Some words just sound cool when you say them –they have vibe. The word relic is like that for me, I’ve always been enamored with the word. There was a Pink Floyd album named Relic (a moment of reverent silence please), but it’s the word relic itself that I love. The idea of an ancient artifact encrusted with dirt uncovered in some moldering tomb, giving testimony to the past – it’s a magical thought for me. I love the fantasy of uncovering a relic of a lost civilization; Mayan, or of Avalon or Atlantis. Some men never fully forsake the childhood that resides in their hearts.
A relic in the religious sense of the word speaks a different testimony to me. The very concept of a "religious relic" vacuums the magic right out of the term. Relics in the ancient church were (often but not always) actual body parts of dead saints kept in churches for the perceived benefit of worshippers. The idea was that the bodies of these dead Saints still held some power; common thought was that you could be blessed by viewing these sacred remains. Some wealthy people actually bought and collected relics at various times in history.
In Hungary this summer I viewed an ancient church relic; the severed hand of Saint Stephen, the first Christian king of Hungary. Steve’s funky old hand is seen here resting encased in its small golden shrine.
The tiny shrine of the hand is kept behind glass in a small room of Budapest’s St. Stephen’s Basilica. It is a truly strange item to behold. It’s inane to believe that the remains of people could hold miraculous power to heal, raise the dead, or impart blessing - but it was common thought in ages past and is still believed by some.
Why did people flock to view these relics? Maybe it was the longing for ocular evidence of the invisible God’s power. Possibly we humans long to see something of God to comfort us on the long walk. I want to see God and I am seeing God as He has revealed Himself in his Son. The Bible tells us that when you see Jesus clearly you have seen the invisible One.
Colossians 1:15 He (speaking of Jesus) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. NIV
Hebrews 1:3 The Son (Jesus) is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being. NIV
John 14:9-10 Jesus answered: "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? NIV
The Book tells us if we want to know what God the Father is like, look at Jesus. I’m seeing Him as I read His story in the Gospels. Have you seen God lately? I hope you’ll look for Him in the excellent life of Jesus. The more I study His words and actions, the clearer the Father comes into focus.
The power of God won’t be found in the crusty palm of St. Stephen or any other relic, it will be found in the living body of Jesus.
More details about church relics can be found here.
