Hello ,
In our generation movie theater lobbies are plain but necessary entrances. They are a place where you deposit your ticket or purchase your popcorn, candy, and beverage.
But in the hard days of the Great Depression, the lobbies of show palaces were places of awe-inspiring beauty. (See the above image of The Los Angeles Theater, built between 1911-1931.)
The typical lobby was a feast for the eyes because it was designed to offer a transition from the grind of daily life. Theater architects wanted moviegoers to feel a sense of anticipation for what was coming next. Vaulted ceilings, museum-worthy art, lush tapestries, beautiful fixtures, and uniformed ushers gave customers a sneak-peak at what they could expect once they entered the theater itself.
During the Depression era, movie tickets cost about 27 cents apiece. That wasn't cheap for those times, but movies offered Americans a chance to escape loneliness and fear, bringing strangers together for a moment of beauty and hope.
I'm not a customer of theaters, but I do appreciate the beautiful architecture that many of them displayed. I'd love to have the opportunity to visit some of these old theaters and enjoy the craftsmanship that went into building them.
These places were a sort of "respite" from the hum-drum daily life for so many people in the hard-scrabble existence of the Depression era.
"Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also." John 14:1-3
In a small way, the body of Christ should be like those classic theaters. God has called us to give the world a preliminary picture of another world (not an imaginary film world,) but a real world filled with God's glory. We help people get excited about God's kingdom and our heavenly home when we display "out-of-the ordinary" beauty of character, love, and compassion.
Even in our sin and brokenness, we're called to model a way of life that is different from the world around us. Our love, our hope, our forgiveness should offer the world the beautiful alternative of life with Christ.
Have a great day and God bless!
Pastor Mike / The Open Word
