As part of Sunday's service/reflection I focused on this incident from Luke's gospel (21:5 - 6)...

When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, [Jesus] said, ‘As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down.’

I didn't read the text, instead I invited people to go in their imagination to a place they consider especially beautiful, and to savour the feelings such imagination invoked.  And then to hear someone say, as Jesus did, "see this, one day soon it'll all be gone."

Oh my! Who could have predicted that the very next day fire would rip through Notre Dame cathedral in Paris destroying the spire?

The photo at the top of this post was taken from a river cruise on the Seine when I visited Paris with my chemo-buddies in 2016.  For me, the memory is less about the place - and it is a stunning building -  than about the people.  It's desperately sad that the spire has been destroyed and so much damage caused, but for me it is more significant that no-one was injured or killed.  Hopefully the bulding can be repaired/restored; it will take longer for the broken hearts of those who love it to mend.

Note to self, though, be careful what you preach on... the unfounded guilt levels were riding high last night!