The Bungee Cord 11-3-25

Hello,

One of the most helpful parts of Scripture that I find when it comes to understanding the life of the Christian faith is Romans 6. At the end of chapter five, the Apostle Paul, who wrote Romans, says that God addresses every sin with God’s grace. Then as he begins the sixth chapter he asks, “Well, if grace is a good thing, maybe we should sin all the more so that we can receive more grace from God.”

And to that somewhat “creative” way of thinking, Paul says, “How can we who have died to sin continue to live in it?” Then Paul goes on to say that when God takes ahold of us, God doesn’t just refurbish our broken selves, instead God makes us into something new. Paul said it this way in 2 Cor. 5:17, “So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; look, new things have come into being!”

I begin this Bungee Cord with this short Bible study because it has led me to be a little more careful with my words when it comes to living the Christian faith. I hear many Christian folk speak of being “called” to do something, and there is certainly truth in their words. Pastors in my tradition often speak of their “calling” to be a pastor. As a matter of fact, the word “vocation” comes from the Latin word that means “calling”. Jesus gathered his disciples by “calling out” to them, “Follow me.” And so, when Christians say that we, as Christians, are called to feed the hungry, give water to the thirsty, care for the sick, cloth the naked and visit the imprisoned (Matthew 25), there is truth to their words.

But as I consider Romans 6, I think there is a deeper truth behind the Christian faith, and that is to say that we whom God has gotten ahold of are “made” to do what Jesus says the Christian life is meant to be. In my way of thinking, when one is “called”, one can ignore that specific calling and follow some other calling voice, but when one is “made” in a certain way, if one acts in such a way that one is not made, life is clumsy, if not painful, at best. So, although we might be born as creatures consumed with ourselves (some theologians say that is the crux of sin), and we all are, when God gets ahold of us in Christ, we are reborn, new creatures filled with the self-giving love of God. We are more than “called” to live lives of self-giving, we are “made” to do so.

When I understand my Christian life, I see God as a divine mechanical engineer. Just as mechanical engineers design things to do a specific task, just so, God has done so with you and me as Christ has taken hold of our lives. As I look at this world that is so full of hatred, violence and fear, and I wonder if there is anything that I can do about it, I find myself hopeful rather than helpless. I am hopeful because Scripture tells me that God, the divine mechanical engineer, has designed and made me to do something about the deadly mess we find ourselves in. God has made me, as St. Francis penned in his prayer (Google it!) a channel of God’s peace, and since I am God’s handiwork, I have the confidence that God has made me with his best. I am no antique wash board that cannot meet the challenges of today, instead I am a high-tech, divinely powered industrial washing machine of God’s grace….and so are you!

So, join with me and be of good courage as you and I face this world that stains all people with hatred, fear, and violence (just to name a few), because in Christ, God has made (not just called) us to be brand new instruments of God’s cleansing grace….”scrubbing bubbles” of grace!

Have a great week.

God’s grace and peace, (ggap)

Pastor Jerry Nuernberger

 The Bungee Cord. 10-26-25

Hello,

Just got back from spending a week with some friends at the Outer Banks of North Carolina. They had rented a house on the beach and invited us to come down and enjoy it with them. What a treat!

It is about 8-9 hours from our house to the house in which we stayed. Last Sunday, we left after church, so we broke the trip in half. On the way home we tackled the trip in drive. Normally, when Kate and I go on vacation, I do most of the driving as I don’t entertain myself very well as a passenger. However, since we did not take our car, but travelled in a friend’ car, I was assigned to the back seat for the entirety of the trip. It was reminiscent of childhood car trips back to see my grandparents in Wayne, Nebraska. Oblivious to the amount of road that we had travelled and the road yet to travel, I, on several occasions mimicked to the front seat my childhood wonderings, “How much longer?”

This upcoming Sunday is All Saints Sunday in churches that follow a liturgical calendar. On All Saints Sunday we commemorate those who have been Baptized this year and have begun their journey of faith, and we commemorate those who have reached faith’s end and rest in God’s eternal care. For those of us in between these two groups, we are like back seat riders, not knowing how far we have yet to go, and with the wonderment of a back seat child we might find ourselves asking, “How much longer?”

Of course, the ride is not the same for all of us travelers. Personally, I have had legs of this life’s trip that have been so darkly shrouded in depression, that my back seat question comes with eager anticipation. “How much longer?” I have been with people for whom the trip seems to lack any purpose, and they find themselves asking their back seat question out of abject boredom. “How much longer?” For most people that I have ridden with in this life’s trip, the trip in and of itself is so filled with wonder, joy, and awe that their back seat question hopes for an answer that carries much time with it. “How much longer?”

“Twenty minutes.” That was the designated answer that came from the driver’s seat of the car in which my wife and her siblings traveled. “Twenty minutes.” As you have probably guessed, in reality, it never was twenty minutes, but it gave the unbuckled travelers in the back seat and in the travelers in the “way back” of the station wagon the message that they needed to find something with which to occupy themselves. I remember that we would play “Alphabet Find”, where we would search for sequential letters of the alphabet as we traveled along, and once someone found a letter, no one else could use that sign, license plate, or advertisement to procure the letter they were on. “Q’s” were a challenge to find!

“Twenty minutes.” That might be a good answer for all of us as we turn the corner on this year’s All Saints Day. As much as All Saints Day is a day to commemorate new and deceased travelers, it is also a day to poke our heads out the window and use this time constructively: feed the poor, attend to the sick, visit the imprisoned, lift up the widow and orphan, welcome the stranger, love one’s neighbor….. “Twenty minutes.”

Who knows how long “twenty minutes’’ is going to be, but of this we can be certain: because of who the driver is (Jesus), we’ll get there! And when we get there, we’ll all say with glee, “It was worth the trip!”

Have a great week,

God’s grace and peace, (ggap)

Pastor Jerry Nuernberger

 The Bungee Cord 10-21-25

Hello,

In a world that would turn us to hopelessness, I hope that the Bungee Cord brings you hope on which you can firmly set your feet.

This week, I saw something that was hope crushing. I turned on the news and there was a report on the cease fire that is teetering in the Mid-East. As part of this report, and maybe you saw it, too, there was a half-dozen men on their knees with blindfolds on, and behind each of them was a man with a masked face pointing a gun at each of the kneeling men’s heads. The news anchor stopped the video and said that if the video was to continue, we would see each of the guns fired and each of the kneeling men fall face-down on the ground.

When I saw this, I literally gasped. How could anyone do such a thing? The amount of hatred in the shooters’ hearts is unfathomable to me. Or maybe it wasn’t hatred. Maybe it was complete lack of seeing any humanity in those who were kneeling? Maybe those shooters looked at those kneeling and saw them as less than cockroaches.

You may recall the time in the Bible when a bunch of men brought a woman caught in adultery to Jesus. (I wonder where the man was who was likewise caught in the act.). Those who caught the woman expected Jesus to condemn her and lead the accusers in pelting her with stones until she died. After all, that was the rule.

But Jesus did not do as they had hoped. When Jesus saw her, he did not see her as those men did. He did not see someone whose deed had transformed her into something less than a cockroach. Jesus saw a person kneeling in front of him, someone that God almighty held in such value that God sent Jesus, his Son, so that she might be held in the love of God every day of her life, and every day when her days in this life were to be no more. The Bible doesn’t say that Jesus looked upon her and loved her, but his response to her indictment was unmistakably one of divine love. “Let the one who has no sin throw the first stone,” Jesus said.

No one picked up a stone. When her accusers left with their tails between their legs, and maybe their eyes opened to the common humanity they held with that woman, a humanity that is stained with pain, Jesus said to her, “Go and sin no more.” Jesus words to that woman were an invitation of grace, the same invitation of grace that might be said to a rabbit caught in a trap, “You are free. Go, and hop away.”

By this treatment of that woman, Jesus would have us know that God treats us in the same way. Even though we, like that woman, do things that bring pain to others and ourselves, God does not see us by the evil we do. No, God sees us by the grace in his heart, grace that leads God to name us God’s children, children that God would give God’s own life for….which God did!

And if we listen carefully, we might hear God’s voice speak upon those who we encounter that carry an indictment that begins to well up hatred and demean in our hearts….that we might hear God say, “I died for this one, a child of mine, too.” And with that whisper in our ears, instead of gathering up stones to throw, we can reach out our hands in mercy and help others to their feet.

Is there hope for the world? Is there hope for you or me? Indeed! There is great hope, hope that is found in you and me, as Christ opens the traps this world has set for us and in which we have been caught, and he says, taking hold of our hands, “I hear lots of people caught in traps and crying for help. Let’s go and open up those traps!”

Have a great week.

God’s grace and peace, (ggap)

Pastor Jerry Nuernberger

 The Bungee Cord 10-13-25

Hello,

I heard someone say that if you want to know what unconditional love is, accidentally lock your spouse and your dog in the trunk of the car and see which one is glad to see you when you open it up. It is hard to imagine even the most patient and understanding spouse emerging with a smile on their face. Far more likely it would be that darts would be shooting from their eyes with the rapidity of a machine gun, and shouts of, “You idiot!” exploding from their mount. But next to that eruption of anger and rage, there would certainly be the excited wagging of a tail, the twinkle of joy in the eyes, and a slobbery kiss, and the bark of resolute happiness coming from your dog.

The Bible tells us that on Easter evening when the disciples were hidden away in a locked room, fearing that they might find themselves hanging on a cross, suddenly another was with them who greeted them with the words, “Peace be with you.” Then he showed them the nail wounds in his hands and the spear wound in his side, and they realized it was Jesus. Jesus the one whom they all abandoned when the soldiers came to take him away….Jesus the one whom Peter had denied to even knowing him….Jesus whom they watched being locked tighter than a car’s trunk in a tomb. Jesus, when the tomb was opened and he encountered his fickle disciples in that room said to them, “Peace be with you.”

Notice, he didn’t say, “You cowards! How could have you let this happen to me!?” Nor did he say, “You backstabbers! How could have you denied me when I was facing torture and disgrace?!” Nor did he say, “With friends like you, who needs enemies!” No. When the tomb was opened and Jesus laid his eyes on his disciples he said as if wagging a tail, “Peace be with you.” Unconditional love.

It is that Easter evening encounter of Jesus’ disciples with Jesus that gives me absolute assurance that when I slam the trunk door on Jesus, and I do with a regularity of which I am not proud, when the trunk is opened, I will be greeted in a way far more resembling my dog than my spouse. When I give into the idolatry the world sets before me, an idolatry that leaves me holding an empty bag, and I open the trunk where I have stuffed Jesus, I know that I will hear the words from him, “Peace be with you.” When I cowardly deny Jesus by my selfish and heatless actions, and I open the trunk where I have stuffed Jesus, I know that I will hear the words from him, “Peace be with you.” And I know that when God opens my grave and I am looking right into the eyes of Jesus, even though I have left a trail of pain in my life’s wake, I will hear the words coming from him, “Peace be with you.”

As true as it is that I intentionally and accidentally lock Jesus in the trunk of my life’s care, I need not fear when I open it up,for I have come to know that grace and mercy are at the core of Jesus’ relationship with me. I will not be struck by darts of anger and disgust. I will receive the greeting akin to my dog’s. “Peace be with you.” Unconditional love.

Likewise, will you!

Have a great week.

God’s grace and peace, (ggap)

Pastor Jerry Nuernberger

 The Bungee Cord. 10-6-25

Hello,

I returned yesterday from a trip to Hinsdale, Illinois for my 50th high school reunion. I have kept in light contact with a handful of my classmates over the years, but for the most part our paths have not crossed for a half a century. As one would expect, the town has drastically changed, and our high school is hardly recognizable in its current state of high technology and creature comforts. Most of the people had transformed into folks that didn’t look a great deal like the graduation picture that was on their nametag. Not knowing what to expect as I traveled there, I was extremely surprised how monumental an event it was for me.

I was touched by the generous welcome by people with whom I ran around in high school, and those who I hardly knew (there were 600+ in our class). Our conversations were deeply engaging. Our remembrances were heartwarming. The boundaries of cliques that divided in our high school days were erased, and there was a commonality of bumps and bruises that we shared as we shared our divergent journeys.

I was given the honor of reading the names of those who have died from our class (55 of them), to offer a prayer for them, to offer another prayer for the struggles that we all carry, and (most importantly) say grace before the meal. I was asked to say something before the reading of the names, which I have decided to share with my Bungee Cord readers. It went something like this:

“The world in which we live tells us that our worth is based on what we have done. The more successful our deeds or the more important our deeds, the more worth we hold. It is one of those fun things that we get to do at reunions like this, to share the peaks of our journeys. But I have come to understand that there is something far more substantial that establishes our worth than what we have done, successes and failures, and that is who we are. The verse in the Bible that has become the focus of my faith is 1 John 3:1. “See what love the Father has given us, that we might be called children of God, and that is what we are.”

We are children of God. That is what God has declared us to be, and what could make us of any greater worth than that. As we spend this time together, maybe that is the greatest gift that we can share, to see the immeasurable gift that we are to each other as Children of God. And as we remember those who are no longer among us, we count them as treasures who have adorned our lives, not because of what they have done in life, but rather because who that have been in life. Children of God. Treasures.”

And in the following minutes I slowly spoke their names, giving time between each name for people to silently raise up memories of these beloved of God. A pin drop could have been heard.

I’ve returned from my 50th reunion with my sight adjusted, adjusted to see the treasures that I encounter every day. People of unmeasured worth….not because of what they have or have not done, but because of who they are: Children of God.

“See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called “Children of God”, and that is what we are.”

Have a great week.

God’s grace and peace, (ggap)

Pastor Jerry Nuernberger

 The Bungee Cord. 9-29-25

Hello,

It is good to have a dog, because my dog is constantly reminding me of things that I too often forget.

Our family has almost always had a dog. One of the foremost reasons has been that as a Pastor I am often gone in the evenings, and we want to have something that barks when people come to our house, especially now as we live out in the country. Even though none of our dogs would truly ward off any unwanted visitors, just the barking has brought some security to our souls.

Our last two dogs have been Gordon Setters. They are bird hunting dogs, but as I don’t hunt, I just like the way they look and their personalities, so they have been merely pets to me. Our current dog, McMahon, is nine years old, and we have had him since he was eight weeks old. As Gordon Setters are known to be, he is a bit stubborn, but he is a great companion. He likes to snuggle and hang around with us in the same room.

But herein lies what McMahon is constantly reminding me. Life is good when he has a ball to play with, food in his bowl twice a day, a rawhide chew after his meal, and someone to scratch behind his ears. The little things are what makes his life. The stress of the world does not bear down on his shoulders. Unknown worries do not worry him. Every day is a new day, and he never questions his trust in us.

Of course, a dog’s world is a much simpler world than the human world. Yet, the world of humans can, and does, become much more cumbersome than it has to be. Humans find themselves concerned about status and influence. Humans find themselves lured to comfort and technology. Humans find themselves engulfed in matters far beyond one’s backyard.

McMahon, by the wag of his tail when I mention the word “ball” or “eat”, cuts through the pressures that I carry on my shoulders, and I suddenly see the simple things in life that are life’s foundation. A roof over my head, relationships of love, food on my table, and things like pickleball that make me smile. And maybe even more important, McMahon reminds me that I have someone that I can unquestionably trust, the Lord; someone whose love for me far extends my love for McMahon (I wouldn’t die for him), and someone whose wisdom far exceeds mine.

McMahon turns my mind on to one of the scriptures passages that Kate and I had read art our wedding, now 44 years ago, “22 Jesus said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear. 23 For life is more than food and the body more than clothing. 24 Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! 25 And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to your span of life?[d] 26 If then you are not able to do so small a thing as that, why do you worry about the rest? 27 Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin,[e] yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these.” (Luke 12)

Thank you, McMahon, for keeping my eyes open to the grace of God.

Have a great week.

God’s grace and peace, (ggap)

Pastor Jerry Nuernberger

 The Bungee Cord. 9-22-25

Hello,

Maybe you have heard of a judge named Frank Caprio. He was a municipal court judge in Providence, Rhode Island. He gained his fame through televised court sessions that involved relatively small crimes: parking tickets, traffic violations and the like. I ran into his court proceedings on Facebook. He was soft spoken, gentle, and a careful listener. He treated people with respect and showed a soft heart to people who were struggling just to keep their heads above water having grown up in such a household. He didn’t reward laziness or manipulation, but instead rewarded honesty, diligence, and perseverance. He even had a fund, named in honor of his mother, that would pay fines owed by folks who had fallen on hard times.

Judge Caprio died recently from cancer, and at his death it was said of him that he believed, “Mercy can lift a life higher than punishment ever could.” I am not certain from where Judge Caprio developed that belief, but I, who share that belief know where I have developed it: from Jesus the Christ. Though I certainly deserve my “temporal and eternal punishment” (words that I confessed every Sunday in the worship service as I grew up), God has chosen to show me mercy and forgiveness. Because of that, the pain that I have caused myself, others, and even God does not hold me in its grip, squeezing the life right out of me until I yell, “Uncle!” Instead, God took all the pain that I and the world could muster and squeezed the breath right out of it so it could no longer stake its claim on me, or anyone. Punishment may have limited power to hold people in line, and vengeance might serve to balance the scale of pain in people’s lives, but neither one of those things can do anything to lift people out of their pain. It is mercy, like a rescuer reaching into a deep well into which you have fallen, has the power to raise a person up from the holes we fall into in life, and the hole which we will be placed into in death.

When I was in my late 20’s and early 30’s, I was a pastor in an “inner city” church. Due to its location on a major thoroughfare in an economically struggling neighborhood, there was a regular traffic pattern of people knocking on the church door in search of help. Believing as I do, that mercy has the power to lift people up, I found myself the target of many who would come asking for “the young pastor”. I soon discovered that my “mercy” was being misappropriated. I, like them, became much more streetwise and realized my “help” wasn’t really helping them.

So, I took it upon myself to find places that could help them, for example, community food shelves and homeless shelters so I could refer them there, and I decided that I would treat them the way that I have been treated by God, with dignity and respect. I sat down with them and listened to their stories, even though I knew that their stories were often filled with deceit. (Such is the case with my stories I speak to God.). I didn’t try and decipher out the truth in their stories, but rather truthfully empathized with what I heard. Although I am sure that some of the storytellers thought me to be a naïve fool, it was my hope that they experienced in me a depth of care for them that comes from Jesus Christ, the source of my care.

I don’t know what became of almost all of those with whom I sat down and listened, but it is my hope that maybe for that brief moment they found themselves lifted by Christ’s love, a love that died and rose for them.

“ Mercy can lift a life higher than punishment ever could,” Judge Frank Caprio….and Jesus Christ.

Have a great week.

God’s grace and peace, (ggap)

Pastor Jerry Nuernberger