The English Chunnel

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. (Romans 5:6-11 ESV). In this month, in 1994, the English Channel tunnel opened. In a ceremony presided over by England's Queen Elizabeth II and French President Francois Mitterand, a rail tunnel under the English Channel is officially opened, connecting Britain and the European mainland for the first time since the Ice Age. The channel tunnel, or "Chunnel," connects Folkestone, England, with Sangatte, France, 31 miles away. Napoleon's engineer, Albert Mathieu, planned the first tunnel under the English Channel in 1802, envisioning an underground passage with ventilation chimneys that would stretch above the waves. In 1880, Colonel Beaumont, who bore a tunnel more than a mile long before abandoning the project, made the first real attempt. Other efforts followed in the 20th century, but none on the scale of the tunnels begun in 1986. At a cost of $16 billion, millions of tons of earth were moved to build the two rail tunnels, one for northbound and one for southbound traffic and one service tunnel. The Chunnel cut travel time between England and France by 45 minutes, and the monumental number of workers needed to build it provided a much needed boost to the economies of Britain and France. This connection between England and France is something of an engineering miracle. And, as wonderful as it is, it is nothing compared to the miracle of God reconnecting us to Him through Christ! Paul, in our reading today, says that while we were still God’s enemies, He did all that was necessary to “connect” us to His love! Wouldn’t it be tragic if no one used the Chunnel? About 1830, a man named George Wilson killed a government employee who caught him in the act of robbing the mails. Wilson was tried and sentenced to be hanged. The President of the United States, Andrew Jackson, sent Wilson a pardon. But, Wilson did a strange thing: he refused to accept the pardon. No one seemed to know what to do because of this, so Wilson’s case was sent to the U. S. Supreme Court. Chief Justice Marshall wrote the opinion: “A pardon is a slip of paper, the value of which is determined by the acceptance of the person to be pardoned. If it is refused, it is no pardon. George Wilson must be hanged.” And he was. If God has chosen you as His child, accept the pardon and live in His grace!