They demolished the Christian school building next door to our church. The school is now in a new building on the next road over. As the old building was demolished, I documented the process on Instagram, and as I’ve been sharing pictures, people from our community have had something to say about it.
Most people are sad about it. People have strong memories of that place and the era it represents. The days when the school was first built were the “glory days” for many in our community. There was enough money for a school, a full sanctuary for worship, and a strong sense of community in our area. That old building represented some of the best times people can remember, and the demolition makes it feel like those times are over.
I’m a newcomer to this place, but I understand the feeling of “glory days.” There are seasons in life we can point to as “the best.” There’s a picture I keep of the staff dorm at a camp in eastern Ontario. I spent a spring working there, and it was one of the best times of my life. I have often wished to recover that feeling—the sense of community among my coworkers over those two months. I think most people have their own version of this. Something about the mix of people and events God brings into our lives brings us a season of joy. Then it ends. In our minds it becomes the glory days and occupies an outsized place in our memories. We can sometimes forget the truth of what it was like or how short a time it was.
There’s an interesting exchange at the end of the gospel of John. Mary Magdalene is speaking to a man she does not at first recognize, but when she realizes the man is Jesus, raised from the dead, she cries out in excitement and joy. Jesus responds by saying, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father” (John 20:17). In Mary’s joy, there must have been memories of her glory days. She and all the disciples must have remembered Jesus’ earthly ministry fondly. Jesus’ response urges Mary to keep moving, though. Mary and the disciples were about to experience something new: days filled with the power of the Holy Spirit and new brothers and sisters in Christ added to the fold. It was different from before, but also filled with glory.
The hopeful thing I take from Jesus’ words to Mary is a reminder to look forward, to receive with gratitude the seasons of blessing and glory as they come, and then to keep moving when it comes to an end. In my own experience, there are waves of good times throughout life. No period of glory days lasts forever—they knock down the school, or a season of close friendships ends. But God seems to move us into new kinds of glory days. Each one is different, none lasts forever, and none is the last.
When they knock down the symbol of one of these times from the past, it doesn’t knock down joy forever. It just reminds me to look ahead to the next thing—a new glory day for the future, coming to climax in Jesus’ return.
About the Author
Ben Gresik serves as the pastor of Holland Marsh Christian Reformed Church near Newmarket, Ont. He lives next door to the church with his wife, Amanda, and their two dogs.
