04/09/2020

Good morning.

On this day in 1964 Her Majesty the Queen[PB1] carried out the official opening of the Forth Road Bridge,

built alongside the Forth Rail Bridge.

Linking Edinburgh to Fife,

it was the first bridge of its kind in the UK, the longest outside the USA,

and the fourth longest in the world.

Despite significant investment and maintenance, by the early years of the 21st century,

the Bridge was showing its age.

Some 70,000 vehicles used it every day

and it was one of the most vital economic arteries in Scotland.

Given the potential impact of major maintenance works,

it was decided that another bridge needed to be built –

and in August 2017 the adjacent Queensferry Crossing was opened to carry the M90 motorway across the Firth of Forth.

Those two bridges and the rail bridge near them remind me that those who designed and built them owe so much to the work and influence of people in the past- people whose names may now be forgotten.

In his letter of encouragement to Timothy,

St Paul reminds his young colleague of two people

who have nurtured his faith and have set an example for him to follow:

Timothy’s mother, Eunice, and his grandmother, Lois.

They weren’t preachers or mission workers,

but through living out their faith in their words and actions and attitudes,

they made an impact that’s still being talked about centuries later.

And they remind us that we can learn much from those who have lived their lives ahead of us.

Loving God, on this day help us to remember and give you thanks for those whose quiet, gracious influence has shaped and influenced us for good: for those whose strength of character and whose steadfast faith has been a positive presence in our lives and in our communities. Amen

[PB1]I think there is a bit of a strange hinge in this from the bridge observations to the biblical parallel. I’m not certain how well it works…. But hey I’m just signing off for compliance purposes…it certainly isn’t offensive but may be a tad on the non sensicle side!!