Reconciliation

In 1043 Earl Leofric and his wife, Lady Godiva (The one who rode naked through the streets of Coventry to protest the heavy taxes her husband had imposed on the people. Her protest turned out to be very effective!) endowed the building of a small Benedictine monastary in Coventry, England. By the 14th century, it had grown into one of the largest parish churches of the country and was officially raised to the status of St. Michael's Cathedral.
On November 14, 1940, in an air attack by the German Luftwaffe, the cathedral was demolished except for, amazingly, the tower and the underground crypts. It was decided to not tear down the ruins of the church, but to leave them as a memorial and build a new Cathedral right next them.
Last week, Eddie and I were able to visit St. Michael's Cathedral. I don't know when I have been in a setting that was so peaceful and at the same time so majestic. And each piece of artwork has been carefully chosen to induce thoughtful meditation.
The ongoing theme in the church is that of reconciliation. "to reconcile: To re-establish friendship, to settle or resolve a dispute, to bring oneself to accept." Now that is a very large order for a people to experience reconciliation with the people who destroyed their lives and their beloved cathedral.
From the smoldering embers of the bombed church were taken 3 charred iron nails from the roof to be formed into the shape of a cross. This has become a symbol of peace and reconciliation for the people of Britain and copies of this cross have been sent around the world.
The first recipient of the "Cross of Nails" was the Kaiser Wilhelm Gedächtniskirche in Berlin. How appropriate! The Gedächtniskirche in Berlin was also nearly destroyed in air attacks by the British. Many lives were lost and a beautiful and ancient church was bombed almost to the ground. The ruins of the original church have also been kept as they were as a memorial to the tragedy of war. And in that church there sits a "Cross of Nails". An exact copy of the one in Coventry.
2 Corinthians 5:
¹⁷Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

¹⁸Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation,

¹⁹namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

²⁰Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.