Bungee Cord 2-29-16

Hello,

     “I don’t know what to believe,” said a junior high-er to me after church yesterday.  “I don’t know if I should believe what I learn in school in science class about creation, or if I should believe what the Bible says.”

     I think that she was a bit embarrassed to ask me this question, fearing that I would question her questioning.  Not the case!  “I am glad that you are asking this question.  I wish more people would ask this question,” I said to her and a smile came to her face.

     It seems to me that this question is often squelched by Christians on the defense who feel attacked by science, and science devotees who are on the offense against “mindless Christianity.”  Is it true, as these two pullers on the opposite ends of the rope of truth claim that science and Christianity are two boats and one must decide to hop aboard one or the other?  I am convinced, I told that young lady, that the answer is a decisive “NO!”

     “We don’t find it surprising,” I said to her, “that atoms and sub-atomic particles are not spoken of in the Bible, because the people in Biblical times had no knowledge of them.”  She nodded.

     “What we do find in the Bible, however, is what the people in Biblical times did have knowledge of.  They saw the sun move across the sky.  They saw myriads of stars….more stars than we see in our human lighted world…and they saw rain and snow fall upon them from the sky.  And given what they observed….scientifically observed…they came to an understanding of the cosmos and creation, an understanding driven by the best science of the day.  Then they pulled out a suitcase…a suitcase we call the Bible…and packed the scientific understanding from what they saw along with the faith understanding that they heard from the covenants from God….and set off on the voyage of life.”

     “That is what it seems to me,” I said, “we should do today.”

     Personally, I do not find science and Christianity to be at odds.  I find them to complement each other.  In my mind, as my understanding grows on how things came to be and how they interact, I find myself growing closer to God, just like (in a smaller way) I have grown closer to my grandmother when I learned of how she made her Virginia Slicer Pickles (which my kids will tell you are the best!).  Likewise, the beauty and marvel of what stark science leads me to understand is deepened and warmed when the color of God’s grace is applied, much like the beauty and marvel I remember when black and white TV of my youth was replaced by a color TV.

     “So,” I told her, “the school’s job is to open your eyes to the best science of our day…science that one day people will look upon as somewhat backwards given what they will come to know…and our job at church is to open your ears to the timeless promises of God’s love and mercy….so that when you set sail to cruise into life you will have both things in your suitcase and you will be well packed for your trip!”

Bon Voyage!

Have a great week.

God’s grace and peace,(ggap)

Pastor Jerry Nuernberger

Bungee Cord  2-22-16

Hello,

     Is Donald Trump a Christian?

     Maybe a better question for me to ask is, “Am I a Christian?”

     If being a Christian means being a “little Christ”, and that is what Christian means, would it be said of me that I am one?  Well, it doesn’t take a very in depth look at my life to cause question.  I can’t say that I am very apt to say of those who are hurting me, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they are doing.”  I can’t say that when push comes to shove I am not very apt to, “deny myself.”  I can’t say that when things get tough I am apt to proceed with the depth of courage that should flow from, “I am with you always.”  I suspect that there are many times that Jesus looks at me and says to me as he did to Peter, “Get behind me Satan.  Your mind is not on divine things, but on human things.”

     Sure, the reflection of Christ makes it to the surface of my life sometimes….maybe even quite a bit of the time, but the question of my Christianity can still easily called into question depending upon where the line is drawn on being Christ-like enough.  Of course, I would tend to draw that line beneath the evidence of my life.  But for those of whom their suffering is still beyond my attention, those whose sins are still beyond my forgiveness, and those whose fears do not touch my heart….I bet that they, and rightly so, would probably draw a line above what I have done or what I will ever do.  One look at my life puts my Christianity in question.

     Many of you know that I have three sons, all three of whom bear my name, and all three of whom – no matter what they do – will always be looked upon by me as Nuernbergers.  They are “my guys”, and I tell them so every time that I end my phone calls with them, “You’re my guy.  Love ya.”  There is absolutely no question in my mind that they are Nuernbergers, through and through – not by virtue of what they do, but by virtue of who they are.

     So, for me, the question of my Christianity is not answered primarily by what I do, but by who I am.  And who am I?  I am one for whom God sent his Son, Jesus, to die.  I am one who was splashed with a divinely saturated claim, “I give you my name.  You are mine.”  I am one who is so treasured that the one who calls me by name would leave 99 to find me and lay down his life when the wolf comes prowling to save me.  I am the one finds a seat saved for me at the table of the Lord.  I am the one who has heard the promise of an eternal room in God’s eternal mansion, a room prepared for me, and a room to which I will be escorted by Jesus, himself.  That is who I am.  Sounds “Christian” to me.

     And here’s my hope.  I hope that as Christ enfolds my hardened heart in his hands his grace with soften it and shape it into one that beats as his.  I hope that as Christ continues to speak his cross-born promise in my ears, that my mind will merge with the mind of Christ.  I hope that as Christ keeps calling me to where he is at work among the suffering, that my hands will bear the callousses that cover his nail scarred hands.  My hope is that as Christ lives with me, and I live with Christ, the evidence of who God has made me to be will be found more readily in my life.

     Is Donald Trump a Christian?  Am I a Christian?  Are you a Christian?  The answer, I believe, is found in whom God has named each to be…..bearers of his name.  And I confidently trust that God will never give up completely investing himself in each until the evidence of his claim is seen in each life.

     Have a great week.

God’s grace and peace, (ggap)

Pastor Jerry Nuernberger

Bungee Cord 2-15-16

Hello,

     Did you know that if a girl sees a yellow finch on Valentine’s Day that means that she will marry a rich man?

     On my way over the ridge on Sunday mornings I listen to a radio program on NPR called “Sunday Baroque”.  I find it a helpful way to get myself in a worshipful mindset.  Yesterday, as I was listening, the announcer introduces a piece of music by saying that in the Baroque period, it was said that if a girl saw a gold finch on Valentine’s day, that would mean that she would marry a rich man.  The piece that followed was an extension of that saying as it was a piece featuring a piccolo imitating the sound of a gold finch.  I can’t say that I have ever heard the chirping of a gold finch….or if I did I didn’t know the bird from which it came….but the as the piccolo tweeted its tune, I could imagine a gold finch sounding forth on a tree branch.

     So, I got to thinking…..when was the last time that I saw a gold finch in the winter?  As I think about it, I don’t think that I ever have.  I’ve seen plenty of them darting around in our fields when flowers and berries cover the ground, but when the snow blankets the fields covering all the potential eating fare, it seems as though there’s not a gold finch to be found.

     So, if it is true that if a girl spots a gold finch on Valentine’s day, a day in the middle of the winter, that she will marry a rich man, then it is also true that the likelihood of that happening is very remote if not completely nonexistent.

     Empty words of hope.

     When I listen to the voices of the world, I find myself hearing a lot of things that contain as about as much hope as seeing a gold finch in the winter.  “Vote for me and everything will be fixed.”  “Marry me and I will make your life complete.”  “Work here and you’ll never be sorry.”  “Eat this and your health will be secured.”  “Drive this and everyone will want you as a friend.”

     Truth is that much of what the world says does bring some hope…thing is, though, often it cannot deliver the hope that it promises or at least it can only deliver a limited hope.  Although we know this truth in our hearts, I think that it is still true that when the world doesn’t live up to the hope it promises, we find ourselves disappointed and let down.

     That is what the first Christians were told about the hopes they were hearing from the mouth of Jesus.  “He won’t deliver on his word.”  “Don’t trust in Jesus.  The only one you can trust in is yourself.” 

     To those words of the world the Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 10, “¹¹The scripture says, ‘No one who believes in him will be put to shame.’ ¹²For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. ¹³For, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

     Upon what footing did Paul stake these words?  The answer: his encounter with Jesus.  Jesus had, for him, lived up to Jesus’ words.  When Paul’s life was heading for a dead end road, he saw his life opening up with life as he followed Jesus.  When the world came crushing down on him, he discovered that Jesus’ present grace was sufficient to keep from being crushed.  When he found himself  facing things that magnified his weaknesses, he likewise came face to face with the unyielding grip of God on his life.  Paul could say, “Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved,” because he – he who names himself a “wretch” -  had called upon the name of the Lord, and the Lord had saved the likes of him.

     I find myself walking in Paul’s shoes.  Before I ever had a mouth to call upon the Lord, Jesus died for me.  Before I had a voice to call upon the Lord, Jesus named me as his.  Every time that I have messed up…be it a minor mess or a massive one…I hear the same words, “You are forgiven.”  Whenever I have worried and worn myself out trying to keep the roof from falling in, I have discovered that when it falls the embrace of Jesus has kept me from being crushed..  It is my encounter with Jesus that has shown me, as it showed Paul, that the world’s warnings were all wrong.

     Jesus hasn’t let me down.  I can count on him….more than I can count on myself.

     And so I do.  I count on Jesus to lead me through this day.  I count on Jesus to lead me through tomorrow.  And I count on Jesus to lead me through the last day of this life.

     That is why I, like the Apostle Paul, say, “Everyone (even the likes of me) who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Have a great week.

God’s grace and peace, (ggap)

Pastor Jerry Nuernberger

Bungee Cord 2-10-16

Hello,

      I just got back from Key West Florida having been on a mid-winter vacation with my wife.  We decided to go to Key West for no other reason that it is the furthest southern point of the continental United States where we were hoping to find warmer weather and sunnier skies than Southwest Pennsylvania….and we did!

     On our way down and back I heard something in the airplane that I had never heard before.  Every time that we took off, the flight attendant got on the P.A. system and said, “There are two lavatories on this plane.  One in the front and one in the back of the plane.  If you are sitting in the front section (first class…my clarification) you may use the forward lavatory.  If you are seated in the back section (coach…my clarification), please use the lavatory in the back of the plane.  You are not allowed to congregate in the aisle, so please stay in your seat until the lavatory is empty.”

     I don’t do a lot of flying, so maybe I have missed it before, but in previous flights I don’t remember being told which lavatory I was allowed to use…..and for me it was the one in the back of the plane.  Being one who had to use the lavatory, I discovered a dilemma with my relegation to the back lavatory.  I found that I was sharing my lavatory with over twenty rows of travelers with 4 seats per row, while the front lavatory was being shared with 4 rows of travelers with 3 seats per row.  Because of this I found myself responding to the call of nature with multiple glances over my shoulder to see if “my” lavatory was available, and noticing that the other lavatory…which was off limits to me….was going unused.  Me, and my bladder, felt discriminated against.

     But as the hair was rising on the back of my neck, and nature’s call yelling louder from my bladder, there was a still small voice whispering in my head that reminded me of something that I had told the kids at church last week. 

     Every year our church does an Advent and Lenten project, a focused congregational response to the graciousness that God has showered upon us in Jesus.  Buying pigs to send around the world.  Gathering supplies for school packets to send around the world….and this Lent….directing our thankfulness in giving to build latrines throughout the world.  I told the kids, who lead us in these projects, that over 2,500,000,000 people in the world lack proper sanitation and thereby suffer from disease that takes the lives of children and older adults.  So, as a congregation we are seeing how many “Lenten Loo’s” we are going to be able to build around the world at $150.00 per Loo.  In years past, our congregation that is composed of moderate to low income people has gathered together $8,000.00 in our efforts to make a dent of thankfulness during Lent.  If we are able to do likewise this year, we should be able to build over nearly fifty “Lenten Loo’s”.  Many of these “Lenten Loo’s” will be shared by 5-10 homes….and if there are 5 people in each of those homes we will make it possible for 250-500 people to be free of life ending disease.  I know that that is but a drop in the bucket for the 2,500,000,000 people who need a “Lenten Loo”, but for those who we do help it will be far more than just a drop in the bucket!

     So, what does this have to do with my lavatory discrimination that I experienced on my airplanes?

     Well, as I was getting indignant about the fact that I had to share a lavatory with over 80 people compared to the sharing of the lavatory of only 12 people in the first class, it occurred to me that in a world were 2,500,000,000 people don’t have access to a proper lavatory at all, I have multiple “loo’s” in my house in which two people (my wife and I) live.  The snubbery that I felt, I realized, was nothing compared to the snubbery that all of those loo lacking people in the world fill from me.

     It may seem a bit banal for a church to gather funds to build “Lenten Loo’s”, but my indignant bladder in those planes opened my eyes to see just how important this gathering is, for the sake of the world….and for my sake.  For the sake of the world….to rid the world of preventable deaths.  For my sake….to rid me of my snubbery.

     When Lent is over in 40 days, I’ll let you know how many “Lenten Loo’s” First Lutheran Church of Greensburg will be building all around the world.  If, by chance, you would like to be part of this Loo building….just e-mail or message me.

     All of this “Loo” awareness has led to a whole new appreciation for the grace of God that has come to me in something as simple, but as important, as flushing my toilet.

Have a great week.

God’s grace and peace,  (ggap)

Pastor Jerry Nuernberger

Bungee Cord 2-1-16

Hello,

     Today I heard something that I know wasn’t meant to say what I heard, but when I heard it, I thought, “That’s not right.”

     I was travelling over Chestnut Ridge on my way to work this morning listening to National Public Radio catching up on the news.  One of the news stories was about this virus that is “exploding” in South America that may be linked to babies being born with too small a skull.  As you may know, the governments in the affected areas are advising women not to get pregnant for a while, saying, “No one wants a disabled child.”

     That was it, “No one wants a disabled child.”  That just didn’t sound right in my ears.  I wonder how that was heard by the millions and millions of parents who have a disabled child.  Would they say that they “don’t want” their disabled child?  I know that disabled children and their difficulties can add stress and strain to life, but I also know that disabled children can certainly open a parent’s heart in ways that cannot be measured.

      I suspect that those government officials really meant, “Everyone wants a healthy child,” but maybe the words that they chose unveiled a painful truth that really brings more stress and strain to life, and that is that even healthy isn’t good enough….what people want is a perfect child….which translates into the pressure that the world puts on us, that we need to be perfect.

     There’s an undercurrent of thought that bleeds into our thinking that says if people are perfect, life is smoother.  I know that I feel that undercurrent tugging at me…tugging at me making me fear making a mistake, tugging at me entangling my relationships with stress and strain, tugging at me adding pressure and misdirection to my work.  As I look around, I see it taking root in children who have to go to sports camps in elementary school, undertake specialized tutoring to excentuate their giftedness, and only eat foods that lead to ideal bodies.  It is all done in the name of giving a person a competitive edge in our highly competitive world, but I believe that underneath it all is the message….”You need to be perfect.”

     Thing is, that is a goal that will never be reached.  No one will ever be perfect.  Every one of us will fall short.  Every one of us will mess up.  Every one of us will see in ourselves disablities.

     So, in this world that demands perfection, I am glad that there is a place that does not.  I am glad that there is a place that takes me as I am….that welcomes me with my shortcomings and frailties….that acknowledges that I will never be perfect….that doesn’t just tolerate me in my brokenness, but loves me in it….that doesn’t give up on me when I mess up, but embraces me.  I am glad for that place, and that place is the community of people who bear the name of Jesus Christ, Christians.

     I am glad that there is a place where the door will never be shut on me, no matter how wrecklessly I have messed things up.  I am glad that there is a place that doesn’t kick me in the teeth when I have fallen, but instead lifts me up.  I am glad that there is a place where I am not laughed at and ridiculed for my foolishness.  I am glad that there is a place that seeks to understand my struggles rather than simply think they know what my struggles are like. 

     I am glad that there is a place that is glad to have someone who is disabled…glad to love someone who is disabled…glad to embrace someone who is disabled….because that someone is me.  I am glad that there is a place that doesn’t expect people to be perfect, because I know that I will never be perfect.

     So, if you’re not perfect, know this….there is a place that doesn’t expect you to be….the community of Jesus Christ, the church.  Come and see what it is like to be in a place where “disabled” people are wanted, and through the likes of us “disabled” people, Jesus Christ does amazing things!

     Have a great week.

God’s grace and peace, (ggap)

Pastor Jerry Nuernberger