Evening Reflection December 23, 2014 https://youtube/watch?v=2b6URDdh_7A One of the most amazing churches in the world is the ‘stavkyrkje’ or stave church in the town of Borgund, in Norway – on the southwest coast in the Sogn og Fjordane county, far inland on a long fjord. It was built sometime between 1180 and 1250 AD. The walls are formed by vertical wooden boards, or staves, hence the name stave church. The four corner posts were connected to one another by ground sills resting on a stone foundation. The rest of the staves rise from the ground sills, each stave notched and grooved along the sides so that they lock into one another, forming a sturdy wall. From the roof springs the Norse dragon, and the Christian cross. At one time there were thousands of stave churches, now only twenty-eight remain. Borgund is the best-preserved of the remaining churches. Norway, for many years was probably the poorest country in Europe. I visited the little village of Urke, near now-abandoned summer, fall and winter farms. Yes, you read that right. Farmers lived in tiny stone huts, high up in the mountains during the summer, pasturing their sheep or goats; in the fall they moved lower down, to small stone huts known as the fall farm, and in the winter came right down to the areas along the coastline. Some of coastal Norway lies in the Gulf Stream, so the waters don’t freeze over even if there is snow and cold. It was hard for me to wrap my head around how hard life must have been in the later centuries, never mind in the twelfth. Yet in that time, this beautiful church was built, with painstaking care and love. Imagine what it took to construct this place – and with me, on this night leading up to a night of love, try to imagine the beautiful twelfth-century “Wexford” carol being sung, maybe in a place like this - no instruments, just human voices raised in love and praise. All over the world there are huge cathedrals, all built to the glory of God and unfortunately, the connection of the glory of God with empire. So imagine with me, a Christmas service – in this isolated place, in the cold and snow – and the love and humility it took to create this beautiful little church. Imagine the “aurora borealis” lighting the sky, maybe the tinkling sounds they make bring to mind the choirs of angels singing their love. Close your eyes and listen to this wonderful song. Rest in peace and love this night. May it be so.
Posted on: Wed, 24 Dec 2014 01:36:15 +0000
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