What Steeples Say

Church steeples are one of those things you see all the time, yet they may never really come to the forefront of your mind.  And by the way, Goshen has a terrific steeple—but are you “listening” to what it says?  Yes, steeples talk.  So what’s the big idea?  What ideas and aims have driven church architecture over the centuries to adorn worship buildings with these tall, pointed fixtures?

Church steeples have had two primary functions.  First, historically they’ve served as a visual signal to direct the people of a given village or region to the church building.  Especially travelers could benefit from such a clear marker on the horizon:  “Come and worship the Lord!” As church bells have done with sound, so the lofty church spire has done for our sense of sight (you might say it’s the ancient version of “Google Maps”).

Second, steeples are an elaborate architectural metaphor—a symbol pointing to heaven, directing our minds and hearts upward to the Lord.  Now, of course, God isn’t “located” up in the sky; he’s present everywhere with his people (Psalm 139:7-10).  But we use physical positions and directions to allude to the uniqueness of God.  Height is symbolic of supremacy, and elevation suggests oversight.  In other words, the steeple speaks of God.

It took 100 years to build the Salisbury Cathedral in England (from 1220 to 1320), and its spire reaches 404 feet above the ground.  Imagine being on the medieval construction crew that attached the last stone structure at the very top!

I have to give a lot of credit the architects and builders of so many ancient cathedrals:  they went to great lengths (or heights!) to say that God is majestic and magnificent—worthy of all praise!  They made heroic efforts to show the supremacy of God over all other beings and forces and rulers and institutions—over all things!  So, let’s make sure we get the point (sorry for the pun):  look up, take a hint from our steeple, and “Come and worship the Lord.”