Hello,
I found myself shaking my head in disbelieving shock in the wake of the
hurricane dubbed Sandy that bullied the Northeast. My oscillating head was not set in motion by the images of
the destruction that the wind and waves dealt upon products of human
hands. Although I was deeply
saddened by the plight of those who found themselves in fury’s way, I wasn’t
shocked for I know that when humans line up against the forces of nature, we
are like a 5th grade football team taking our stand against the NFL. We are so bound to get crushed that to
say we are underdogs is an egotistic exaggeration.
What set my head a wagging was something that I heard as I travelled to
work a couple of days after the hurricane hit: neighborhood stores were being
looted. As the water swept into
the buildings flooding the floors, people waded into that water and swept the
shelves clear of the merchandise that the store owners had placed there to
serve the community and by which to make a living. It was shocking to me that people, looters, would take
advantage of those whose lives had just crumbled in front of them by the
destruction of the storm on their livelihood, and then kick them in the teeth
by stealing away any shred of hope that remained. It is headshakingly shocking to me.
But now some days later having had time bring a halt to my shock-born
head shaking, allowing my eyes to see things more clearly…I find myself seeing
such looting going on around me all the time. I’ve seen people’s lives looted when a hurricane named
Divorce has blown into their lives and their sense of worth is plundered by the
gossip that follows. I’ve seen
school children of all ages, pre-school to college, have their lives looted when
tests are handed back and the audible and inaudible snickers loot any crumb of
value that the hurricane named Failure hasn’t already swept away. I’ve seen adults have their lives
looted when the hurricane named Unthinkable Sin has raged through their lives, and
then any shred of hope is grabbed from them by the sticky fingers of judgment
and shame. The truth is that there
is something all too common for people who have just been crushed by a
hurricane, that they find themselves kicked in the teeth by looters who prey on
them.
I don’t know when it was so dubbed, but the space in which we gather as
the people of God every Sunday morning is called The Sanctuary. It is so named because it is the place
where Jesus, the one who stood up to the storm of storms, a storm named Sin and
Death, and crushed it on Easter Sunday morning when he rose from the tomb,
gathers us under his protection like a mother hen sheltering her chicks with
her wings. The place where we
gather every Sunday morning, the Sanctuary, is a place of safety from the
looters of the world. Although the
looters of the world may take advantage of you and kick you in the teeth when
storms have shattered your life, the Lord of the Sanctuary will not. When you enter his Sanctuary he will
begin to repair your life with his words of forgiveness. When you come to his table he will heal
your wounds with the wounds he suffered, his body and blood. And when your knees crumple, he will
take hold of you and set you back on your feet after your conversation with him
called prayer.
So, in this world of life crushing storms, let me extend to you Jesus’
invitation, “Come unto me all you that are weary and heaven laden and I will
give you rest.” And don’t be
surprised that when it comes time to leave the Sanctuary and face the stormy
world that you find your head shaking in disbelieving shock, shock that the one
who spans the reaches of the universe has just wrapped his arms around you and
filled you with something no one or nothing can loot from you: God’s love for
you.
Have a great week.
God’s grace and peace,
Pastor Jerry Nuernberger
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