I used to have an office on the ninth floor of a building, and from its window I could see an old New England church. Probably, long ago, its steeple was the highest architectural point for many miles. Often the bells in the church tower would chime, adding pleasant sounds to the city noises below.
In many cultures church bells have served varied purposes. Their ringing has called townspeople to the inspiration of worship, the joys of a wedding, the memory of a friend. The bells sometimes rang a community warning, too. The height of the steeple literally and symbolically served as a landmark for residents and travelers.
Nowadays urban development has dwarfed many church buildings, crowding around them high-rise apartments and offices. While physical prominence may no longer be as important as it used to be, the church's spiritual role is still vital. Through it, people learn of God, who, the Bible tells us, "hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began." II Tim. 1:9.
