I too often forget the Saints gone before.
And yet, they are part of that “great cloud of witnesses,” I’ll meet someday.
That thought struck me several years ago while standing before an exhibit case at London’s British Museum.
Behind the glass sat a humble chalice made of pottery from the third century, found somewhere in Britain.
(I’m sorry, I can’t find it on the Internet. It looked something like the simple infamous chalice Indiana Jones found in The Last Crusade).
I stood mesmerized, thinking of all the history, all the people, who used it to worship our God before it came to rest in climate-controlled comfort.
Time folded and I felt chilled.
Someday someone may admire an “artifact” I handled today.
Christians are part of a living eternity.
On Sunday, our pastor called us to corporate prayer:
“Join with me, the prayer prayed by generations of believers who have gone before.”
Fresco of figure holding chalice for Agape Feast. Catacomb of Saints Pietro e Marcellino, Rome(Wikipedia Commons)
We recited the same Nicene Creed Saints gone before spoke in their churches around the world.
The same creed Christians speak today in Africa, Asia, South America, Australia, Europe and, for all I know, maybe even a few in Antarctica.
Words spoken by my 21st century lips echo the affirmation of faith first written in 326 AD.
The beginning acknowledges our mutual faith–past and present:
“We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of all things visible and invisible.”
It reminds me that with my faith secure in the forgiveness of Jesus, I’m part of a living eternity.
Recognizing artwork from Saints gone before
Wandering through the museums of Europe–the British Museum, the Vatican, the Louvre–I’ve always seen plenty of Christian art.
Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. (Vatican Museum; Wikipedia Commons)
We’re all familiar with the famous paintings, but the humble ones catch me more often.
Here’s Jesus as the Shepherd–my toddlers recognized the meaning when they saw it at the Vatican.
There’s a depiction in stone of a baptism.
Wandering about Venice, the lion of Judah grinned down from paintings, sculptures and even a modern marketing campaign.
I recognized what that lion meant, even if others didn’t.
And of course, the symbol of Christ and a reference to baptism.
The spring I last visited Europe, I hunted for signs of Easter, the pascal lamb, for example.
I saw more lions . . . but in a church in Sicily, I found a reference to the lamb of God, Jesus of course.
Some artwork looks too cheesy even for me–saints with arrows in them, for example. But others remind me of a shared faith that recognizes the danger of following Jesus.
Many, of course, went to their martyred deaths in places like Rome’s Coliseum.
Seeing the Saints in history
Christian life floods history since Jesus’ death on the cross and the founding of the church.
Worshiping Saints figurines from long ago (British Museum; personal photo)
As King Solomon noted long before Jesus, “there’s nothing new under the sun.”
Based in history, real paper, real events, real places, those looking for Christianity can find it throughout the world.
It always makes me smile to stumble on an artifact that connects me with people who shared–and continue to share–my belief in the risen Lord.
Do you see signs of Saints who have gone before in your daily life?
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Recognizing Saints who have gone before. Click to Tweet
Art throughout the ages connects modern Christians with historic Saints. Click to Tweet
Seeing familiar Christian symbols in the wild. Click to Tweet
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