The Bridge to Queens

Of the five boroughs of New York City, only Queens and Brooklyn share a land border. Both sit at the western tip of Long Island; the Bronx is on the mainland, and Manhattan and Staten Island are, well, islands. With all the waterways attached to New York Harbor, there are, as you might imagine, lots of bridges around these parts.

At this time of year, we are presented with an opportunity to build and cross bridges. Our bridge, of course, is the Gospel and it connects a lost and broken human race with a loving and gracious God. As we contemplate the birth of Jesus this Christmas, Ascension Church is reaching out to communicate the Gospel to central Queens. This week we will be presenting our first ever Christmas program and will be renting the gymn at the school where we meet, to host games, crafts, and family activities and have stood out on street corners and invited our neighbors to participate in this with us.

Before engineers undertake bridge construction, they stand on one side of the river and look at where they are in comparison to where they want to go, and determine the means of getting there. This is what makes the Gospel a bridge to the community. We see where the people are, and where they need to be and recognize that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the only means by which any of them will get there. That's our job and we're sticking to it.

I'm crossing a different bridge this Saturday... the birthday bridge. Of course, I've featured two views of the Queensboro Bridge, of which I've crossed hundreds of times as a passenger and driver, and even once on foot. I don't expect to cross the birthday bridge hundreds of times. I am always amazed each year at how many times I've crossed that bridge, though I'm also thankful for God's grace seeing me through another year.