Lübeck Cathedral is a large brick Lutheran church in Lübeck, Germany and is considered a World Heritage Site. Its construction began in 1173 by Henry the Lion, one of the most powerful German princes of his time.
The cathedral was partly destroyed by a bombing raid in World War II. Reconstruction of the church took several decades, with work being completed in 1982.
Yet, Lübeck is best known for an anonymous inscription inside the Cathedral. Though the church itself now supports controversial positions, the inscription is quite attention-getting, and I pull it out from time to time to read it:
Thus speaketh Christ our Lord to us:
Ye call Me Master and obey Me not. Ye call Me Light and see Me not.
Ye call Me Way and walk Me not. Ye call Me Life and choose Me not.
Ye call Me Wise and follow Me not. Ye call Me Fair and love Me not.
Ye call Me Rich and ask Me not. Ye call Me Eternal and seek Me not.
Ye call Me Noble and serve Me not. Ye call Me Gracious and trust Me not.
Ye call Me Might and honor Me not. Ye call Me Just and fear Me not.
If I condemn you, blame Me not.
A very old warning inside a very old church and it applies just a much today as it did when it was freshly inscribed. Thought provoking, isn’t it?
“He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.” (John 1:10)
– Susan Lockhart (adapted)