Building Up... or Tearing Down?

As the first of the construction crews arrived this morning to begin putting up walls to prepare for the renovations to our church building, I was reminded that we're going to see a lot of demolition and construction in the next few months.

The "building up of the church" seems to be a pervasive them in the Letter to the Ephesians (see 4:11-16) and is worth reflecting on... if for no other reason than the simple fact that demolition is almost always easier than construction when it comes to buildings. In a similar way, it is far easier to demolish and destroy one another than it is to build up one another.

Instead of my own reflections, this week I offer an essay by Walter Wangerin, Jr. titled "Edification or Demolition." Wangerin reflects on how simple acts, here an encounter at a gas station, can wildly transform us for better or worse.

Pray for the building up of Christ's holy church. May we work toward this edification in all our relationships.