Lalibela

About 800 years ago, the Ethiopian Orthodox Church gave quite a gift to the world of architecture. Lalibela, in northern Ethiopia has a number of stone churches, unique in that they were built by carving stone out of the ground, and carrying away everything that was not part of the church they were building. I've included a couple photos, since the concept is a bit hard to describe if you haven't seen pictures before. A great photo gallery can be found here.

I've been somewhat fascinated by these buildings lately, maybe a little more because there is a chance we could end up living in Ethiopia for a couple years of medical training. But more fascinating is the idea of worshipping in a hole carved out of the ground. In a larger sense, it may be more often than we realize that God carves a part of us out, in order to create a space for worship.

So I wrote a song. As Rachel often reminds me, lyrics without music are incredibly incomplete, which is true but somewhat unavoidable in this medium. Maybe this will mean something to you.

Lalibela (God hews out of stone)

africa has holes, carved deep in the ground

solemn joy centuries agorubble washed away

pick and spade swing down

ardor lets the heavens in below

God hews out of stone
All we call our own

Severe, your mercy falls

Leaving love to grow

As it echoes off the wall

so the woman at the well asks the Teacher where

worship will be offered at its best

the temple or the hills, but we descend the stair

and worship within the emptiness

i wouldn't let it go, but you could take it from my side

carve it out, and give me breath again

let the heavens blow, and push the oceans wide

space where ardor hears the praise begin