The Windsor Guildhall is the town hall of the town of Windsor, in the English county of Berkshire.  It is located on the High Street, about 100 meters from Castle Hill, which leads to the main public entrance to Windsor Castle.

The erection of the present guildhall was begun in 1687, under the direction of Sir Thomas Fitz, but on his death in 1689, the task was taken over by Sir Christopher Wren.  The new building was designed by Wren to be supported around its perimeter by eighteen stone columns, so that, like its predecessor, it would provide a covered area beneath it for the holding of corn markets.

The town councilors protested to the great architect that his design would never work.  Eighteen pillars would not be enough to support the weight of the building, and the whole thing would collapse.

Christopher Wren insisted that his design was solid and safe, and an argument ensued.  The end result was that Christopher Wren agreed to add four more columns into his design.  They were to be placed in the interior of the building.

But Christopher Wren had the last laugh!  When he designed the four inner pillars, he deliberately designed them to be two inches too short; the tops of the columns did not even touch the beams of the ceiling.  They bore no weight at all!

Apparently, at some point through the years, wooden shims or tiles have been placed above the pillars to fill the space that Wren had left.  But Christopher Wren knew what he was doing; for centuries this building stood strong and tall without those center columns supporting any weight.

In Acts 4, we read how the religious leaders of the Jews - the rulers, elders and teachers of the law – brought Peter and John, apostles of Jesus Christ, to meet with them concerning the healing of a lame man (see Acts 3).  They asked, “By what power or by what name have you done this?”

Peter responded: “Let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole.  This is the 'stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone’ [a quotation from Psalm 118:22].  Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:10-12).

Some reject Him, but Jesus is the Rock of our salvation from sin; He is our Pillar of strength.  He died on the cross for our sins and rose again by the power of God.  There is no other foundation upon which we can stand and be saved (1 Corinthians 3:11).

God will save from sin and give eternal life to those who place their faith and trust in Jesus (Acts 16:30-31), turn from their sin in repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confess Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10), and are baptized (immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38).  He will continue to cleanse from sin those who continue to walk in the light of His Word (1 John 1:7).

Won’t YOU take your stand upon the solid foundation of Jesus Christ, the Pillar of strength, through your trusting obedience?  “All other ground is sinking sand.”  All other pillars will crumble.

-- David A. Sargent

* Information gleaned from “The Windsor Guildhall - A Story with a Spiritual Lesson”, posted by Douglas Twitchell, in http://www.biblical-illuminations.com and “Windsor Guildhall” in www.Wikipedia.org

David A. Sargent, Minister

Church of Christ at Creekwood 
1901 Schillinger Rd. S.
Mobile, Alabama  36695

Archived issues of Living Water can be viewed and accessed from our website at: www.creekwoodcc.org