Once the Wright Brothers left the sandy shores of Kitty Hawk, NC and humans took flight, our experience of the world changed.  Aviation brought us the ability to travel short and long distances with greater speed and less time.  We began to fly over the earth more than we travelled across it.  While doing so saves us time, at what cost?

In the May 19, 2025, edition of Coffee News, there is an article in the section titled “Everybody’s Talking.”  The article states that a newly opened section of railway connects Laos to China.  This recently completed extension now makes it possible to take the train from Singapore to Portugal.  It is the world’s longest train journey crossing two continents or 13 countries from the Eastern to the Western hemisphere.  The route offers passengers the chance to see Bangkok, Moscow, and Paris with overnight stops to explore these and other cities.  However, this trip does require significant planning and effort, multiple visas, and the occasional bus ticket.  At the end of the journey though, you will have travelled 11,650 miles experiencing stunning landscapes and vibrant cities, mainly by rail. 

I’ve had a couple of experiences with train rides.  While in England in the early 1980’s, I travelled by train from a Royal Air Force base to London and back.  While in Germany I used their train system to get around and between communities.  Once I returned home, I went with some co-workers on a day trip to Hermann, MO via AMTRAK.  The longest of all those journeys was a little over 3 hours one way.  I cannot imagine the adventure of taking a train for almost 12,000 miles, especially when an airplane could travel the same distance in less than a couple of days.  No matter what, we humans have managed to bridge the divide of physical space.  We have the means to cover great and small distances at whatever pace we choose.  There seems to be no earthly physical divide we cannot surmount.

Where once we thought humans were separated from God, God has bridged that divide.  In the incarnation, God took on human form in the Son, Jesus and dwelt among us.  God’s main purpose was to show us what love is and that we are loved now and for eternity.  Paul took that a step further and told the Roman community that we are not only loved, but also nothing that exists can divide us from that love.  While there are things that can distract us, they cannot keep God from loving us and pursuing us in that love.  We are God’s creation and God desires that we be in mutual and covenant relationship with God and one another.  It is the journey God desires for each of us and beckons us to embark upon.  It is the journey that will enable us to see the beauty of life and the hope of life eternal.

I invite you to take time and read each of the scriptures above followed by reflection on the questions below.  Consider the journey you are on and how it is leading you to a greater experience of love for God, your family, and neighbor.  Lastly, I pray that God bless the reading of God’s Word and the meditations of your heart.

Questions to Consider this week:

• Monday:  What currently divides you from others?
• Tuesday:  Is there anything that you feel divides you from God?  Define.
• Wednesday:  What is the journey that you want to take in this life?
• Thursday:  How does that journey lead towards a greater depth of love?
• Friday:  What sin separates you from God and/or neighbor?
• Saturday:  How is God empowering you to overcome that sin and the divide you perceive to be there?

Actions for the Week:

• Head:  Contemplate the depth of God’s love and action that bridges all divides that would separate us from God.
• Heart:  Consider the people and things that we profess to love.
• Hand:  Give into the power of God’s love that can bridge any divide between us, God, and others.