The Bridge to Community

The San Francisco Bay Bridge reopened this morning after being closed for six days due to a part of the span that collapsed.  The bridge created chaos for commuters who rely on the bridge to get from one community to another.  I have been thinking alot about bridges and their importance in connecting not only communities, but individuals and families.  Whether physical, emotional, or spiritual, bridges are necessary if we are to span the chasms that lie between us.  Too often, we pass by the people around us, seemingly unaware of the ways we are connected to one another. We tend to see the differences between us as unbridgable, and thereby choose to remain separate.  We have seen the result of this disconnect in families that are at war with each other and in communities that are crumbling.

Too many of us are living lives filled with bridges that are in disrepair or breaking down.  Misunderstandings, harbored grudges, and wounded egos result in failed and failing relationships. What are the bridges in your life that you need to repair?

There is a hymn that I remember singing at every communion service of my youth: Blest be the tie that binds.  In light of the past week, I like to think of it as Blest be the bridge that binds...

Blest be the bridge of love, that draws us, soul to soul.

Blest be the bridge of acceptance, that sees our differences as gifts to be cherised.

Blest be the bridge of mutuality, that honors and respects the other.

Blest be the bridge of forgiveness, that heals our wounds.

Blest be the bridge of hope, that keeps our faces turned to tomorrow.

Blest be the bridge...