Saturday, February 24, 2007

1 John 4: crossing the bridge

There's this story of a father who is a railroad draw bridge operator. One day his son accompanies him to work. During a cold afternoon of playing in and around the river below (fishing, skipping rocks, etc.) the boys heads back up to the bridge where his father is stationed. His son walks on the tracks near the point where the track and bridge separate. The draw bridge has been placed in the up position as a boat passes by. Dusk falls and for a moment, the father loses sight of his son.

Off in the distance a passenger train whistle is heard. The father calls out for his son to return to his booth for safety. The son replies with a cry in the distance. The father comes out onto the track - only to see his son, his only son caught in the gears of the bridge where the bridge and track separate. The train is approaching fast. in a matter of minutes it will reach the bridge.

The father has a choice to make: save his son - and risk certain doom for the people on the passenger train or sacrifice his only son by putting down the bridge so that the hundreds of people on the train will be saved.


The father's heart breaks as he sacrifices his son - putting the bridge down so that many on the train may live.






We are all on that train. Christ is the boy sacrificed. God is the father. This is love.

His love gives us life. It is through Him (Jesus Christ) that we live. It is through Him (God) that we love.

How can we not love? we were born to love... created to love...

this is the essence of 1 John 4. [NIV] [Message]




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