As I was reading the poem, “Are you a Bridge Builder?” whose author is purported to be the acclaimed Will Allen Dromgoole, it made me wonder if what is said of the old man in the poem could be said of me? I pray that it could and pray that it could be of you as well.
An old man going a lone highway
came at evening, cold and gray
to a chasm vast and deep and wide.
The old man crossed in the twilight dim,
the sullen stream had no fear for him;
But he turned when safe on the other side,
and built a bridge to span the tide.
“Old man” said a fellow pilgrim near,
“You are wasting your strength by building here,
Your journey will end with the ending day;
You never again will pass this way;
You’ve crossed the chasm deep and wide,
Why build you this bridge at eventide?”
The builder lifted his old gray head,
“Good friend, in the path I’ve come,” he said,
“There followeth after me to-day
A youth whose feet must pass this way;
This chasm that has been naught to me,
To this fair youth may a pitfall be;
He, too must CROSS in the twilight dim —
Good friend, I’m building this bridge for him“
God the Father gave Jesus Christ, his Son two pieces of wood and three nails and asked Him to build a bridge for man to access God. Jesus laid one piece flat on the ground to signify his act of humility and placed the other perpendicular to signify the access for fallen man from the deep miry pit of sin and death to reach up to God. He then placed Himself on the two pieces of wood and the three nails driven into his hands and feet held the Cross bridge together for man to reach God. He is the master bridge builder and he built a bridge known as the CROSS for us to reach God.
The Latin word Pontifex, used for the council of priests in Rome literally means “bridge builder”. We are royal priests, a.k.a., royal bridge builders ( 1 Peter 2:9) and the Pontifex maximus which literally means “greatest bridge builder” is the High Priest, Jesus Christ, who is established forever (Hebrews 5:5,6). Like the old man in the poem, those who have crossed over from death to life by believing in Jesus (safe on the other side), are we taking the time to build the bridge that restores relationship of those who don’t know Jesus Christ with Him by showing them the bridge Jesus built? Can you/I be called a bridge builder for God?
1 Peter 2:9 (KJV)
9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood [bridge builder], an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the [bridge called the CROSS that JESUS built and sing the] praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light;
