Bungee Cord 11-9-20

Hello,

 

   If you are a regular reader of the Bungee Cord, you know two things:  before our worship service I am out on the sidewalk waving at cars and people who pass by, and we have had a couple of yard signs pertaining to my waving.

 

   The first sign stood for a couple of months and it said, “Q: Y Wave?”  Over the course of its public presence, that sign stirred up a lot of intrigue in our little town of Ligonier.  People were asking some of our members what that sign was all about?  I even had some people stop while I was waving and say, “What’s with the sign?”

 

   When asked, I would always say that I am outside waving at people every Sunday morning and that soon a new sign would be in the yard with the answer to the question, “Y Wave?”

 

   That new sign came out on the last Sunday in October, which folks in my denomination celebrate as “Reformation Day.”  Reformation Day used to be a bit triumphalist for many, many years, but in the last several decades the tone of this day of celebration has changed to a day of thankfulness for the work of the Holy Spirit in all of God’s people.  Red, from the tongues of fire of the Holy Spirit on the disciples’ heads that came upon them 50 days after the resurrection, has been the color that decorates worship spaces on days that the work of the Holy Spirit is being celebrated. So, two weeks ago, on Reformation Day, our sanctuary was adorned with red….but not only our sanctuary, but also the people who came to worship in it, all wearing red.

 

   And something else unusual happened on Reformation Day.  We started our worship service outside on the sidewalk.  All of us wearing red, and all of us waving!  Forty of us lined the street and waved  at people driving and passing by, and in the middle of our waving line was the new sign answering the question, “Y Wave?”.  And the new sign said, “A: Jesus (the shape of a heart) U!”

 

   That is why I wave every Sunday, and that is why we all were waving two Sundays ago.  We wave at everyone who drives by, because no matter how busy in life a person may be, no matter how unimportant God might be to someone, no matter how confused and shattered life might be, no matter how successful a person might be, no matter how strong a grip the forces of this world may have on a person, no matter how devout a person might be, no matter angry a person might be toward God….NO MATTER WHAT….that person is loved by Jesus.    That is why I wave every Sunday.  That is why we waved on Reformation Day.  “A: Jesus (shape of a heart) U!”.

 

   When I wave by myself, many folks either wave back or give a little honk on their horn.  But when forty of us were waving, nearly everyone waved back, honked their horns, or even slowed down to gather in all the waves.  One person even stopped, rolled down his window and said, “Thank You. Thank You.  This is just what we needed!”  And horn honking wasn’t the only noise that you could hear out in front of our church.  There was laughter!  Laughter coming from the mouths of those who were waving.  Joy in making a dent in our town during these somber days.  When we went inside to continue our worship, the sanctuary was abuzz with chatter and laughter, and I could hear people say, “That was fun!”

 

   So, although you may not have driven by our church a couple of weeks ago and you didn’t catch a forty hand wave, I hope that this Bungee Cord has brought that wave to you.  Because NO MATTER WHAT you matter to God, matter so much that God gave the life of his Son,  Jesus, for you.  Matter so much that NO MATTER WHAT Jesus will never regret one bit giving his life for you. “A: Jesus (shape of a heart) U!”

 

   “Q: Y Wave?”……. “A: Jesus (shape of a heart) U!”

 

Have a great week.

God’s grace and peace, (ggap)

Pastor Jerry Nuernberger