Pastor’s Pen: In case you haven't noticed, the Missouri River Bridge [ June 1 ] SPECIAL BUSINESS MEETING 5:45pm Fellowship Hall
[ June 5 ] SUMMER MUSIC CELEBRATION 8:15 and 10:45am Sanctuary
[ June 20-24 ] VACATION BIBLE CAMP SPORTS CRUSADERS BASKETBALL CAMP
coming into Jefferson City is closed for repair. If you live or work in our city, I bet you already knew that! Since May 1, we've all been experiencing the moans, groans and the late‐for‐my‐meeting blues. One bridge now carries all traffic, going both directions. A friend of mine from St. Louis told me to stop complaining. He lives with this kind of gridlock every day. But I pay my taxes, and as a citizen, I reserve the right to whine.
One day, while sitting in snarled bridge traffic, I pondered the significance of bridges. Bridges connect one land mass to another. They rise above swirling, dangerous waters, and safely transport us. Like all important things in life, these structures aren't appreciated until they are taken from us. Think about all the movies and stories about bridges: "A Bridge Too Far, Bridge to Terabithia, The Bridges of Madison County, The Bridge on the River Kwai," and "Bridge of Spies." Consider some famous songs about bridges, such as "Bridge Over Troubled Water." And who could forget "Ode To Billy Joe," haunting us with that story about the Tallahatchie Bridge?
Consider how the bridge image works in our faith. Jesus, the bridge (priest), makes it possible for us to have a vibrant, personal relationship with God (Romans 5:1‐2). Someone has said that sharing our faith is nothing more than building a bridge of friendship with someone, and then letting Jesus Christ walk across. My personal mission statement contains a "desire to live God's grace and build bridges of understanding and love." In these days of heated political rhetoric, I wish we could hear more about bridges and less about walls.
@fbcjc @fbcjcmo FBCJC FBCJC
Speaking of bridges, consider these summer opportunities: Vacation Bible Camp, June 20‐24, our vital bridge to families, but also to our community and to the future. Several of us will be attending the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship's General Assembly in Greensboro, N.C. in June, and then in July, the annual gathering of the Baptist World Alliance in Vancouver, Canada. Both of these are bridges to our wider missional family. Belonging to something larger than ourselves is an acknowledgement that we can't do Gospel work alone, nor are we supposed to.
In the mean time, as you sit stuck in traffic, may you be blessed as you while away your summer days on the Missouri River Bridge, lost in quiet reflection and reverie (in other words, I hope you don't lose your religion). Grace,