Tripping Over History

I spent a few days this week in Boston, visiting my sister, who just moved there. It’s been many years since I had been there, and the weather was beautiful, so we spent most of our time outside, exploring the city. Boston is one of those places where you can’t walk two blocks without seeing something famous (and usually, that something has to do with Paul Revere – the house Paul Revere lived in, the church Paul Revere attended, the place Paul Revere set off on his famous ride, the spot where Paul Revere once ate a cheese sandwich for lunch…). Basically, everywhere you go in Boston, you’re tripping over history.

One afternoon, as we were walking through downtown, we realized that we were standing right in front of the Old State House, across from which is a small circle of cobblestones that commemorates the site of the Boston Massacre. The odd thing about this particular memorial is that it is situated right in the middle of a traffic island, with cars and pedestrians zooming past it. If it weren’t for the occasional tour guide in dressed in colonial garb, you probably wouldn’t know it was there. The circle of stones and the Old State House itself are dwarfed by huge skyscrapers filled with modern offices, and I watched as workers on their lunch break walked across the memorial, seemingly oblivious to the history just underneath their feet.

When I got back to the church this morning, I realized that even here, we do our share of tripping over history without even knowing it. All over our building are small reminders that we are not the first to worship and work here (though none, as far as I know, has anything to do with Paul Revere). There are two paintings on my office wall that were painted by a beloved saint of the church. The globe I’ve used for children’s moments was given to the church in memory of a church member’s daughter, who died far too young. Even the pews in the sanctuary sing the songs of the generations who have gathered there.

That’s what I love about the faith we practice. It’s full of history, and you can’t help tripping over it. Let’s talk more about this on Sunday: Read Hebrews 11:1-3 and 8-16, and then join us for worship.