Hello,
As the news told us, Elijah Cummings, a member of Congress from Baltimore passed away a couple of weeks ago. Apparently, when he died there was some discussion about where his funeral should take place. There were those who said that it should take place in Washington, D.C., where he made his name. People thought that the National Cathedral or some huge formal assembly hall would be the appropriate spot. But neither place held his funeral. His funeral was held in the Baltimore church where he and his wife worshipped every Sunday morning at 7:00.
The reason I was alerted to his funeral was that someone posted a video of some of the speakers on my Facebook page. So, I clicked the link and listened to the messages that President Obama, President Clinton, and Hillary Clinton gave. After hearing from these prominent people, I clicked on the video of the message that someone who I never heard of before gave. It was the message that Elijah Cumming’s pastor gave.
Apparently, Elijah Cummings and his pastor were good friends who knew each other quite well, and his pastor was there at Elijah’s deathbed when Elijah signed some official papers just before he died. After the pastor told of his presence at this deathbed signing, the pastor said, “But that wasn’t the last thing that Elijah did on this earth. The last thing that Elijah did on this earth was to bring you here, to his church, for his funeral.” And with the oratory of a tremendous African American preacher, Elijah’s pastor moved me with his words. Elijah Cummings wanted, he said, to have the powerful people of the world be touched by the Power that empowered his life, Jesus Christ.
It may be that you and Elijah Cummings did not see eye to eye on the matters in which he dealt as a Congressperson (good Christian people often see themselves on different avenues when addressing concerns, and in my mind that is a good thing), but as I listened to his pastor I saw him paint a picture, clearer than I had ever seen before, of the Potter’s hands at work, week after week, shaping Elijah into a vessel of God’s grace for the world. Elijah’s last deed on this earth was to bring the powerful of the world to the place where the power of Almighty God might shape them, too.
Often when I write the Bungee Cord, I invite you to be part of a worship service on Sunday morning, and when I do that I hope that you receive that invitation in the same way that those who were at Elijah Cumming’s funeral received his invitation. My invitation does not come to you so that the pews of the church might be filled, simply for the sake of filling them. My invitation does not come to you so that when you come to church you’ll also bring an offering that will help the church make its budget. My invitation to you is not so that the doors of the church remain open and the institution of the church keep running. My invitation to you to be part of a worship service is for one reason, and one reason only; that you, like I, might be shaped and molded by the power of the one whose love for you is so great that he would die on a cross for you.
I find life to be full of challenges and struggles. Often times those challenges and struggles are large and complex, sapping me of my energy and my wisdom. On Sunday morning, in worship, I find the might of those challenges and struggles placed in perspective with the might of God Almighty, and the power of his love. There is no shortage in the world of those who pour out fear, despair, and violence into it (sometimes I am one of those polluted pourers), and that is why I, like Elijah Cummings worship every week (not at 7:00 a.m., though!) in order that I might be part of God’s gracious love, pouring out into the world through the vessel that he is molding of me.
Take a listen to the video of Elijah’s Pastor….you can find it by Googling it…and maybe, you, regardless of your power in the world, will be part of Elijah Cummings last deed, being touched by the one whose powerful love makes you and everything brand new!
Have a great week.
God’s grace and peace, (GGAP)
Pastor Jerry Nuernberger
This is a great Bungee Cord! Thanks
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