Neil's blog

Up in Ballater last week for a few nights with Dorothy, we went for a dander through the misty, drizzly royal town. While Dor’ looked round the shops (woman’s prerogative!) I went to take photos of the ‘Royal Bridge’ over the Dee. The commemorative plaque spoke of previous flimsy bridges which had been washed away over the centuries & how Queen Victoria had opened the ‘Royal Bridge’ in 1885 with the declaration. “Long may it stand!” It’s a good solid bridge that deals well with traffic wanting across to the other side.

Hopefully the new bridge to replace Irvine’s Bailey Bridge, presently being built, will likewise stand the test of time & prove a reliable road from Irvine’s West to East, across the River Irvine & vice versa. If only it was to open sooner than the 2+ years it’s to take, we would see an easing of traffic congestion & reduction of speedsters trying to make up the 5 minutes you have to add to your journey sometimes. You can see how far on the bridge is in the attached photo.

How important a reliable, trustworthy bridge is for crossing rivers & ravines, but not nearly as important as the bridge-way Jesus offers us to cross the Chasm of Sin, which separates unholy humans from a holy God. Down through the years Jewish priests tried to stand in & help bring God to people & people to God (Hebrews 7:23-2, only to be washed away. Praise God for Jesus, a sure bridge from God to us & us to God! “In Christ alone” is a fabulous hymn; on Youtube I came across some excellent videos with the Newsboys’ version of the song, check http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b20LhKD-lEQ for an example.

In Christ alone we have a sure bridge into God’s innermost healing presence & purpose for daily life.

v. 3
There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ