Bigger than a Statue

Sometimes it's hard to get past the assumption that bigger is better: a larger size + more money + broader experience + greater time invested = better results, right? In our 21st-century western American biggie-size culture, the answer invariably is an all-caps "YES!" And in our faith, more of Jesus is a daily desire, of course, but a bigger Jesus? Must we?

In the small Brazilian town of Encantando, the community has rallied together to raise enough money to build an enormous "Christ the Protector" statue that will stand even taller than its photogenic predecessor in Rio de Janeiro, "Christ the Redeemer." The 141-foot steel and concrete Encantando statue will be the third tallest monument of Jesus in the world, standing 16 feet taller than Rio's Jesus and falling just behind the 172-foot Jesus statue in Lisbon, Poland, and a 249-foot construction underway in Mexico.

A father-son team is working to build the Encantando statue -- sculptor Genesio Gomes Moura and his son Markus Moura -- and the construction that began in July 2019 is slated to finish later this year. Workers installed Jesus' head and arms last week, and an interior elevator promises to lift tourists to a glass lookout point at the height of Jesus' heart. The project is priced at about $353,000 total, and organizers are seeking donations to complete the work (for more details, look here).

While the views of the valley below will undoubtedly be stunning and the image of Jesus' loving, outstretched arms is comforting, how does the world encounter a church in competition with itself to present the biggest deity? Encantando's Christ the Protector statue will join a remarkable list of gold, bronze, stone, and concrete deity statues worldwide, from Buddha and various Hindu gods to Confucius and a handful of political figures. The tallest by nearly 200 feet is the massive "Statue of Unity" in Gujarat, India. Constructed of donated scrap iron, the 2018 monolithic 597-foot statue depicts Vallabhbhai Patel (1875-1950), the first Deputy Prime Minister of independent India and a follower of Mahatma Gandhi. For a glimpse at some of the world's tallest statues, see this photo collage from The Atlantic magazine.

As we strive to bring the peace and hope of Jesus Christ to those we encounter, how do we account for competitions like these, echoes of Aaron's golden calf in Exodus 32? How do we acknowledge the irony and yet point to the wisdom that the living Savior is not a statue but a miraculous truth, that His presence need not be measured in iron or scrap metal when his steadfast love is almighty and immeasurable?

Hear these words from Isaiah 54:10:

"Though the mountains be shaken

and the hills be removed,

yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken

nor my covenant of peace be removed,"

says the Lord, who has compassion on you.”

Thank goodness our God is bigger than any statue and greater than any human plan, as ambitious and well-intended as either may be.

May the love of Christ fill your days this week. Enjoy the sunshine.

Jennie