Hello,
This morning as I was standing out in front of the church waving at the
people in the cars that drove by, one of the cars came to a stop in the middle
of the northbound lane. It caught
me by surprise, because for the past 2+ years that I have been doing this, no
one has ever stopped. There was a
single driver in the car, and the window was rolled down.
The driver was a young man, maybe in his late 20’s. As he stopped, he looked toward me, and
I could tell he was going to say something….directions?....heckle me?...laugh
at me? None of those things. Instead he said, “I want to come to
this church this morning, where can I park my car?” I was a bit stunned.
Even though I have been waving at people for 2 years, I guess that I
have never really expected any of them to stop and say they wanted to come to
church. I found myself stumbling
over my words as I told him how to get to our parking garage behind the church.
As he drove down the block to turn at the corner, I wondered if my blubbering
may have caused him to change his mind, but a few minutes later, I looked to my
right, and there he was coming out of the church to meet me, guided by one of
our members.
“I see you found the parking garage,” I said to him
“Yeah…no problem,” he said back.
“You live in Greensburg?.... What’s your name?”, the standard barrage of
questions I tend to ask of those whom I don’t know.
I found out that he has lived here his whole life, and what his name is.
“So, where are you in life?...in school…working?”
He told me what his day job is, and then he said a most curious thing,
“I am writing a book.”
“About what?” I said.
“About the existence of God.
Does God exist….or doesn’t he.”
“Well, I am glad you’ve come here.
There’s plenty in the world that would make us wonder about the
existence of God, and I am always impressed with people who wrestle with the
deepest concerns of life. You
won’t be alone wrestling in there (the church), I am sure that many people will
be wrestling along with you. I
hope people know that the church is meant to be a place to bring life’s deepest
questions and doubts. It’s in the
wrestling that the truth comes out….the world’s truth….or God’s truth.”
So, after inviting him to give me a call where we can wrestle together,
he left me, walked into the church, and I went back to my waving.
It has come to my attention that many assume that those who come to
church are avid “believers”. And
when asked why they don’t come to church, their answer is, “Well, I don’t know
that I really believe it.”
Well, let me say this: I am not too sure that everyone…or even the
majority of those who come to church “really believe it”. I am pretty sure that there is a
mixture of belief and doubt in almost everyone who comes to church….some with
doubt so strong that they are like a very weak bar drink, not much kick of
faith in them at all….others come like a pure shot of whiskey, with a warming
faith that goes all the way to the belly.
Personally, I believe that the church was never meant to be a place just
for those who “really believe it.”
No, I believe that the church was always meant to be a place for those
whom Jesus has invited to engage in a friendly wrestling match….a wrestling
match for the truth…does God exist?....Does God care about me?....Does God care
about the world?....Is it true that I am a loser?....Can I ever be
forgiven?...How can I find meaning and purpose in life?....Why is the world in
such a mess?
I hope that this Bungee Cords has been like a street side wave to you,
inviting you with the invitation of Jesus to come to church on Sunday, not
because you “already believe it”, but because Jesus is looking forward to
having a friendly wrestling match with you. “Ready….wrestle!”
Have a great week.
God’s grace and peace,
Pastor Jerry Nuernberger
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