Jesus Goes up in Flames

Well, in case you didn't see the news story online, the big news here in Southwest Ohio is that "Big Butter Jesus" has burned to the ground. I'm not sure if it was a fluke of nature or a sign from God. I guess it depends on your perspective.
You may remember that "Big Butter Jesus" was a giant sculpture at a church in Monroe, Ohio along Interstate 75. Officially titled "King of Kings", this giant statue of Jesus at the Solid Rock Church was struck by lightning last night and all but the steel internal structure went up in flames. The statue was made of fiberglass and foam and therefore was both highly flammable and highly toxic.
Here's a link to the article about the fire: http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/dayton-news/jesus-statue-destroyed-by-fire-762245.html

There are so many directions I could go with this. It seems that the "King of Kings" was highly toxic probably not very good for the ozone layer. It's ironic that a statue of Jesus would be harmful to the environment. Some of the church members were interviewed and felt as if God was sending them a message. They were just trying to figure out what it was. I can't begin to imagine what those traveling along Interstate 75 must have thought as they saw this giant ball of flame along the highway. I've seen a few photos of it with the article at the link above and it looks like it burned very brightly and very fast. I bet you could see it for miles.
The pastor has already been quoted as saying that they will rebuild the statue anew. The current estimates are that $700,000 of damage was done to the statue and church's amplitheater. My personal opinion is that this church's money could be spent in a better way. The statue originally cost $250,000 to build. With that much money, the church could have sponsored five Habitat for Humanity homes. If the church members are asking what message God is sending them, this might just be it. Maybe they could send a whole new message about Christ's love by serving the least of these in the TriState region. If the statue's purpose was to witness to Christ, I can't think of a better way to do it than to help provide safe, decent, and affordable homes for five families in need. However, I'm not sure the church will get the point.

One of my favorite quotes in the news article follows:

“God struck God, I like the irony. Jesus struck Jesus,” said Dawn Smith, 25, of Hamilton, who was among those standing outside the vehicles along Union Road. “I had to see it. What else are you going to do on a Monday night?”

I'm not sure I can really add to that.

I hope you are having a great week. Thanks for being a part of my journey!