by Pastor Paul Clark, President of Lutherans For Life of Michigan
Have you ever had a dream where you were driving a car across a long bridge over the sea, and suddenly the bridge collapsed? A dream where you were madly trying to stop the car before reaching the edge and plummeting off into the water?
Dreams often mirror reality, and in this case, such tragedies have occurred. This past spring, we were all horrified to see the news footage of drivers on the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland. They left home that morning never expecting to plummet—without warning—into the Patapsco River. But after a cargo ship slammed into the bridge, causing it to collapse, several cars as well as construction workers took a nosedive into the water. Six people lost their lives.
Even worse was the horrific collapse of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge spanning the mouth of Tampa Bay south of St. Petersburg, Florida. On the morning of May 9, 1980, a sudden squall engulfed the bay. With its radar down, a nearly 20-ton freighter collided with two of the bridge’s support columns. A 1,200-foot-long section of the southbound span fell into the water, along with six cars, one pickup truck, and a Greyhound bus. The accident killed 35 people.
Bridges are great if they do what they are supposed to do: safely and efficiently transport us across a body of water.
In 1970, Simon and Garfunkel wrote a song that topped all the music charts. It was called “Bridge over Troubled Waters.” The song began with these words:
When you’re weary
Feeling small
When tears are in your eyes
I will dry them all
… I’m on your side
When times get rough
And friends just can’t be found
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down.
That song resonated with so many that it became the number one best-selling song of the year and even won the Grammy Award for Record of the Year. There are times when we all must cross troubled waters, and when that time comes, we need a bridge, we need support, we need a friend.
It is interesting to note, however, that the title theme of the song was based on another song by an American gospel harmony group called the Swan Silvertones in a 1959 song called “Mary, Don’t You Weep.” In this song, the line was, “I’ll be your bridge over deep water if you trust in My name,” meaning, of course, the name of Jesus.
Jesus Christ is our ONLY true and trustworthy Bridge over Troubled Waters.
When the poison of sin first entered the Garden through Adam—the beginning of our revolt against God—a sea of troubled waters opened in this fallen world, creating division between man and God—a division which could not be bridged by any human effort.
Sin alienates us from God and from one another. But God so loved you and me—in fact, this whole world—that He gave us His only Son. The crucified and risen Jesus is the only bridge that leads us back to the Father. There is no other way.
Simon and Garfunkel poignantly described the sense of smallness and isolation that we feel when we approach the brink of troubled waters.
When you’re down and out, when you’re on the street, when evening falls so hard, I will comfort you … I’ll take your part when darkness comes and pain is all around. Like a bridge over troubled water, I will lay me down.
Many of you may be facing such fears and worries right now. As your pastor, I know of some of them personally. In addition, I know all too well the creeping thoughts and fears that sneak up to us in the darkness. I’ve been there.
If you’ve ever felt isolated, fearful, or anxious from the advancing darkness of the evening, you need—and I need—a bridge over troubled waters.
We need Jesus.
The good news is that you have Jesus.
He is here, with us, at our side, and is most indubitably our bridge over troubled waters. Jesus isn’t just a bridge builder—He is the Bridge itself. Unlike bridges made of steel and concrete, this Bridge will never collapse. It will never fail. It will safely bring us to the other side.
The Lord who loves us has given us His Holy Spirit to lead us out of the isolation, the pain, the darkness, the exhaustion that our sins—as well as the sins of others—bring upon us amid the tumultuous waters of our lives. There is a Bridge across such troubled waters, and it is your Lord and Savior Jesus, who loves you and gave Himself for you, that you might have peace and assurance of victory and eternal life in His name.
In addition, when you are baptized into Christ and put on His righteousness, you can be a friend to others, and reflecting the love of Christ, assist them in crossing those troubled waters.
Dear people, love one another; pray for one another. Serve your neighbor, for you are agents of Christ on this earth. When you see someone weary, feeling small, with tears in their eyes, come to their side. Give them a hug. Be their friend. Point them to the Bridge. Point them to Jesus.
And if you are crossing such troubled waters, reach out. Don’t go it alone.
As you steadfastly push on and cross that bridge over troubled waters, hold on tight to the promise of God’s grace in your Baptism and to the Holy Word of God which tells you that all your sins are forgiven in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Yes, hold on tight to Jesus. But here are several things you can throw over the side to plunge into the raging waters below:
- The hefty weight of guilt
- The secret shame
- The constant reminder of your past failures
- The oppressive dread and fear of death
- The false and misleading sense of pride
- The ceaseless questioning if you’ve done enough to bring you to shores of the safe haven beyond this world (you haven’t! – but Christ has)
All of these things can be thrown overboard. For IN CHRIST, your redemption is now COMPLETE. Jesus paid your toll. Jesus IS the Bridge. Jesus brings you safely to the other side.
I’m not being naïve here. There’s nothing easy in this wilderness trek through this life. Satan is still present, and what Satan does all too well is accuse. He accuses us of our sin, our guilt, and our shame.
Troubled waters indeed. But get behind us, Satan! There is a Way across the churning waters that so threaten and frighten. There is a Bridge. This Bridge is strong, solid, and it cannot fail. This Bridge is your dear Savior, Jesus. No matter what you and I feel at times, when we’re “down and out,” when “evening falls so hard,” when “darkness comes and pain is all around,” when “times get rough and friends just can’t be found,” Jesus is on our side.
And, as Romans 8:31-32 says, “If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things?”
Peace in Jesus, dear friends!