Session 6: Bridges of Hope
Stillness
“O that today you would listen to God’s voice” (Psalm 95)
- Today, at the start of this day of retreat …
- take a few moments to ‘arrive’ in your place of prayer …
- Listen to the sounds around you…
- Become conscious of the concerns and feelings you are bringing to the retreat today …
- Place these thoughts in God’s hands …
- Enter into stillness…
Reading: Genesis 28: 10 - 17
Jacob left Beer-sheba and went towards Haran. He came to a certain place and stayed there for the night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place. And he dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, the top of it reaching to heaven; and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And the Lord stood beside him and said, ‘I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring; and your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and all the families of the earth shall be blessed in you and in your offspring. Know that I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.’ Then Jacob woke from his sleep and said, ‘Surely the Lord is in this place—and I did not know it!’ And he was afraid, and said, ‘How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.’
Reflection
· In this passage, a bridge (though it is called a ladder) takes centre stage. It is a bridge that links earth and heaven, and it reveals God’s nearness. Angels (‘messengers’) go up and down on this bridge, and their message, God’s message - to Jacob and to us - is one of hope: ‘Be sure that I am with you; I will keep you safe wherever you go… I will not desert you.’
· When we become aware of God’s love in our lives, ‘bridges’ of hope are revealed that encourage us to cross the chasm of our fears and place our trust in things that lie beyond the limits of our sight. These bridges are signs of God’s nearness; they remind us that the goodness of God is reachable for everyone. Bridges lead us towards what is not yet clearly visible, and new vistas open before us.
· Art, which points to the harmony beneath the tangle of existence, offers many ‘bridges’ of hope - a poem, a song, a painting, a story. Some bridges are relational, like love and friendship, some spiritual, like prayer and reflection. Others are simply good fun, like jokes and laughter and leisure … Lent is a good time to look out for these bridges. They lead us to hope and beckon us towards the new life of Easter.
Response
· Have you ever had an experience that led you to say, like Jacob: ‘Truly the Lord was in this place’? …
· Do you see hope as ‘a bridge leading from an old yesterday to a new tomorrow’? (Charles Péguy)
· Have you recently seen, heard or read about something that, for you, was a bridge of hope?
· Thank God for these things …
· Is there anyone in your family or neighbourhood, or perhaps a public figure, who was a bridge of hope for you at a low point in your life?
End thoughts
Every work of art is inspired by hope: it affirms that, yes, there is evil, suffering, poverty, injustice in our world, but that is not all there is. Bridges of hope remind us that a horizon is simply the limit of our vision. Our hope is that, beyond the horizon, God’s saving presence will bring love, peace and reconciliation to our troubled world.