The Bungee Cord 3-30-20

Hello,

   There is a story in the Bible about Jesus venturing out into the Sea of Galilee with his disciples.  It is in the 4^thChapter of Mark, and here it is:

35 On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, ‘Let us go across to the other side.’ ³⁶And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. ³⁷A great gale arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. ³⁸But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, ‘Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?’ ³⁹He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Peace! Be still!’ Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. ⁴⁰He said to them, ‘Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?’⁴¹And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, ‘Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?’

     I thought of this story as we find ourselves suddenly hit by this worldwide virus storm.  The spread of the virus is sweeping across the world with gale force winds.  The news of people infected and people dying is like wave after wave crashing onto our boat, filling the hull with frightening numbers.  The calls (appropriate as they are) for lock-downs make us feel like we are in this boat alone.  And you and I might find ourselves joining the disciples in asking, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”

     I have seen one of these boats from Jesus’ day.  It is in a museum in Israel, having been buried for centuries under the silt of the Sea of Galilee.  These boats were not very big, maybe 30 feet in length.  Not built with terribly deep hulls.  Constructed of wood.  Propelled by a sail that stood in the middle.  No keel to keep them steady and going straight, just a rudder to try and guide them.  No wonder the disciples were afraid of sinking!

     It seems to me that the boat of our lives is not unlike those Galilean fishing boats. Not too big, not terribly stable, not indestructibly built, not easily steered, propelled by the changing direction of the wind.  No wonder in the midst of this storm we can be afraid of sinking!

     “Jesus, teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?!?!”

     Here’s something to remember when we find ourselves, like the disciples, asking this question:  Jesus is in the boat with us.  If the boat goes down, he goes down, too.  Jesus is not on shore tanning himself, sitting under a shade umbrella, drinking a glass of ice tea, laughing at the predicament that we, like the disciples, find ourselves in.  He is in the boat with us. Of course he cares!  

     So much did Jesus care that Jesus “rebuked” the wind and said to the sea, “Peace!  Be still!” And with the power of God, power which empowered him to rest in the storm, Jesus calmed the storm.  The disciples were alarmed to find Jesus sleeping in that sea-jilted boat, but their alarm turned to awe when they discovered the power of Jesus, power greater than the storm, and power that he used for their care.

     I am not a counselor.  I am pastor who knows a bit about counselling.  When I am with people who find themselves suddenly swirling in a storm of health, finding out from the doctor that they are dealing with some illness or disease, the first thing that I try to do with them is discern the turbulence of the storm.  “What does the doctor say?”  Sometimes the storm is mighty, “She gives me a 15% chance.”  Other times the storm, although ominous looking, is not so powerful, “80% chance.”  Discerning the power of the storm helps us get a rational look at what we are facing, and that can help us measure our reaction.

     Of course, I am not a doctor, either, but as I try and listen to the best doctors give a determination of the power of this storm as it hits you and me, I understand that the likelihood that you and I will not succumb to this storm to be 90% or better (actually for most, 98%).  That helps me put things into perspective.

      That doesn’t mean that as this storm rages and tosses around our Galilean fishing boat lives, that we won’t find ourselves holding on for dear life when the waves crash.  And it doesn’t mean that we can walk around in this boat as if nothing is shaking it. It behooves us to keep low (social distancing) while the waters rage.  But it does mean this: until this storm settles, and settle it will by the power of Jesus which is greater than the power of the storm, we can, as Jesus does, ride out this storm with calm and peace knowing that the storm’s power is no match to God’s power, especially given the power that the doctors tell us this storm holds.

     That is not to say that some will not find themselves caught in this storm, pulled into the sea by the wind and the waves.  The storm is not powerless.  But when we see this happening to ones we love, or if we feel ourselves being swept into the waters, there is another Biblical story that is worth remembering.  Remember, another time that the disciples were in the boat with waves tossing them about, a time that Jesus was not in the boat with them.  Instead he was on the ocean with the waves.  And Peter, who ventured out into the waves, started to sink, like a rock (that is what Peter means).  He cried out to Jesus, “Lord!  Save me!” And Jesus did!  Jesus reached out his arm, took hold of Peter and pulled him out of the sea.  I believe with the certainty of the power of the cross and resurrection, that for those who find themselves sinking in this storm, that Jesus will do the same for them…for you…for me.

     “Jesus, teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”

     “Peace!  Be still!”

Have a great week.

God’s grace and peace, (ggap)

Pastor Jerry Nuernberger

The Bungee Cord   3-23-20

Hello,

     I thought that in this time of social distancing, it would be a good thing to re-tell you of why I call this writing “The Bungee Cord”.

     Some 25 years ago as I looked out into the congregation that I was serving, I noticed a section of the population that was not well represented: 18-25 year old’s.  Believing that every child of God is of vital importance to God, I decided that I would try and reach those who were not coming to church.  Thus the birth of “The Bungee Cord”.  At the time, Bungee jumping was a big deal, and as I tried to think of an image that spoke to my hopes of embracing people with God’s love who were not coming to church, it seemed to me that a bungee cord did the trick.

     “The Bungee Cord” was meant to function as a bungee cord of God’s grace.  After all, I believe that the truth is that no matter how near or far one finds themselves to God, God’s love is un-snappable, holding each of his children tight, reaching out to them as far away as they might roam/fall/be pulled and always lovingly gathering them under God’s wings, like as Jesus said, a mother hen does her chicks.

     Well, now that we are all in the position of not sitting in the church pews on Sunday mornings (at least for a while), I hope that the “Bungee Cord” will be a way for us to be gathered together in the loving Grace of God.  Every time I write the “Bungee Cord” I do so with the intention of conveying God’s grace through it.  For me, God’s grace, not judgment of guilt or harassing to obey, is the power that God uses to change lives, bring hope, enliven peace, and create joy.  Although to some, the ongoing chatter of God’s grace may become a dulling drone, I believe that because the world engages us in an ever-ongoing verbal assault of value and worth based upon what we have to offer and what we have done…..I believe that the voice of God’s Grace needs to break into that noise.  

     Here’s the truth.  You are of such value to God that God sent Jesus to die and rise for you. In Jesus’ death, God, like a massive black hole of love, gathered unto himself everything that might separate you from God…everything that might try and stake a claim on you….and when Jesus died, so did all that God had gathered up in him.  Dead.  No voice. No claim.

     And when Jesus rose from the dead on Easter morning, God he took ahold of us with new life and breathing new life into us, said “Awake oh sleeper, and live.”  And you are of such value to God, that God not only has invested God’s self in every moment of your life and every cell of your being, but God has made an eternal investment in you as God has a room for you in God’s eternal mansion….WITH YOUR NAME ON IT!  And God has promised that when the final trumpet of this life blows, Jesus will take ahold of us with resurrection power and bring us home…home for good.

    Why does God so value you and me who are mere specks in the universe?  Grace. Amazing grace.  Unfathomable grace.  Incredible grace.  Overwhelming grace.  Incomprehensible grace.   Grace that some people find too hard to believe.  But God’s grace isn’t grace only when we believe it, it is grace that holds onto us, whether we believe it or not…grace that is there when we need it. When we are falling out of control, when we have roamed into paralyzing danger, and when we have been pulled and tugged by life-sapping powers…….and isn’t that where we find ourselves now in this world-wide onslaught of Covid-19?

     We need God’s unyielding grip of Grace…..and I hope that this Bungee Cord has helped you feel it!

Have a great week.

God’s grace and peace, (ggap)

Pastor Jerry Nuernberger

The Bungee Cord 3-16-20

Hello,

     It has been several years since I have gone to Cedar Point, “the roller coaster” of the world.  I don’t know if it still holds true, but Cedar Point prided itself on having the most diverse array of roller coasters….the highest, the fastest, the steepest drop.  So, if you are a roller coaster fan, Cedar Point Amusement Park in Sandusky, Ohio is the place for you to go.  I am not a roller coaster fan!

     I don’t enjoy the heights.  I don’t enjoy the drops.  I don’t enjoy the flipping upside down.  But most of all I don’t enjoy the slow…torturous…click droning….initial climb to the first big hill.  The anticipation morphs into anxiety.  The arduous pace races my heart.  The wind that blows the higher one ascends only cools the sweat on the back of my neck. Because I, as the Pastor, have been belittled by the kids for my fears, I have found myself aboard a roller coaster, clicking my way to the top of the hill, and about half way up, I find myself saying, “Why am I doing this!”

     I grab the bar on my lap with a vice grip.  My fingers go from white knuckles to purple ones.  My forearms cramp up.  And since I am not a screamer, I find myself repeating a mantra of fear, “Oh no!  Oh no! Oh no!”  The ride to the top is torture.

     As I consider our current place in the coronavirus situation, it seems to me that we , in the United States, are locked in on a world-wide roller coaster clicking our way to the top of the hill.  We hear the clicking of the number of infections and deaths.  We hear the clicking of the warnings from medical folks.  We hear the clicking projections and limited resources. Click.  Click.  Click.

     After I have been foolish enough to get on a Cedar Point roller coaster, when I get off I always say, “I don’t need to do that again!”, but I also find myself realizing that it wasn’t my grip that got me through that ride. It was the grip of that bar holding me in, and the grip of the centripetal force pushing me deep into my seat. I know this because I watch others ride the whole ride with their hands in the air, almost defying the roller coaster to throw them out.

     Maybe that is a good image to put in front of our eyes as we click our way to the top of the coronavirus ride.  In the end, it is not our grip that is going to get us through, but the grip of the power that holds us in.  That doesn’t mean that we should throw all caution to the wind and, as it were, ride this roller coaster standing up and see how daring we can be. No…it seems to me that it is wise to keep seated….follow the lead of those who know best how to manage this situation. Also, I do not believe that as we ride this roller coaster we wont get bumped around.  Christians, who as the Bible tells us, are in this world, find ourselves being bumped around by the world.  Some of us will get sick.  A few of us may even die.

     But here’s the truth….the certain truth…God will hold us tight through the ride.  As we ride this roller coaster, God who sent his Son to bring every evil to death….and even death to death…will keep us gripped in his nail pierced hands.  Some may say this is a pious platitude….and maybe to some it sounds like one….but as one who has gotten off a Cedar Point roller coaster and realized the external grip that kept me through that ride, I can say that I have gotten off of many a life roller coaster and have realized the external grip that has gotten me through.  And as I have gotten off of those life roller coasters, I have said to myself, “I don’t need to do that again!”, but also find myself singing the words from a song based upon God’s proclamation at Jesus’ Baptism, “You are mine. You are mine.  You are mine.”

     Click.  Click. Click.  Here we go!

God’s grace and peace, (ggap)

Pastor Jerry Nuernberger

The Bungee Cord 3-9-20

Hello,

     Yesterday as I was driving out my drive way, I spotted a critter sashaying up the hill.  As I neared it I got a better look at the black and white, long tailed visitor to our yard.  A skunk! I know that there are skunks around us, their perfuming of the air gives them away, but you don’t often see them in the late afternoon as they are nocturnal prowlers.  Generally, a skunk seen during the daylight hours is having some health issues.

     So, when I got nearer to it, I had no desire to get out of my car to see what was going on with this skunk.  I did not want to agitate it and then be the target of its aromatic defense system.  When I arrived back home around 10:00, there was no sign or smell of the skunk, and likewise in the morning when I got up.  I am hoping that it wandered off of my property to make a lengthy visit to one of my neighbors. 

     Of all the critters that roam around our house, skunks are the least welcome.  I don’t want to be the recipient of their spray.  But even more so, I don’t want them to turn their pungent affections toward my dog if he should happen upon one.  I have heard that it is hard to rid one’s self of a skunk’s smell, but even harder to rid one’s dog of it.  Tomato juice baths….several of them, I hear is what it takes.   So stubborn is the “eau de la skunk” that I read of a person who bought a brand new Corvette Stingray, and on the way home hit a skunk, and the skunk spray so infiltrated the car that the owner had to junk his prized car. Skunks are unwelcome around my house because of the stench that flows from them.

     There are some who question the relevancy of the Christian faith in today’s world.  What is so important about a guy who died on a Jerusalem cross, centuries ago in order to forgive the sins of the world?  It may have been relevant to those scientifically ignorant, sociologically backwards, and cosmologically simple-minded people, but can the same thing be said about its relevancy to us, scientifically astute, sociologically progressed, and quantum physics aware people?

     My answer to the ongoing relevancy of the Christian faith in our world finds its foundation in one thing: my nose.  You see….sins stink.  Sometimes folks get into debates over whether the entirely myopic things that we do  (sins) are really all that bad, or even bad at all….and the truth is that often those things are not massive in their evil, or maybe even questionably evil to differently minded people.  But have you ever noticed that when people are doing such debating, they are holding their nose?  Their eyes might lead them to question the relevancy of concern about sins, but the noses leave no doubt.  As the Bible says, the wages of sin is death, there is a death stench to sin that matches the stench of a skunk.

     And therein, in my mind, lies the relevancy of the Christian faith in our world, today.  The stench of sin.  The motivation that turns everything toward one’s self (that is what sin is) kills off our relationship with others, and even more importantly, our relationship with God.  And that death stinks!  Period….it doesn’t matter how much sin, or how bad the sin….it still stinks!

     When the Bible talks about being washed in the cross-born blood of Jesus, it is speaking of a super-charged tomato juice bath that doesn’t just cut through the oily glom of sin, but also cuts to our hearts and destroys the producer of that smudge so that henceforth that putrid oil can be produced no more.  Sin stinks. Jesus’ blood has the power to take away sin.  The stench is gone….people can live with one another, people can live with God.  That is the relevancy of the Christian faith.

     If you find yourself wondering about the relevancy of the Christian faith, unpinch your fingers from your nose, and take a deep breath….and I think that you will instantly come to see just why the blood of Jesus is as relevant today as it was on the day that Jesus died on the cross.

Have a great week.

God’s grace and peace, (ggap)

Pastor Jerry Nuernberger