Paris and throughout all of France… and around the world.
800 years of history. Surviving two world wars, the French Revolution, and the aging process as a whole. She had gone through numerous renovations over the years and was in the midst of another one when the unthinkable happened.

Prayers and Hymns rising like the flames. Prayers that somehow the fire would miraculously die off, would be squelched… and the history, the stained glass, the artwork, the Crown of Thorns, the cross would somehow be saved. Prayers that this was truly an accident, a part of the renovation that had gone terribly wrong, and was not some greater plot, some kind of Holy Week, pre-Easter, “defeat and deflate the Christians” attack.

Yet through the disaster, brother and sister held hands and held their breath. Through the brokenness and the pain, the Believers stood strong… and prayed… and sang. Hope more than a building. Faith stronger than any flame… un-extinguishable as the night crept on.
Then out of the smoke, the glowing cross seen… shining for the world to see. God not dead, but alive. Alive indeed!

And like the smoke from burning embers, we rise anew ~ A crown of beauty instead of ashes…

lsaiah 61:1-4 HCSB
The Spirit of the Lord God is on Me,
because the Lord has anointed Me
to bring good news to the poor.

He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives
and freedom to the prisoners;

to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor,
and the day of our God’s vengeance;
to comfort all who mourn,

to provide for those who mourn in Zion;
to give them a crown of beauty instead of ashes,
festive oil instead of mourning,
and splendid clothes instead of despair.
And they will be called righteous trees,
planted by the Lord to glorify Him.

They will rebuild the ancient ruins;
they will restore the former devastations;
they will renew the ruined cities,
the devastations of many generations.

Keep the Faith... Carpe Diem

Black & White photo by my friend French photographer Aurélien Lévy