From the early years of the church...
Illustration
From the early years of the church people of faith have been responding to the call of the writer of the Letter to the Hebrews "not neglecting to meet together..." (Hebrews 10:25).
Marianne H. Micks in her little book, The Joy of Worship, notes the various places Christians have come together to worship and praise God. The first Christians met in homes, possibly in the home of leaders like Aquila and Prisca, people who were relatively well-off with enough room in their houses to accommodate at least a small gathering of brothers and sisters.
Then Christians began to meet in what was called a basilica, a large oblong public building often used for a place of worship. As the Christian movement began to expand, homes no longer could hold the believers who wished to gather together.
Eventually huge cathedrals were built, for example like the Gothic cathedral at Chartres in France where artists and craftsmen and common laborers joined together to express in such a structure their common faith.
Today, not a few people come together in an inner-city, "storefront" church that also speaks a symbolic language. The building lacks pretension but people outside in need know that they will be welcomed if they come in -- even without wearing Sunday clothes.
Marianne H. Micks in her little book, The Joy of Worship, notes the various places Christians have come together to worship and praise God. The first Christians met in homes, possibly in the home of leaders like Aquila and Prisca, people who were relatively well-off with enough room in their houses to accommodate at least a small gathering of brothers and sisters.
Then Christians began to meet in what was called a basilica, a large oblong public building often used for a place of worship. As the Christian movement began to expand, homes no longer could hold the believers who wished to gather together.
Eventually huge cathedrals were built, for example like the Gothic cathedral at Chartres in France where artists and craftsmen and common laborers joined together to express in such a structure their common faith.
Today, not a few people come together in an inner-city, "storefront" church that also speaks a symbolic language. The building lacks pretension but people outside in need know that they will be welcomed if they come in -- even without wearing Sunday clothes.
