The Bridges of God

But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. John 16: 13

Pastor Dan at church on Sunday used the analogy of bridges to refer to the Holy Spirit.  He pointed out how, after Jesus' physical presence from the world was gone, the Holy Spirit became our bridge to connect with God on a regular basis.  That was Jesus' promise in John 16:13, that even though His physical presence would not be with us anymore for a while, He would send The Advocate, the Truth Bearer, the Revealer of All Things to dwell in us and guide us.

What a magnificent message!  Jesus' words were meant to console His Disciples and to prepare them for their time of grief, but they were also meant for us, centuries later, His new disciples, the Church, to reiterate the truth of His Presence in us.  Therefore, the message is intended to keep us from despair and to give us hope, the kind of hope that a feeling of connection brings.  Here's where the analogy of the bridge works so well.  What does a bridge represent if not the connecting of two points that were previously separated by a chasm? 

Humanity had been on the other side of the abyss since Adam and Eve, but Jesus changed all that.  That's what the tearing of the Temple veil means: there is no more separation between humanity and God.  There is now a bridge and that bridge is Jesus. (Matthew 27: 51, Mark 15: 38, Luke 23: 45, Hebrews 10: 19-22) And once Jesus ascended, the bridge remained in the presence of the Holy Spirit in us: the Spirit of Truth and Understanding, Our Guide, Our Consoler, Our Advocate. (John 16: 7-15)

However, the miracle of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit does not stop at a personal level.  It is not a private miracle intended just for the individual.  The way I see it is more circular:  Jesus came down to earth to become the Bridge to God.  He ascended into Heaven for a while, but sent the Holy Spirit to reinforced and cement that Bridge to God.  The Holy Spirit dwells in God's children.  God's children carry the Holy Spirit in them.  Perhaps, then, the Holy Spirit allows and empowers God's children to become the bridges of God themselves.

I'm not saying that as individuals who are the temple of the Holy Spirit, we become the Holy Spirit and therefore, have the power to save.  Absolutely not.  My point is that, it might be possible, that the Holy Spirit in us can act through us to be the arms, hands, feet and voice of God while here on earth, and maybe, the same way, also as His bridges.  We, often, might be the only reference to God that a person may encounter in their life.  Empowered by the Holy Spirit, the Bridge becomes available to those who are lost and still standing on the other side of the gap, through us.  

The gift of His Presence in me, is not just for me.  This is a gift that is supposed to be shared with the world...even if the world doesn't even know they want it.

The Bridge is already built.  Jesus is the Bridge.  May the Holy Spirit show us the way to extending Him, Christ the Great Bridge, to those around us. In His Precious Name.  Amen!