Month: February 2020

Borders and Bridges, Part 2

In my last blog, I introduced the idea of “Borders and Bridges” and spoke to the necessity for the first half of that phrase: borders. As I pointed out, from the separations established by God at the beginning of creation (light separated from dark to be day and night, for example) to the structure of cells within a defining and protective membrane or cell wall, to national boundaries, we saw that borders play an important role. We also saw that borders exist in spiritual matters, such as those between God and man, and between the lost and the saved. We read in Jesus’ parable about Lazarus that there is a great chasm (border) fixed that no one can cross between those in paradise and those in Hades who suffer in anguish  (Luke 16:26). Even non-believers establish behavioral boundaries to require permission and respect when it comes to interactions between people. But borders are only half the story. What about bridges that transcend those necessary borders?

Part II. Bridges are Necessary

As necessary as borders, boundaries, and walls are to separate, protect, and identify different individuals, places, and other things, they can also be a problem. If there is no way for anything to cross the border for a good and needed purpose, the barrier can prove to be harmful or even fatal.

A cell wall will cause the cell to die if there is no way for needed nutrients to get into the cell and waste products to get out. An example is type 2 diabetes which I have: the cell membranes become resistant to the insulin needed to transport glucose (sugar) into the cell, where it provides energy. Instead, the sugar remains in the blood above proper levels, where it causes damage to other tissues. Treatment usually begins with medicines which reduce that resistance to allow the insulin to pass into the cell and do its work. In essence, the medicine builds a “bridge” across the cell membrane to bring in what’s needed.

You see the same thing in other contexts. A prisoner locked in solitary confinement is essentially in a cell (duh!). If no one brought food and water through that cell wall, or removed waste, that prisoner would die (and go crazy in the process). A city under siege has its supply lines cut off, sealing it off from the outside world and preventing both reinforcements and any resupply of basic food supplies; the city has to surrender or starve (read Lamentations 4:1-10 about the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem and its consequences). A more recent siege took place when the Soviets blockaded West Berlin from mid-1948 to mid-1949. The city was left in dire straits without food or coal for winter heating until the U.S. and its allies formed an airlift, which over an entire year flew in 2.3 million tons of supplies, saving the city and causing the Soviets to lift their “siege.” The airlift created a vital bridge which preserved the freedom and lives of the Berliners.

Wealth and prosperity come from trade across borders. One person or company or country produces more of one item than it needs, and trades with another entity for what it produces, and now both are richer. For example, our orange tree produced over 100 oranges this year. We couldn’t eat that many, so we gave some away, which prospered more people with good food from our tree. Other people have shared with us their walnuts, lemons, limes, plums, and pomegranates. We were all enriched by the trades. But without such trades, if non-bridegable borders had forced us to keep everything to ourselves, there would have been rotting produce in all our yards and we would have all been a little poorer for it.

Trade was so important to our nation’s founders that they prohibited tariffs between states. The Constitution essentially established a trade bridge across all state boundaries.  When it comes to countries, trade treaties form bridges to allow the transfer of goods and services across boundaries. Both countries are benefited by those cross-border exchanges. That’s why the terms of trade treaties are such big news these days: the prosperity of the trading partners is at stake. The fact that we do have trade around the world is a blessing to everyone: just check out the food can and produce labels in your kitchen to see how much our diet is enriched by having economic bridges with the world.

Cross-border movement of people is important too. Besides international business and tourism travelers, there are those who cross borders to escape persecution or seek a better life. Immigration has been the life-blood of our nation for 400 years; the issue is not whether there should be borders or bridges across those borders, but how easy or difficult it should be to cross those bridges legally. I wouldn’t be here in America if my ancestors had not crossed some borders on their way from the British Isles. By the way, I still have the actual travel papers used by my great-great-grandmother when she emigrated from Germany to Chicago in the 1860’s. Once again, I am glad such a bridge existed for her to do that.

So far, you can see the benefits, and indeed necessity, of bridges in various areas of life. But there is ultimately an even more important area for there to be a bridge, and that is the spiritual. As I showed in the previous blog, our sin created a border between us and God, between us and the joys of eternal life. We were shut out from the earthly paradise in which God placed us, and remain excluded from heaven from birth. No matter how we try, we cannot cross that border by our own strength or goodness. That is what Christ did for us by his death on the Cross; the effect of his death was shown in that the Temple curtain (a border wall) which closed off the Holy of Holies from the people, tore from top to bottom, showing that we now had access (a bridge) to God.

When I consider the interplay between borders and bridges, I see the scriptural, Lutheran doctrine of Law and Gospel at work.

1. God’s Law defines the border between what God accepts and does  not accept. It shuts out those who sin and disobey God, and sets boundaries for our behavior. “Thou shalt not” and “thou shalt” command our obedience and threaten us with harm if we trespass them (a word which means “to step over,” and is perfect border-violating language.). The Law divides the sheep and the goats, the wheat and the tares, and speaks of burning the chaff with unquenchable fire. This is the Law, and God is righteous in establishing and enforcing all such boundaries.

2. The Gospel proclaims that in spite of our sin, the boundaries which would separate us from God and consign us to hell have been breached by God’s mercy. Because God loves us and does not want us to be separated from him or see destruction, he has provided a Savior in his Son, Jesus the Christ. All are invited through faith in Christ to cross over the bridge into eternal life. Now, the way is narrow and not everyone will cross it, but the way is there. Jesus proclaimed he is the way (John 14:6), and Ephesians 2:14 joyously proclaims, “For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility.” The way is open through faith in Jesus Christ.

There are more things that could be said about borders and bridges, about how they impact life itself and the way we relate to the environment, to each other, and to God. But for now, it’s important to see that both are necessary to order and freedom, to Law and Gospel, to you and me. May we always thank God for his righteousness and his mercy and for the borders and bridges his love provides for us.

Now may the Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Amen.

Read: Luke 16:19-31; Lamentations 4; 2 Kings 25; John 14:1-6

Borders and Bridges

Borders and bridges. Two politically charged and controversial terms and subjects. Today I drove past an “On the Border” restaurant and the building that used to house a Borders Bookstore. But those aren’t what I or today’s politicians are talking about. And tomorrow, I’m seeing my dentist to have a bridge installed (for real). That’s not what gets the political classes all upset, either.

No, in current political discourse, the terms, “borders” and “bridges,” deal with restrictions on the identities and movements of people. Borders refer to physical demarcations of national identity and sovereignty which separate groups of people, and bridges to connections between individuals and groups. One side says, “Build the wall!” and the other side says, “Build bridges, not walls!” (A third group, the construction industry, says, “Just build!”) The two terms are set as opposites and loaded with all kinds of personal and and political agendas, which I’m not going to get into.

After pondering the issue, and putting aside my own personal political predilections, I have come to the conclusion that both borders and bridges are necessary, not only to the social and political realm, but also to our faith and to life itself.  Let me explain . . .

Part I: Borders are necessary.

When we speak of borders, we can also use the term, boundaries. Borders and boundaries are limits on space, time, matter and energy. They define identity and create units of life. They designate what is, and what is not, when it comes to speaking of anything. If I say who I am, I am separating myself from others who I am not. If I ask how are you, I am distinguishing myself from you. If I say this is where I live, I am defining one certain place as distinct from everywhere else.

This has been the case from the beginning, and I mean, from the beginning. When God created light, he said it was good, and he separated the light from the dark and called one day and the other night (Genesis 1:3-5).  As God continued to create, the separations continued: earth, sun, moon, stars; plants and animals; the sky (“he separated the waters above from the waters below” – Genesis 1:6-7); the sea and the dry land (Genesis 1:9). Then, the pinnacle of God’s creation: mankind. Even in this final act, there were boundaries set: man/God, man/other creatures, and man/woman. Distinctions were made, and boundaries on actions were set: the fruit of one tree was made off-limits, out-of-bounds. And, when the man and woman violated that rule, God expelled them from the Garden and positioned the original border guards to keep them out: Genesis 3 says, “and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.” The original ICE agents. Or should I say, FIRE agents?

As Christians we know the separation was more than closing off a piece of land by a physical border; we know that the real separation was spiritual: sinful man from a holy God, and life from death. (As Christians, we also know how God would build the bridge needed to reunite us, but you’ll have to wait until Part II for that!)

Leaving spiritual matters of borders, consider how essential boundaries are to our biological lives. All life is based on cells which are made up of a bunch of really cool stuff (nuclei, mitochondria, ribosomes, cytoplasm, etc.) which are contained within what? A cell wall (plant) or membrane (animal). The cell wall holds everything together that is needed for the cell to live, and keeps out the substances and other living things that would destroy the cell it is protecting. Whatever is within the wall or membrane is the cell; whatever is outside the boundary is not the cell. Life itself is based on such tiny borders. When a wall or membrane is broken open, the cell dies.

Moving up in size, the collection of cells which comprise an animal, person or plant are grouped together within an outer boundary – skin, exoskeleton, or bark, for example – which define the creature. Again, what is needed to sustain the creature’s life is within the body, and distinguish it from what is outside. When that outer boundary is compromised by injury or disease, the life of the entire body (and the cells which form it) is at risk.

Then there is the social order. The most basic unit of human society is the family. While there are numerous ways we speak of families and define them, the basic definition is of a group of people related through marriage or ancestry, or living together as a household. The classic example of a family is a set of parents living with their children. Whatever the makeup of any specific family, there is a common understanding within the group of who is part of it and who is not. Best friends are not part of a family. An overnight guest or visitor is not part of it. A pet is not part of a family (sorry, Fido and Fluffy). This doesn’t mean others cannot be accepted into the family through birth or marriage or adoption, or treated as one of the family, or expelled from the family for some horrendous behavior, but even all these exceptions depend on there being a social unit called the family which has an invisible, socially agreed-upon boundary. The basic family is formed when a husband and wife vow to forsake all others and keep themselves only unto their spouse; talk about a boundary – a boundary that defines the family!

In the social order above the family come clans, tribes, countries, nations, and other politically defined entities. Even with these, there are borders and boundaries which define membership, citizenship, and sovereignty of people. Whether you look at who pays taxes to whom, who pays tribute to whom, who enforces laws on whom, or who gets to vote for whom, the boundaries our societies draw to separate one people from another make a huge difference in our lives. Laws vary by state, the primaries going on as I write this vary by which state holds them, and the voters of one state cannot vote in a different state.

This kind of division also goes way back in time. We read in the Bible of God separating the people of earth into many nations, beginning by confusing the language which they spoke as they were building the Tower of Babel. Then, we read the names of many nations cited in the Scriptures: the Babylonians, the Egyptians, the Hittites, the Chaldeans, the Assyrians, etc. bearing the names of the places they inhabited. Each had sovereignty over their own lands, and fought wars to gain control of other people and lands. Finally, when the tribes of Israel gained their freedom, God gave each one a separate piece of land in which to love and grow. God gave them laws and boundaries (see Joshua 15) , and forbade them from moving the boundary stones which marked off their borders (Proverbs 22:28). It’s obvious from history, in the Bible as well as from secular accounts, that people have not been satisfied with border restrictions placed on them. For many reasons – land, food, pride, lust for power and wealth – people have fought wars with people who lived on the other side of those boundaries. But ultimately the goal of such wars was not to erase boundaries, but to extend their own boundaries to include their conquered foes. Not always a good thing or a noble goal, but even so, establishing a sovereign nation (or city or states or county, etc.) is needed to social order and safety.

Which brings me to one final point about borders. We speak of respecting boundaries in our personal relationships as necessary for peaceful, respectful interactions with each other. Whether the boundaries are physical (not abusing someone physically or sexually), verbal (not gossiping or slandering someone), or social (not demanding favors, calling late at night, or interfering with someone’s life), there are and should be limits to how we treat each other (the Bible has some good ideas along those lines . . .). Many such boundaries are serious enough that we have passed laws regulating or forbidding their violation; most laws are just that: boundary setters with penalties attached for crossing them. The purpose of such laws and penalties is in line with the biblical mandate for government, which is to restrain evil (Romans 13:1-7).

Boundaries are natural, good, and necessary, but there are times they can be harmful and destructive, too. In those cases, or to prevent such harmful consequences, there also need to be bridges. And those I will cover next time in: Borders and Bridges Part 2

Until then, may the Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Amen.

Read: Joshua 15; Romans 13:1-7