SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2007

THE EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

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Dear Friends in Our Lord Jesus:

A few years ago, a class of junior high students took a practice test about the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The students were asked to write down their answers and then take part in the discussion that followed.

The famous list of “wonders,” compiled by Philo of Byzantium in the First Century AD, included the great archeological sites known to the ancient Greeks and Romans. The list included the Great Pyramids of Egypt, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the great Lighthouse (Pharos) of Alexandria, the Colossus of Rhodes, the Temple of Zeus at Olympia, the Temple of Diana (Artemis) in Ephesus, and the Tomb of Mausollos in Halicarnassus. (Only one of the seven -- the Great Pyramid -- survives to this day.)

Several students listed other “wonders” -- the Empire State Building, the Eiffel Tower, the Astrodome, the Panama Canal, the Great Wall of China, and the Taj Mahal.

One young girl, though, was having trouble coming up with all seven wonders. The teacher asked if she needed help.

The youngster replied: “No, not really. There are so many of them I couldn’t decide which seven to list.”

The teacher said: “Why don’t you tell us what you wrote, and maybe we can help.”

The girl hesitated a moment and then responded: “I believe the Seven Wonders of the World are (1) to touch, (2) to taste, (3) to see, (4) to hear.” She paused before continuing: “(5) To run, (6) to laugh, and (7) to love. These are the Seven Wonders of the World.”

As we begin this new week, let us also take time to look at the God-given wonders of our own lives.

-- The Very Rev. Dr. Steve Sellers +