Bridges, Humanity, and God

To most people, bridges are beautiful. If we visit San Francisco, we will probably want to see the Golden Gate Bridge. We will want a digital picture of it.

            The newest and biggest suspension bridge, opening to traffic in 1998, is in Japan, the Akashi-Kaikyo bridge. It boasts a main span of 6,532 feet, almost four times the length of the Brooklyn Bridge, for example. It stretches 12,828 feet across the Akashi Strait to link the city of Kobe with Awaji-shima Island. Each cable is composed of 290 strands, each strand containing 127 wires. The length of the wire used totals 300,000 kilometers, enough to circle the earth 7.5 times. Its two towers, at 928 feet, soar higher than any other bridge towers in the world.

            But not all attempts to push the limits are successful. In 1940, the Tacoma Narrows Bridge in Washington State was hit by strong winds and collapsed, sending a 600-foot section of the bridge into Puget Sound. The roadway had been open to traffic for only a few months, and it took 10 years to redesign and reopen the bridge.

            Because people love to reach across water and establish a link, there will always be a human hunger to build immense bridges around the world. One current dream is to construct an intercontinental connection across the Strait of Gibraltar. Europe to Africa, by bridge. Planners are calling for a structure that would stand 3,000 feet tall and dwarf any existing bridge in height and length. Driving from Spain to Morocco, you would cross a full seven miles of water.

            We like to establish links, to fill in the gaps, and reach out. Yes, economics plays a part. Another part is communication. However, I think we like to explore. The bridge helps us explore a little more easily than we could without them.

            The suspension bridge is a metaphor for the oldest question in human history: How are we related, or linked, to God and what can we do to bridge the chasm between the human and the divine?

            The history of religion shows that humanity feels a need for connection with what it senses is above and beyond it. We sense we have missed the mark, we have fallen short of what we could be, and this feeling leads to some sense of estrangement from God. We may work hard at it. We may construct idols. We offer sacrifices, burn incense, and offer prayers. Yet, the chasm remains.

In Romans 8:31-39, Paul wants us to know that the chasm we feel is one God has chosen to cross. We could not build a bridge across the chasm between God and us. In Jesus Christ, we know that God is for us. The grace and love of God are already there. We need to receive it. God has built the bridge. We need to have the faith or trust, and the hope, to take the step onto the bridge.