On Tour in St. Augustine

A few weeks ago,  Ann and I took a trip to St. Augustine, Florida.   The area had so many things that make for a great destination:  historic beauty, glorious natural scenery, and warm weather. One day during our trip, we went on a trolley tour of historic St. Augustine.  Since I am a pastor, I was especially interested in seeing some of the historic churches in the area.  One of the churches we toured was Memorial Presbyterian Church.   It is a beautiful edifice, and explains why news outlets like CNN and USA Today claim that it is one of the most beautiful Protestant churches in the world.  

The church building was built in 1889.  As beautiful as the building is, I found the story behind the building very fascinating.    The cost of the building was paid for by a businessman named Henry Flagler.  When his daughter, Jennie Louise Benedict died following complications from childbirth, Flagler built the church building in memory of Jennie and her child, Marjorie. Workers on the edifice worked continually as Flagler wanted the building completed by the first anniversary of Jennie’s death.    The building was completed a few days before the one year anniversary    While Memorial Presbyterian Church is an active congregation serving the Lord and the community, its building also is monument to Jennie and her infant child.    When Henry Flagler died in 1913, he was interred in a marble mausoleum within the church beside his daughter Jennie Louise, her infant child Marjorie, and his first wife Mary Harkness Flagler.

Henry Flagler erected the building of Memorial Presbyterian Church as a monument to remember his daughter, Jennie, and her child.  The ancient Israelites had their monuments of remembrance too.   We read in I Samuel 7:12 about a monument that Samuel erected.  He called it an “Ebenezer” remembering how the Lord helped the Israelites in their battle against the Philistines.  Whenever the Israelites saw the Ebenezer, they would remember how the Lord helped them in the past.  

When I look back over my life,  there are many times when God has helped me.    If you think about it,  I am sure you can say the same.   What are the Ebenezers  and monuments in your life that remind you how God has helped you?   Have a joy-filled week.--  Pastor Randy Wall  

Prayer:    Thank you, Lord, for all the times you have helped me in so many ways in my life.   Give me a heart to remember your goodness and faithfulness;  through Christ our Lord.  Amen.