Lichfield Cathedral

My relatives of Lonsdale and I called at Lichfield Cathedral last week. Peculiarly, our guide was the pastor of the town’s charismatic Pioneer church, a relation of my uncle’s. Lichfield is the only medieval cathedral in the land to boast three spires, known as the Ladies of the Vale. The west front is incredible. Although sadly damaged in the civil wars (it served as a moated fortress for the King, whist the townsfolk were for the Parliament), the Victorian restoration gave back its unusual grandeur. Carved into dozens of niches are kings and queens, saints and bishops, gazing out onto the town below. On the extreme left is Queen Victoria, carved by her daughter Princess Louise. The deep blue sky of a late summer’s afternoon perfectly set the scene, and the sun brightly lit the fine carvings and their imposing facade.

Paul advises the Corinthians in 1:3:16:

Know ye not that ye are the Temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? Geneva Bible

Our bodies ail and decline, decay and decompose, even while we live in them. Yet this cathedral looks as grand today as when it was built, even with its enthusiastic restoration. Yet the glory of the Christian is not his body, but the qualities and Christ-like character being shaped within. A cathedral’s architecture is not as grand as the gospel message which one hopes is preached from its giant pulpit; neither is the Christian’s glory found in her hair colour, her looks or the fabric in which she drapes her figure.