On the Periodic Table of earth elements, gold is found in the middle of pack, at number 79. So while the shining yellow metal is just another lump or two in the great planetary array of substances, it is, and has always been, coveted and collected by us humans.
Gold has a curious effect on us. Through the ages, people have assigned many meanings and uses for the lustrous stuff.
I have seen gold on a few occasions in my life. Like most folks, I am fascinated with the sight of it. Here are a few pics of the bright metal I have collected. While pondering what gold represents, I made a list. For what it’s worth, here’s my take on what gold means to us.
~~~Gold as Wonder
Amazing how . . . ?
~~~Gold as Beauty
~~~Gold as Value
~~~Gold as Religious Ceremony
An altar in a Catholic Church in Rome
~~~Gold as Authority
This gold-tipped mast and dome is seen at the top of San Francisco City Hall.
~~~Gold as Power
In this room, the last emperor of the Hapsburg empire, Karl I of Austria, renounced all claims of royal authority over nations and empire. The renunciation took place November 11, 1918, the last day of World War I.
World War had begun in 1914 after his uncle, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, was assassinated in Sarajevo, Serbia, which was at that time a part of the Hapsburg Austrian empire.
From that point and time in history, the many families, dynasties, kingdoms, and empires of royal authority who have ruled the world for so long . . . began their slow, modern slipping into mere ceremony, and —many would say—irrelevance.
This room in the Schonbrunn palace, near Vienna, is now property of the Republic of Austria.
~~~Gold as Precious
a golden moment of precious repose, reflection and contemplation
~~~Gold as Fidelity
Good as gold. . . in our case, 39 years and continuing.
~~~Gold as Heaven
“. . . and the street of that city was pure gold.” (Revelation 21:21)
I haven’t seen this one yet, but one day I will, thanks to Jesus, who was resurrected after being nailed to a cross.
