Impressions from Italy

Julie and I loved our trip to Italy. Given the fact that we really experienced four different trips within one - Venice, Portofino, Tuscany & Florence - we felt like we were in a steady state of “sensory overload” with all of the varying sights of our surroundings. Each was very different than the one before.

One of the constants impressions from out travels was the prominent sight of churches everywhere we went. Every village, town and city had a beautiful steeple rising above the surrounding buildings. They were truly the centerpiece of each community. A good example of this is in Venice which is made up of a collection of 117 small islands. Most of these islands are linked by foot bridges that cross over their unique canal system while some are accessed only by boat. Interestingly enough, Venice also has the exact some number of churches - 117 islands, 117 churches. This is not a coincidence.

As we drove through coastal areas and the beautiful countryside, all of the towns and villages had the common denominator of a towering church defining the landscape around it. The cities were much the same way with a church standing prominently in each neighborhood. We had the opportunity to visit several and it’s just stunning to see the effort that was put into building these sanctuaries anywhere from 300 to 1000 years ago. These churches defined the communities around it both from its physical presence as well as the presence of the church in the daily lives of the local residents.

The purpose of this blog is not to point out where Italy is as a country today with their faith. We all know that Europe is in varying states of a post-Christian culture. Instead, my thoughts go back to the times when these beautiful structures were built. They were intentionally put in the center of villages and neighborhoods because life evolved around the church. The church was the prominent figure in the community because people organized their lives around the church and had great dependency upon it. Caring for refugees, feeding those in need, registering births, marrying and burying were all responsibilities of the church. In fact, they even kept the time for the village.

At the time that these churches were built, no one had watches to know what time it was. Churches had bell towers and the bells were rung to give everyone an accurate account of time as well as to give direction for their day. The chiming of the bells truly set the order and pace of life in the community. They still ring the bells and we loved hearing them throughout the day on our visit. The ringing of the bells serve as a great reminder of God’s constant presence in our lives and His desire to remain in the center of them.

Is your life organized around your faith? While we no longer rely on bell towers to tell time, does your faith set the tempo and order of your life? All of our lives are organized around certain priorities that we have chosen. Like the villages in Italy, is the church the center of those priorities? Sometimes we allow our faith to reside on the perimeter of our lives taking a backseat to other responsibilities or even idols.

These are big questions but are worthy ones that need to be asked by each of us from time to time. At times, we left “drift” set in and we need to be re-centered. Our faith needs to be placed back in the center of our lives. The figurative “chiming of the bells” can get snuffed out by all of the noise of life when we allow other priorities to set our order and pace.

Christianity, if false, is of no importance and, if true, is of infinite importance. The one thing it cannot be is moderately important. C.S. Lewis

What “bells” do you need in your life to help you stay centered in your faith?

Stay hungry,

Big E

Matt. 5:6