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London: Day 5, Part 2, Wimbledon
From worship at St. Pauls we hopped on the tube and about 45 minutes later were at another temple: Centre Court at Wimbledon. It was interesting to see. It’s basically a really big country club, minus the golf course, covered instead in tennis courts. (There’s a golf course across the street.)
Located in more relaxed and quaint village in London, Wimbledon is a private, member’s only club. They say the easiest way to get a membership in Wimbledon is to win the tournament. Though membership in Wimbledon isn’t just a matter of money, it’s also a question of “What have you done for tennis?” I think that’s a good question.
There is a museum with interactive displays, a gift shop, and of course, a tour of Centre Court which is only used during the two weeks of the tournament in June of each year. But they’ll make an exception in a couple of years when the Olympics hit London.
It might interest you to know that they know the height of the grass on Centre Court down to the millimeter. I believe I recall them saying six millimeters was the perfect length. It was at 8 mm when we were there. They only cut off 1 mm at a time in order to maintain the health of the grass.
Wimbledon is one of those take it or leave it things in London. If you like tennis, as my daughter does, then I’d say it’s a must do. If you don’t care so much about tennis, I’d only do Wimbledon if I had lots of extra time and nothing else I wanted to see. That said, I’m glad we did it. Madison enjoyed it. It was kind of cool. The village was relaxed. And, I can say “I’ve been there.”
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London: Day 5, Part 1, St. Paul’s Cathedral
You know how much I bragged about Westminster Abbey in a previous piece, well, double it and you’ve got St. Paul’s Cathedral. The both have a lot of dead guys in the floors. They both are works of architectural splendor that they defy spoken description. They must be “felt” and “sensed” more than talked about. I told Kelly that I’d like to lay on my back in the middle of St. Pauls rotunda and just stare some 400 feet upward at the marvelous frescos on the ceiling. Indeed, this trip could necessitate a follow-up to Rome to see Michelangelo’s work.
The songs ever soar upward magnificently in both these places. The history is palpable. I could sit in either and observe for a long time and be blissfully contented.
St. Paul’s is “newer” if you can say that about a building that is still several hundred years old. A cathedral of some type has actually sat on the site since about 600 a.d. The present building dates back 500 years or so (it all gets kind of mushy when you think back that far). We’re talking the middle-ages; the time of Columbus and Napoleon (whose military nemesis is buried in the crypt of St. Pauls).
In a way I’d say Westminster is dark and St. Paul’s is light---we’re talking the color of the construction and the use of windows. There’s a lot more art at St. Paul’s.
One striking feature of St. Paul’s was the baptismal font. It was large, I’m guessing might have held 100 gallons of water (though it was a bird bath for dipping, not a tank for dunking). It was the location that I thought so interesting. It’s right inside the 30’ tall front doors. When you enter the church through the main front door, you can see several hundred feet through the High Alter and beyond, but the first thing you have to navigate around is the baptismal font.
The symbolism of the font’s location is significant. Baptism is the sign of entry into the Christian faith. We says baptism is a ceremony---an outward sign signifying an inward commitment. It is to faith, what a wedding is to marriage. At St. Paul’s the first thing you have to “deal with” immediately upon entering the nave is this issue of “am I in or out”? I like that! In fact I think---if I thought we should actually be building more buildings, I mostly don’t but that’s another topic---that we should mimic this idea and put baptisteries front and center at the entrance to our houses of worship. Many pastors emphasize baptism and want to have a baptism at every service. Why not take it a step further and design our architecture to symbolize the importance of the symbol by making it the first thing you encounter when you enter the meeting house?
A final crass and I hope comic thought that came to me while at St. Pauls. I was watching the people coming and going; tourists from every part of the globe all convening on this place to see this building and the thought occurred to me “This is their Bass Pro.” You see, I live in Springfield, Missouri, location of the world’s largest outdoor sporting goods store “The Grandaddy of them all” as they like to say. You folks in other parts of the U.S. who also have a Bass Pro store don’t really understand. What you really have is more of a catalog outlet. Springfield has “The Grandaddy of them all.” Hundreds of thousands of people a year comed to Springfield merely to see this store. So it occurred to me that St. Paul’s was London’s Bass Pro.
Uhm, Johnny (that’s the owner of BP). I appreciate the craftsmanship and décor you put into your stores, but you’re gonna have to step up your game to compete in London.
I can’t say enough good about St. Paul’s and Westminster Abbey. I’ll repeat what I said before: It’s worth the trip to London just to see these two things. If I had to choose between the two of them----I’d do both!
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London: Some Things to Avoid
Today I found a few things that I wouldn’t recommend. The Ben Franklin House, Harrods, and The Sherlock Holmes Museum top the list.
If you are a Sherlock Holmes fan, by all means go. You’ll enjoy it. Just didn’t do much for me.
I am a Ben Franklin fan, but there just wasn’t much in the way of content.
For my money avoid The London Eye. This is an enormous Ferris Wheel. My guess is that it’s the world’s tallest. It’s literally right outside my hotel room window. They put you in capsules that will hold about 20 people for the ride.
I don’t do heights. Put me up high in an enclosed space with several other people moving rapidly and jabbering……its not a pretty picture. If you are like my family—a bit adventurous and heights don’t bother you—then by all means ride the Eye. But if you are like me and could take it or leave it, leave it.
Finally, there is the venerable Harrods department store; a bit bigger, definitely fancier, but still, just a big department store. Their motto should be “ridiculously overpriced.” I saw shoes I’m pretty sure I could buy in Springfield for $75. They were $300. I’ve been needing a wallet and thought it might be fun to get one at Harrods. I generally spend about $25 on a leather wallet and carry it for five years. The leather wallets at Harrods were $150 so I had to decide: new wallet and no money to go in it? Or, keep my worn and ratty one? Guess what I decided?
As a guy who only goes to the mall maybe once a year, department stores aren’t my gig. So, in my opinion, if you are on a compressed time schedule and have to cut something from your visit to London, cut Harrods. You won’t be any worse for it.
June 6, 2010
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Did you know the Star Spangled Banner had FOUR verses? I had no idea until Larry Golden posted a message on Facebook of a retired marine spontaneously singing the fourth verse. Notice particularly the words in that fourth verse. Wow!
Oh, say, can you see, by the dawn’s early light,
What so proudly we hail’d at the twilight’s last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, thro’ the perilous fight,
O’er the ramparts we watch’d, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket’s red glare, the bombs bursting in air
Gave proof thro’ the night that our flag was still there.
Oh, say, does that Star-Spangled Banner yet wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?Second Verse
On the shore dimly seen, thro’ the mists of the deep,
Where the foe’s haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o’er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning’s first beam,
In full glory reflected, now shines in the stream;
‘Tis the Star-Spangled Banner, Oh long may it wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.Third Verse
And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle’s confusion
A home and a country should leave us no more?
Their blood has wash’d out their foul footstep’s pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave,
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.Fourth Verse
Oh, thus be it ever when free men shall stand
Between their loved homes and the war’s desolation!
Blest with vict’ry and peace, may the heav’n rescued land
Praise the Pow’r that hath made and preserved us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto, “In God is our trust”
And the Star-Spangled Banner in triumph shall wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
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While in London we attended the Lyceum Theatre production of the Lion King. Fabulous! Amazing! Inspiring! I love the music, performed in the original movie by Elton John, and the costuming was magnificent. It’s a show that won’t disappoint.
The celebratory music of Lion King always brings me to tears. It did in 1994 when I first saw the movie, and did again last night when I saw the live production. I think its because there is a spiritual theme in the show. Some folks say they don’t see it, but I think it contains more Christian metaphor than in any other piece of modern theatrical art I know of. In fact, I’ll take it a step further: there was more genuine worship in the Lyceum than in either of the worship services I experienced at Westminster Abbey or St. Paul’s Cathedral, though I’ll grant the majority of the “worshipers” didn’t recognize it. Let me explain:
Lion King opens with a scene of much jubilation. There is dancing across the savannah. All creation is engaged in a display of joy culminating in a John-the-Baptist figure (The Baboon) lifting the baby Simba in presentation before all his subjects in a “behold the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world” sort of way.
Mufasa is God the Father. Simba is Jesus. Scar is Satan-the-Accuser loading guilt on Simba for Mufasa’s death. The Baboon, playing an additional role, is the Holy Spirit, prompting, guiding, and providing insight during times of confusion. To make it even better the Baboon was played by a large black woman. She had that encouraging manner about her, a happy and large “everything-will-be-alright” kind of voice, and her round appearance gave her a comfortable, hug-able quality.
Obviously, Lion King is a work of fiction so the analogy doesn’t perfectly fit at every juncture. But at a macro level it does, and you’d expect people who don’t know God to write a piece that might demonstrate much spiritual truth but be missing in the micro-level specifics.
Think about what happens in the whole of the work. When Scar killed Mufasa and ran Simba off, then the pride was without their God figure and they suffered for it. The lands began to diminish in their abundant bounty. The pride ran out of food and water. Chaos reigned in the form of Scar’s henchmen the hyenas (Satan’s demons) terrorizing the land.
Isn’t that what we experience when God is not in his rightful place in our lives? We are terrorized by chaos. We live a life that is less than it could be. We suffer.
But in the play, as in our lives, when the King is restored to his rightful place he brings order and banishes chaos. In one final victorious act Simba threw Scar from the top of pride-rock into the abyss to be eternally tortured by the hyenas. The pride lands begin to flourish. The King’s subjects began to experience bliss as evidenced by their dancing and joyful singing. They were worshipping.
That’s our experience. When Christ is placed in his rightful position the chaos in our life begins to abate. We begin to flourish. Jesus said it would happen when he told the disciples “I have come that you might have a more abundant life.” That’s what Simba gave to the pride. It’s what Christ offers to you and me.
I love the Lion King. I’m caught up in worship as I experience it. It moves me to tears. Whereever it is playing I’d encourage you to attend and observe through the lens I’ve offered. See if you don’t experience what I’m talking about.
Thank God that in the land of Abbeys and Cathedrals so beautiful and yet so lacking that we still have Lion King. What’s the scripture say? If you fail to worship the very rocks will cry out. All creation gives praise in the Lion King.
Amen.
June 5, 2010
