I was an Army bandsman in the late 1950’s shipped to Berlin, Germany, to hold back the Communists with my French horn. One summer day around the year 1958 I was walking down an old cobblestone street. The late afternoon was turning to dusk as the street turned to the right, circling a small park. This residential area was far from any industrial target, so it still had some old prewar apartments.
Then I realized the park was recently planted. A church had once been there. Rubble had been cleared away, but part of the old stone front was left. Over the Gothic arch of what had been the main entrance were these words: “Himmel und erde werden vergehen, aber meine worte werden nicht vergehen” “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away”
The church building had been destroyed but the words of Christ remained. The congregation had scattered but Christ still spoke. Buildings can be built and congregations organized by humans who are born, live and die, but the words of our living Lord still speak to us today.