Bridges to (the) Cross

From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view;even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way. ¹⁷So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! ¹⁸All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; ¹⁹that is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself,not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. ²⁰So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.  II Corinthians 5:16-20

The gravel road led down to the Mackinaw River and the bridge. It was one of those bridges that we describe as rustic and rickety... could we really drive across it?  Would I fall through if I walked across it? The road and the bridge were scenic and beautiful in the way of postcards, but across the river spanned by the creaky bridge, the scalp prickled and tales of legend were told.  You see, on the other side of the river was a sad, rundown house which, although appeared uninhabited, was the home of a recluse.  A man who was notorious in our small community with stories of pulling out the shotgun to pepper folks who entered his property, drinking and bathing in the muddy river water, squirrelling away a fortune.... Of course, this made him the subject of pranks and dares by the area's fearless and foolish.

This changed for me one Thanksgiving; my mom began building a new bridge.  You see, she was driving to our rural home which wasn't far from the scary man's shack, and she saw him walking along the road.  Well, the next thing we knew, there was going to be an additional guest for our Thanksgiving feast!   I don't recall many of the details of that dinner other than he was very scruffy, ate lots of bread and drank tons of water which perhaps prepared him for his stint in prison for tax evasion a year or so later.  But he was also very polite, very grateful, and treated my mother like a queen. My mom bridged a gap between us and our neighbor as I realized that at our table was a broken, old man. and one of God's own.  Fear: it keeps us from stepping on that seemingly rickety bridge, doesn't it.

This week I'm priviledged to be in Pittsburgh at the Mennonite Convention with all its rivers and bridges, learning, growing, stretching, praising, sharing, and at the moment yawning. (4-5 hours of sleep are slightly under my usual snooze time) The youth are inspiring and blessing me with their attitudes of service, praise, hunger for learning, and growth. The message of reconciliation of us to God and one another is, indeed, good news! 


Special treats for me this week have been conversations and hugs with my eldest daughter and her hubby, and a catch up chat with Julie. :)


Here are a few links if you are interested in finding out what's happening in this delightful city which has been overrun with Mennonites!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N969uLec8qQ&feature=share
http://blog.goshen.edu/mpress/
http://vimeo.com/22979366
http://www.mennoniteusa.org/

Brother Mick will be sharing this Sunday after a week of inspiration here in Pittsburgh.  His message is "Tossing Out Seeds" based on the parable of the sower found in Matthew 13.  Lots of seeds have been planted this week. Time to start watering and tending!  I hope to see you at Ridgeview-- I'm not sure what's happening in the Upper Room at 9am, so I'll probably stop in to find out. :)

My prayer for you today:  Creator God, the greatest task of all is for us to love you and love each other.  This we can do because you've made Christ our bridge to you.  As you heal us in our brokenness, help us to be bridges sharing  healing and hope to our discordant and hurting world.  Come Kingdom of God.  Be done, will of God; here on earth as it is in heaven. In the

name of Jesus-- AMEN.




Without question or doubt, you are loved by God, and I love you too! 

Love and Light,
Carol

http://www.ridgeviewmennonite.net/


"Always remember who you are, whose you are, where you are going, and what you believe, because it does make a difference!  Oh, and don't forget to attend a church of your choice this weekend. " JD