Hello,
There’s a theory that says every human being is connected to every other
human being by no more than six degrees of separation. If that is true, that means that I know
some one, who knows someone, who knows someone, who knows someone, who knows
someone, who knows some person in some remote corner of the world. It does make the world seem pretty
small!
The other day I was thinking about this theory and it occurred to me
that I stand only a few degrees of separation from a couple of pretty famous people
of our day: President Obama and Ben Rothlisberger. Let me tell you how I am connected to them.
I grew up across the street from the current governor of Illinois, Pat
Quinn. He was a handful of years
older than me, but his youngest brother was one of my regular playmates. His brother and I would play endless
games of home run derby in his back yard using a wiffle ball bat and a plastic
golf ball. He was the White
Sox. I was the Cubs. Every once in a while, Pat would be
part of a neighborhood touch football game. So, since I “know” Pat Quinn, and as Governor of Illinois,
President Obama’s home state, Pat knows President Obama….I am only a small
degree of separation from the President of the United States.
For nearly eight years, I lived in Arlington, Ohio, a small town a mere
seven uninterrupted miles from Findlay, Ohio. During those years, Ben Rothlisberger lived in Findlay and
attended Findlay High School where he played basketball and football. Having known the Arlington basketball and
football players pretty well, I am sure that at least one of them spent some
time playing sports with Ben Rothlisberger. Thus my two degree of separation connection to Ben
Rothlisberger.
Truth to be told, I don’t know how much good my connection to Ben
Rothlisberger and President Obama will do me. I am not sure that a call to either of them telling them
that I grew up across the street from Pat Quinn or that I lived in Arlington
for seven years would get either of them to open their doors if I knocked on
them.
Herein lies the wonder of Jesus.
When you and I knock on the doors of heaven in prayer, we do not place
our hopes of catching his ear by saying that we grew up across the street from
someone he knows, or that we lived in a town with someone who he knows. No, when we knock on the doors of
heaven in prayer, there is no degree of separation, for Jesus takes one look at
you and I who knock and he says, “Oh, I know you….I died for you.”
It might be a fun thing to compare at a party our list of people to whom
we are connected with the lists that our friends have, and at best those lists
might open a few doors for us. But
to hear that we are on Jesus’ list of those to whom he is connected, directly
connected by his death – now, that is far more than fun. That is a cause for hope when
everything seems hopeless. That is
a cause for peace when everything seems to be falling apart. That is a cause for joy when dark
clouds lumber upon us. That is a
cause for celebration when death cries “victory”.
It may be true that each of us is connected to every one on the earth by
a separation of six people or less.
But a more valuable and wonderful truth is this: each of us is directly
connected to Jesus…..a connection that opens the doors that really matter.
Have a great week…..I’ll say hi, for you, to Ben or Barack if I see them.
God’s grace and peace, (ggap)
Pastor Jerry Nuernberger
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