Roadside
Originally scheduled for
April 17
Should you ever be inclined to visit the town of Boron,
California, it is likely that you will be traveling on state Route
58. Interestingly, this is one of very few highways which are
labeled as a "Blue Star Memorial Highway." It is also a highly which
contains one of the greatest number of informal, unauthorized
roadside memorials.
For reasons known only to the designers of this road, at one
point on the way to Boron the road, which has been running along the
south side of a set of railroad tracks, crosses over to the north
side. It is light, smooth jog. It comes after several miles of laser
straight roadway on either side. It is likely the most deadly
railroad crossing in the world. No sign announces this; but it's
easy to tell from the number of roadside crosses on either side of
the road. The state of California frowns upon the practice and
regularly collects these and removes them. But the accidents keep
happening, and the crosses keep arriving. They are usually adorned
with fresh flowers in the name of someone — of someone his mother
loved.
These crosses are evidence of the human instinct — we want
something tangible to remember our loved ones.
·
We want to remember those we love. It is love that is the driving
force of the memory.
·
We want to honor those we love; we want to say to the world this was
a good person.
·
We want to grieve over their deaths, and have it be seen by the
world.
Communion is a similar sort of tangible memory. It is not
sufficient to the human being that memory should be in the mind
alone; we need something to touch and feel.
·
We remember the one that we love, who first loved us. Love is the
driving force of communion.
·
We honor him, and we honor the sacrifice he made for us.
·
We grieve over his death, for it is our sinfulness that made it
necessary. He went to the cross because of us.
The roadside crosses are made of wood and flowers; communion
seems to be but bread and wine. But in both instances we know:
there's a difference between what a thing is made of, and what it
is. In the bread and wine receive the body and blood of Jesus
Christ. We are travelers, just passing through this world – and
along the side of the road of life there is this memorial to the one
who first loved us.
