Inside the Rock

"Is there any God besides me? No, there is no other Rock . . ." In the book of Isaiah, the prophet indicates that God consider himself the Rock, the solid base for life. Inside the powerful grotto that the Lutheran Church has built in Helsinki, it is easy to see how wonderful a place it must be to worship. The feeling of strength is clear, the sound of quiet strength is massive. Light pours in through the skylights and reflects onto the copper ceiling, a work of art of its own.

In the tour guidebook, it sounded like an interesting oddity. In actuality, the Rock Church was another in a series of wonderful, positive surprises we found in Europe. A poem:

ROCK IN HELSINKI

Neighbors accepted the proposed church in Lutheran Helsinki;
Arguing only that they preferred not to have a tall cathedral
Right in the middle of their downtown. Problem was solved
When they blasted one out of the solid granite under the city.
Inside on a sunny summer midday, all the congregation gone,
Buses full of tourists file through to see the creative result.
This fortunate parish wound up with a big-city Lutheran grotto,
A holy place where we were proud to light a candle.

Next post: chasing wild geese in Helsinki.