Bridging the Gap Between God and People

Now that the team from Louisiana is back, I ?ve heard several stories about how they were able to help IDES (International Disaster Emergency Service) help the victims of hurricane Katrina rebuild their homes and lives. At first I had a minor concern about the team being anywhere near New Orleans for Mardi Gras, but now I consider it one of those “God things.”

Mardi Gras is the beginning of the Lenten season among the Catholic and other liturgical churches. This is the season of preparation for Easter, the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus. I like the coincidence of Mardi Gras and the team ?s trip to Louisiana because Jesus ? resurrection is the beginning of the ultimate rebuilding project. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:17, 18: “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ.”

From the beginning of time, God has desired to have a relationship with the people he created. Even after that relationship was first broken by Adam and Eve, he desired to have a relationship. That ?s why, from immediately after Adam and Eve sinned, God had a plan to bridge the gap between people and himself. From the beginning, God had in mind a path that would allow sinful people to be forgiven and to come back to a full relationship with God. The bridge that spans the gap between God and people is his son Jesus. God put that bridge in place, and it is his plan to offer grace, reconciliation, and rebuilding.

We have a part in that effort as well. Paul ends verse 18 stating that God “gave us the ministry of reconciliation.” Our church, then, needs to become a place where people can find that bridge. Let ?s consider the ways that we can show our families, our workplaces, our communities the bridge God has provided. Watch for opportunities to help people find God so that he can rebuild their lives.