Humbled by the Past

In these days of streaming television it's rare to just flip through the channels anymore, at least in our household. I did come across a PBS program a couple of days ago about two marvelous British churches. York Minster and Canterbury Cathedral. Both are works of architectural genius and exquisite craftsmanship which took centuries to complete.

We had a conversation about the ceiling bosses in York Minster, the roundish gold thingies in the photo above of the nave. We have visited this church and no doubt we saw the bosses but didn't give them much thought at the time, or realize how detailed they were. They are, after all, 30 metres or nearly 100 feet above the floor.

Lo and behold, they tell a story, or stories. Some of them are hundreds of years old while others were created after a 1984 fire destroyed the historical depictions. As you can see from this photo, a number of them imagine the biblical account of Mary and some the devotional legends of Mary. There are the beautifully rendered "ox and the ass" as witnesses to the birth of Christ.



What we found striking is that such attention was given to images which would be "hidden in plain sight," so far up that it would be difficult for even the sharpest eyes to make out the content. These were and are images of devotion, the creation of beauty to the glory of God.

We think ourselves advanced, modern, and therefore superior to those who have gone before us and perhaps we are in some respects. We can also learn from our forbearers if we are willing to put aside our hubris and self-importance.