In
1847, a boy named Homan Walsh went out to fly a kite. Homan was taking part in
a kite-flying contest, so he brought his best kite, and plenty of string.
He
stood on the Canadian bank of the Niagara River, letting more and more of that
string go out, and his little-boy's kite kept going higher, and higher, and
higher ... until it stretched nearly 1,000 feet. When a stranger on the
American side of the Niagara Gorge grabbed Homan's string, the crowd that had
gathered let up ...a mighty roar. For the first time in history, people on
opposite sides of this great gorge were holding onto the same string. And Homan
won $5, the top prize in the contest.
There
was much more than $5 at stake, however. In short order, the string was tied to
a tree on the American shoreline, and a light cord tied to the Canadian end of
the string. The cord was then pulled across the 800-foot span. A rope was tied
to the cord, and pulled safely across. To the rope was attached a wire cable,
and to the cable, a thicker cable attached. It was the beginning of an
engineering victory over one of the greatest natural barriers that had
separated Americans and Canadians.
Fifty-foot
towers were built on each side of the river, and more cables became a part of
the picture. In time, people rode across the river in buckets, for $1 each, and
then they walked on a foot bridge for a quarter. But less than a year after
Homan's kite first flew across the river, people were safely riding their
horse-drawn carriages across the Niagara, on a marvelous suspension bridge that
hung 220 feet over the rushing water.
Eventually,
there were 15 bridges that spanned the Niagara, six of which are in use today.
The thousands of passengers that travel across the multi-lane, high-speed
bridges today think nothing of the bridge, some of them so familiar with the
path, they barely glance at the scenic view. More than likely, it has never
occurred to most of those on the great bridges today that somewhere in the
past, just to get this modern-day miracle under way, somebody had to fly a
kite.
If
great bridges can get their start with a boy's kite and string, then I'll tell
you that great spiritual experiences can get their start with amazingly simple
decisions.
The
Lord's Supper is one of the world's simplest meals. From one vantage point, it
might not seem much more significant than a boy flying a kite. It might seem
little more than a string of a connection between you and God. My offer to you
today is ... make that connection. From the smallest beginnings can come great
bridges of faith.
