Reverence

In Breda, Netherlands, there is a grand old church dating from the 15th
century. Here are buried the ancestors of the first king of the Netherlands,
William of Orange. His first wife and child are also buried here. But most of
the ornamentation that once graced the old church is gone. It was looted by the
solders of Napoleon who used it as a barracks. They showed no reverence for a
house dedicated to God.

While we may rightly think that places are not holy and only people are holy,
we still ought to show a certain respect for any place dedicated to the worship
of the Creator.

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Crater Lake in Oregon is uniquely beautiful. Created by a volcanic eruption,
the lake is crystal clear, and set in a goblet of mountains. The first
Europeans to see it were two prospectors searching for food. After seeing the
stunning lake they continued looking for food and came across some Native
Americans. Though they lived nearby, they denied the existence of such a lake.
They knew it was there but they thought it sacred, and they believed that
anyone who gazed into its depths would be struck blind. Our own sense of
reverence for God’s name, His House, and His day does not stem from fear of some
sudden death. It stems rather from a deep respect for who God is and what He
has done.

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