Valley Forge

Today's outing with the Grandparents was to Valley Forge. (Did I mention they were visiting?) The weather was beautiful and we had an enjoyable time.

Being the tour bus driver, I didn't have many opportunities to take photos. At Washington Memorial Chapel I couldn't resist handing Baby off to DH so I could take a few and enjoy the grounds. It is a gorgeous gem. Although, I did read in the pamphlet later that George Washington never set foot in the place, it's only 106 years old. So I felt a little misled, but it is a magnificent tribute none the less.

R and A walking by the church

As we walked in I was overwhelmed by the smell of flowers. I thought it might have been incense, but as I walked towards the pulpit I saw that it was surrounded by potted flowers, mostly Easter lilies. I had a 'duh' moment when I realized that the chapel was full of Easter worshipers 24 hours before.

Worshipers, that's a funny word when you break it down. I wonder if it is related to a Christian fact I read about in Humanities class. In the early days of Christianity churches were built in a specific way. There was an atrium or courtyard where the worshipers washed themselves before entering the main area of the church, or nave. The nave is where all those listening to the sermon would sit. My textbook said this area was compared to the hold of a ship. Believers felt they were traveling through life in this ship together and they would all, together, reach their ultimate destination - heaven, which was symbolized by another area of the church building.

If you think about the way rows of benches are aligned in a chapel it does remind you of the rows of benches in the cargo hold of old ships. I thought of it today while viewing this beautiful church today, with the benches neatly aligned.

(sorry, not a great photo)

Another interesting tidbit, the anchor was used as a symbol of hope. The sense I make of that is that Christ is the anchor of the ship, the church, and because of him believers have hope. It was neat to see these symbols today, in a church built 2000 years after they were first introduced by Christian worshipers.

there was an anchor on a ceiling medallion in the cloisters that is similar to this one