On August 11, 2021, the United Press International reported that a 115-year-old time capsule was discovered in an old church in Seattle. Now this church, a German Evangelical church built in 1906, had ceased to be used for worship since the 1960s. In the 1970s, the building was renovated and turned into a counseling center. It was recently being demolished to make room for a housing project. The demolition crew got down as far as the old church’s cornerstone. That’s where they found a metal box which identified itself as a time capsule, filled with historic items donated by members of the congregation.
Earthwise Architectural Salvage, which was saving the pews, stained glass windows, and other expensive items from the church took possession of the time capsule. Its personnel are reaching out to numerous historical societies to see if there’s any interest in its contents. These consist of “German-language literature, publications like the Evangelical Messenger, newspapers from Ohio with articles about the Evangelical Association, a bishop's handwritten letter detailing the founding of the church and a booklet of the group's financial information.”
Earthwise spokesperson, Aaron Blanchard, stated that time capsules are usually well-documented. This documentation usually includes instructions that the capsule should be opened in 100 years. So it’s uncommon to find one unexpectedly.
It struck me as sad that this house of worship, whose builders believed it would serve the congregation for many generations to come, barely functioned as a church for six decades. The congregation died out long before the time capsule reached its lifespan. Then, the church was demolished to make room for something society felt was more important – a housing project.
By leaving a time capsule, the builders certainly expected that the congregation would flourish and grow and look back to cherish its history. But there would be no congregation to remember the saints who sacrificed so much to construct this church. Those people would be long forgotten by a city that is openly hostile to Christianity. It makes one wonder, “Were all the efforts of those saints a waste?”
No. Nothing done for the Lord is ever a waste. We have Paul the apostle’s word on the matter. “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord knowing that your labor for the Lord is never in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58). Indeed, we can only take from this life into the next those things which we have given to the Lord or have done for the Lord (Revelation 14:13).
And when it comes to the work of the Lord, its permanence does not lay in physical buildings, but in the eternal souls of the redeemed and in the eternal rewards for those who sacrificed to serve Christ and His Church. Therefore, pastors and congregations should pay less attention to the grandeur and beauty of their buildings, for those things can be demolished or confiscated and used for godless purposes.
Attention should be given to adherence to Christ’s Great Commission to proclaim the gospel and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8). These are the activities that will produce a permanent and eternal legacy and memorial.
But buildings will never last. Of even less duration are those activities and works spawned from motives of political correctness or a desire to please the world.
Let’s sharpen our focus on serving the Lord Jesus Christ, fulfilling His commission, and pleasing Him. “For we must all appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ, that each of us may be recompensed for what we have in this life, whether good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:9-10). “Only one life, so soon it will pass, only what’s done for Christ will last.”
PRAYER: Dear Father in heaven, please help me to focus on pleasing Your Son, Jesus Christ, and on laying up treasure in heaven rather than on earth. For even the richest person will leave this world naked and most famous person will leave their fame behind. But whoever does what pleases You will live eternally in heaven (1 John 2:15-17). Amen.
