“Please mind the gap as you exit from the train to the platform”: a phrase which Christmas commuters will hear cutting through the chaos as they cross from vehicle to pavement, from one side, to the other.
Good luck if you’re carrying your shopping too!
It’s a phrase that momentarily fills the stomach with dread at the thought of being tripped up, suspended or caught in the in between places. It’s an awkward place to be.
Does anybody else imagine themselves sucked between the gap every single time?
The gap is scary?!
God was so concerned about the gap between Himself and us, that he sent us the perfect gap-minder:
"For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Jesus Christ."
1 Timothy 2:5
We need more ‘gap-lingerers’ in our world, more peacemakers, more bridge builders. Those that can stand between opposing sides in the in between places, seeking reconciliation.
Aren’t there so many gaps and cracks in our society?
Pay gaps, class gaps, generational gaps, gender gaps (and of course the best of all- Baby Gap). One could be forgiven for imagining peace-makers as fluffy, soft-spoken passivists, the phrase itself conjures images of bright shiny smiles and yoga pants.
At Christmas time we celebrate the ultimate peacemaking pact in the reconciliation of mankind to God through baby Jesus! For so many, this time of year holds dread as Christmas gatherings and alcohol-fuelled parties lead to family conflict and crisis. If you find yourself ‘in between’ this Christmas, hold to the truth that ‘perfect peace comes through relating with the peacemaker himself.’ Bill Hybels
Linger in the in between... mind the gap, pursue peace and reconcile, since Christ himself ‘embraced our frame when he graced the world He made.’ Arrival, Hillsong
Emilie Trotter
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