Back in 2013 Cheryl and I were in Pennsylvania for a convention. After that we spent about five days exploring the state. One fo the things we were able to see is Fallingwater. A department store owner from Pittsburgh named Kaufmann had the place built as a summer home during the Great Depression. The thing that makes this house so special is that it is built over a waterfall. Oh, and it was designed by a fellow named Frank Lloyd Wright.

The place is a thing of beauty. It seems to hang in midair as it extends out over the stream and waterfall. It is an example of what Mr. Wright called “organic architecture.” The way I understand this concept, it means the place should look like it belongs there. It uses materials from the area and blends in well with its surroundings. Find a picture of the place online. It fits. Inside, however, it provided modern conveniences and comfort. It was a retreat, a haven, and a shelter. But it was not a natural occurrence. It was different.

As the tour guide was going through the explanation of this place, I was reminded of how our Lord Jesus was willing to come down to this earth and live among us as one of us. He fit in. He looked like He belonged, He blended in. But inside, He was very different. The rest of us are filled with sin and corruption. The desires of our hearts are evil. We may do a good job of hiding it from others, but that doesn’t mean it is not there.

Not so with Jesus. He was different. There was no corruption, no deceit, no sin in His heart or His mouth or His life. There was instead love, mercy, kindness, patience and grace. He came to make things better. He came to be among us and make it possible for us to be right once again with the Father. He offered Himself as the payment for sin so that we would not have to pay for our own sin. And that payment is available to you.

Part of the reason the Kaufmann’s built Fallingwater was to get away from the smoky pollution of Pittsburgh in those days. It was a sanctuary, an escape. Jesus’ coming to us provided an even better sanctuary, haven and shelter. He gives us an escape from our sin and what it deserves. He offers instead forgiveness and salvation.

That message runs throughout the Bible. Spend some time reading those promises for yourself, like the one Jesus made in John’s Gospel:  

 “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31–32 (ESV)