The loud speaker is mounted on the top of the power pole. Electric wires cross every which way – black mesh pattern with blue sky background. The chanting blares so loud that the wires sway ever so slightly to the Pali mantra – early morning blessings to start the day.
Down the cracked, twisty street the temple stands. Contrasting the perfect bright paint and gold-leaf are the shacks of Burmese and Karen migrant workers. Pagoda ringed-base grows smaller and smaller until the top pinnacle points to the heavens. Dozens of tiny bells are caught by the wind, sending petitioners’ prayers to the heavens.
Crawling the length of the outer compound wall is the dragon. With mouth open, fangs ready to fend off evils nats (spirits). Its scales are intricate and arched. Each is a hand-crafted shield of belief.
He sits inside the sheltered dome, completely covered in gold with an eternal smile of Nirvana. His belly is full but worshippers still place sweet oranges and sticky rice on his altar. Incense overwhelms the nostrils and leaves smoky mysticism in the air.
Flowing orange or deep red robes drape bare shoulders. Shaved heads and bare feet complete the attire of the monks. Some sit in meditation. Others weed the ornate flower beds. Before the dark gives way to morning light, they take their food alms bowls in hand. Neighbors wait with food offerings to donate. In return, they receive a blessing which adds to their good karma.
She sits on her wooden steps that lead up to her one room hut. Made of scrap wood she’s collected from nearby rubble, it leans precariously. She stares over the glitter-studded dragon into the temple of her faith. What is she thinking?
Her little ones lack clean clothing. They do not have sufficient food for their bellies. Plastic water bucket is a breeding ground for the bugs that now live as parasites in their stomachs. Her husband labors on the new stupa nearby. All day his hand works to smooth the cement with circular motion. Now and then a passer-by waves up and greets ming-la-ba (hello). T-shirt is drenched in sweat but the stupa will soon be covered in gold.
Micah 6:8 – “He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”
Very nicely done. I love a story where the reader is left to fill in the blanks.
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed filling in the blanks 🙂
Angie, I can’t help but think about all the grandiose churches we’ve built in our attempt at extravagant worship. I’ve always been back and forth on them because I’m such an architecture nerd, but we could have done a lot of other things with that money, yes? Then again, the temple in Jerusalem was beautiful, but that was built under a different covenant…. it’s just so messy. Regardless, thanks for sharing!
Jake – So true! The old covenant called for a spectacular phyiscal building for the presence of God to reside. Though the New Covenant reminds us that our bodies are now His temple, I still think He loves extravagant worship. When my Dad splurged on my brother and I, flying us to Europe last fall, we visited stunning old cathedrals. Something holy about praising God with the work of our hands. In Slavika, one church was built in the 1500’s. The awe inside reminded me that God is God. The only response possible was silence. So…I think God looks at the heart, the motive behind the building. Is the creation worshipping what hands have made or the Hands that have made us? Keeping designing (and building) because God gifted you to create!
Beautiful and powerful post, Angie!
I would echo what Jake said above, I couldn’t help but think about all the huge cathedrals and churches that were built in our attempt at worship. I’ve been in some of those centuries-old cathedrals in Europe. They are beautiful – with gold inlaw and statues all over. They took centuries to build, a ton of money, a lot of labor…and now they stand empty or are used as tourist attractions. I do enjoy seeing them (I am a bit of an architecture nerd myself), but the sad part is, many of the people who lived around that time and around the cathedral were poor, giving up everything to see a building put up.
Even today, we build multi-million dollar buildings to house our worship services and it makes me think – how could that money have been used to truly impact a city? Homeless shelter? Providing food for the hungry? Job training? Maybe put up a community center and just hold your worship service there? Things really haven’t changed in over 1000 years. Our buildings just got a little less pretty.
Haha! Jason – I should have read your comment before responding to Jake’s. Yes, the beautiful cathedrals of Germany and Slavika truly amazed me. Pictures can’t compare to seeing them in person. But I completely agree. Jesus didn’t need the Temple to feed the 5,000; the outdoor grass “ampitheater” worked just fine. It challenges me to really ask the Lord for wisdom and discernment in terms of church building projects – When do we take the alabaster jar of costly perfume and “waste” it and when do we “waste” it on the poor that we will always have with us? I wrestle with this one.
I have to admit I’ve built things with the wrong heart. As I get older I realize my temple needs continuous maintenance, it can’t be seen from the outside to well, but the inside is where our Father dwells.
Heart touching story. Thanks. It kind of puts things in perspective.
Floyd – I’m right there with you in building up my life with the wrong motives sometimes. Thank God that His mercies are new every morning! And thank you, Jesus, for dwelling in these dusty, not-always-pretty-to-look-at temples!
I love a story.”If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which [temple] ye are” 1cor3:17.
Pau Lian Sut – This was the exact verse I was thinking of when I wrote this story! Thank you for typing it up as a reminder to us all.