The Bungee Cord  6-27-17

Hello,

     Went to Office Max in Davenport, Iowa today in search of an inexpensive computer desk for my folks who have just moved into an independent living facility, and we are here to help them get situated in their new digs.  The room in which they have their computer is small and is filled with many other things that they were not able to downsize, so the computer desk needed to be minimal in size, yet practical in nature.

     Having checked several other stores whose inventory was too fancy or too limited, we stumbled our way into Office Max.  Perusing their selection I stumbled upon a desk that met every one of our needs….small, practical, and functional …..all for $149.00.  Looking at the price tag we noticed a notation on it that if we wanted the wood (fake wood) one, rather than the glass one, we could have it for $44.00.  Surely a mistake on the price tag, so when we found a service person who looked it up said, “Let’s go see.”  We walked back toward the computer desks, and on the way there, we come upon the wood one, and walking up to it, sure enough….$44.00…..no….wait….as we got closer we saw a red line through the $44.00 and a red $25.00 next to it.  Could this be correct?  “Guess so,” said the sales person.

     What a deal!  So, without even asking my folks, we bought it for them.  Took it to their apartment and they, too, were amazed at the deal we had just acquired.  As we opened the packaging, I was ready to find myself all too aware as to the reason for the “deal” we had just made…..faulty design, cheap materials, defective.  But no….as we put it together, the pieces were all there, the design was sleek, and the structure was sound.  Everything we wanted.  Every thing we needed.  Everything we had hoped for….and all for $25.00.

     What if it had been free?  A deal even more amazing, given the truth of the product’s promise.  Free…that is the deal that God presents to us….free…everything we want… everything we need….everything we could ever hope for….and all for… free!  “For God so love the world….” (John 3:16,17)… See what love the Father has given us that we should be called children of God.  And that is what we are.”  (1 John 3:1)  Could this be correct… free?  Guess so, says the Bible.

     The cynical side of me keeps on telling me to just wait.  Wait and the time will come when  I will find out that I have been had, that it really was too good to be true.  Is there a God?... A God who in the infinitive expanse of the universe would be so drawn to me that that God would spare nothing to embrace me in an eternal grasp?  A God whose heart is so consumed with love for me that that God doesn’t wait for me to reach out to God, but stretched his arms across a cross that gathered me in…the last thing on his mind being, “what if they don’t accept my love?”?

     But day after day as I live in the free grace of God, just as my folks live with a $25.00 computer desk, I find myself moving from the fear that I may have been had to the joy of finding out that I have been part of a deal that no one would ever believe.    Moving from worrying about being conned, to settling in the richness of grace that even Bill Gates doesn’t know.  Moving from “how can this be?”, to “this is it!”

    Who would have ever believed that a computer desk that meets everything you were looking for could be bought for $25.00?  I do!  Who could ever believe that a God that meets everything and more that you could be looking for could be banked upon for free?  I do!

     Grace is amazing!

Have a great week.

God’s grace and peace, (ggap)

Pastor Jerry Nuernberger

Bungee Cord 6-19-17

Hello,

     I am now one of you, at least for a while.  June 11^th was my last day of being the pastor at 1^st Lutheran Church in Greensburg, making me one of you….someone who is not obligated to be in church on Sunday morning.

     But I went.  I slept in past the 6:00 that I have spent my life waking up on Sunday mornings, took care of my dogs, cats and my wife’s chickens (she is off riding her bike for a week in Ohio), had a relaxing cup of coffee with my cinnamon swirl bagel, and went to Lutheran church closest to my home (a 10 minute car ride replacing the 30 minute one that I have been making) for the 9:00 service, the only service.  An older woman with who was with  her grandson arrived at the same time as I did.  She greeted me with a “Good morning,” and likewise I greeted her.  I could tell that she could not place my face, and so I introduced myself saying that I had been the pastor of 1^st Greensburg and since I lived just over the ridge, I would be spending my Sunday mornings with the folks of Bethel Lutheran Church for a while.  A smile came across her face as she told me her name, and she said, “Glad to have you with us.”

     I walked into the church where maybe 40 people had gathered and took my seat about half way up the aisle.  The church was buzzing with conversation that did not include me.  So, I relaxed in the pew awaiting worship to begin, something I haven’t been able to do as a pastor who is preparing to lead worship.  Lutherans have the worship practice of following the liturgy which is an order of worship that has been carried down for centuries, around the world, and across many denominations.  So, although Lutheran churches tend to do things a bit uniquely, this worship practice allowed me to feel somewhat at home among people who I had never met before.  I joined in the singing, the praying, the listening to scripture and the sermon, the participation in Holy Communion, and receiving a departing blessing.

     I was one of you this past Sunday, someone who was not obligated to go to church.....or was I?  Was I someone who was not obligated to go to church....are you?  I don't mean obligated because some church rule dictates my attendance like the Rotary club does.  I don’t mean obligated because the degree of God’s love for me is determined by my commitment to God.   After all, God sent his Son to die and rise for me.  How much more could God possibly love me?  I don’t mean obligated because the church has a budget that it is counting on me being part of.

     But if I want to be a person who is shaped by the grace and mercy of God instead of the pressures and judgments of the world…if I want to be a person who lives each day with deep thankfulness rather than imprisoning greed….if I want to be a person who sees hope in tomorrow when the world keeps on opening my eyes to things that raise up fear in me….if I want to be a person who sees in another a connection that inspires me to treat them with care that creates a world-wide blanket of peace….if I want to be this kind of person, and I do, maybe I am obligated to go to church.  As the disciples said to Jesus, “Lord, to whom shall we go.  You have the words of eternal life.”

     Jesus said that he had come to bring life, abundant life….an abundance of hope, an abundance of peace, an abundance of love, and abundance of joy, an abundance of purpose, an abundance of courage….sounds like the life that would be wonderful to have.  It is the life that I experienced being shaped in me as I sat in the pew this past Sunday….so when next Sunday comes…and every Sunday after that….even though I am not obligated to be in church to lead worship, I know that I am obligated to be there in order for my life to be shaped and changed.

Have a great week.

God’s grace and peace, (ggap)

Pastor Jerry Nuernberger

The Bungee Cord   6-17-17

Hello,

     A couple of years ago, my wife decided that we would be farmers…well, small farmers…raising 8 chickens.  We are in our second round of chickens, the first set having met their maker either by the jaws of my dog or the knife of a butcher (my youngest son).  As is supposed to happen, each chicken lays an egg a day giving us quite a supply of fresh eggs.

     Early this week my wife went down to retrieve her daily harvest of eggs, and as she was opening the coop she noticed something moving at her feet.  Looking down she spotted a hopeful visitor, a six foot black snake likewise looking for eggs!  After a screech of surprise, she gathered up her courage and a long stick and tried to encourage the snake to leave.  It had no intention to do so.  So, with the bravery of the likes of Captain America she approached the snake, stick in hand, with the intent of transporting the snake at the end of her LONG stick.   It worked.  She hooked the snake on the stick and carried it over to the tall grass where it slithered away.  Hoorah for the good guys!

     The coast now clear she returned to the coop to fulfill her initial intent of gathering eggs.  There are laying boxes on both sides of the coop with roofs that can be lifted to provide access to the eggs.  She opened the roof on the one side and found no eggs in either box.  So, she shut the lid and went to the other side in hopes of a different result, which proved to be true.  For as she lifted the roof to the laying box, there to greet her face to face was another snake.  A scream and the slam of the lid echoed in the valley.

      Mustering up doubled courage, she grabbed another stick, necessarily shorter, in hopes of hooking this trespasser.  With surgical precision, she snagged the snaked and was lifting it out of the laying box when it squirmed off the stick and fell into the neighboring laying box that housed various tools that she uses for coop maintenance.  Hidden under the tools, she resolved to keep the lid pried open, hoping that the snake would determine its unwelcome and leave.

     It so happened that I was away during this hair-raising event, but when I got home the story was recounted to me with the final sentence being, “Would you go down there and see if you can get that snake out?”  Snake bravery is not in my bones.  Nonetheless, I went to the garage and secured a hoe, thinking that would be a more secure means of hooking the snake.  Slowly I approached the coop and carefully peeked into the laying box…..and….no snake!  It had taken leave of the coop by itself.  Relief blanketed me.

     A study on prayer was done some years ago, comparing the content of prayers between developed and undeveloped countries, and an interesting difference was found.  In developed countries prayers were more likely to ask that trouble not come one’s way, and if it did that God would get rid of it in the prayer’s life.  In undeveloped countries, those who prayed also asked that trouble would not come their way, but if it did that God would give the prayer courage and strength to deal with that trouble.

     Our recent snake adventure seems to indicate the wisdom of those prayers from undeveloped countries.  “Snakes” do lurk all around us, often catching us off-guard and by surprise. Sometimes they leave….thank God!....but sometimes, maybe most times,  they hang around, and like trespassing vipers come back over and over again….God, give us courage and strength to deal with those snakes!

Have a great week.

God’s grace and peace,

Pastor Jerry Nuernberger