You turned my wailing into dancing;
you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent.
Lord my God, I will praise you forever.
(Psalm 30:11-12 NIV)
The Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral reopened this week after more than five years of repair and restoration following the devastating fire in 2019. The first scheduled mass will take place today. The restoration, which cost nearly $800 million, included extensive work on the cathedral’s structure, roof, stonework, organ, statues, rose windows, and pews.
Though I’m neither Roman Catholic nor have I ever visited Paris, I vividly remember watching the news reports in 2019 with a sense of shock and horror. How could a building that took over 200 years to complete—finished in 1345—sustain such severe damage and still stand? Did humanity still possess the skills needed to repair a structure almost 700 years old? And would it even be possible to reopen it?
Yet, it is reopened. Today will be songs, prayers, communion, and a homily. I expect that for the people who call that building their spiritual home, the mass will be a lovely testimony to God’s faithfulness and grace to their congregation. And I expect that they will remember the generosity of donors from all over the world who have helped in the restoration process.
From the smallest house churches to the largest mega-churches, from the most recent church plants to the most ancient congregations, God’s people will gather together today for worship. May the Spirit of the Sovereign Lord be upon them, and may they worship in Spirit and in Truth.
God,
Our hearts sing your praises and will not be silent. You are the giver of all good gifts, blessing your people in every place and time. Thank you for the beauty of the buildings where your Church gathers to worship, and for the worldwide support that helped to rebuild the Notre-Dame de Paris. We are grateful for the resources to restore this magnificent cathedral and for the skilled craftsmen who brought it back to life. Today as that congregation gathers for the first mass since the fire, we pray for all congregations everywhere–large or small, old or new–that are gathered in worship. We pray that your Spirit would be poured out upon them, and that your Word would go forth in power and strength. Continue to draw each person and each congregation into a deeper understanding of their calling to worship in Spirit and in Truth. We pray that your Church would be a beacon of hope, proclaiming good news to the poor, healing the brokenhearted, setting captives free, and proclaiming your favor, justice, and vengeance in the world. May we comfort the grieving, uplift the downtrodden, and spread your joy in this world. Help us, your Children, to live out the strength, grace, and fruits of being planted in your River of Life, so that the rest of the World is drawn to you. In Jesus’s name we pray, AMEN.
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the Lord
for the display of his splendor. (Isaiah 61:1-3 NIV)
Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth. (John 4:23-24 NIV)
for more information about the Cathedral go to: https://www.britannica.com/art/Gothic-architecture