The Bungee Cord.  4-12-21

Hello,

 

At the end of this month, Kate and I will have lived in S.W. Pennsylvania for 10 years.  Now, for some of you that may not seem like a long time, but as a pastor I have moved quite a few times.  Eight times in 40 years.  Over the course of our lives together, this is the longest time that we have ever stayed in one place.

 

I know that some of you have moved more than we have, and I do not envy you.  I dread the anxiety of trying to get a house sold in three weeks (that is the timeline for us pastors).  I hate the hassle of packing everything up, and then unpacking it.  It is hard to leave friends behind.  Getting licenses changed, addresses changed, and utilities transferred is no fun and more complicated than it seems to need be.

 

I try to remind myself that each move is a new and life widening adventure.  New friends to be found.  New cultures to add into our lives.  New neighborhoods to explore.  New weather to acclimate to.   New colloquialisms to learn.  There’s always some fun surprises with each move.

 

But enough with moving!  At this stage in my life, I am ready to set my roots down.  And that is my hope for where I live now….to have a place that I can call home.  And even though my kids have never lived here, I hope that it can be the homing place that they have never had.

 

Well, actually, I know that I will be making at least one more move, a move unlike any move I have made before.  A move to a neighborhood that I cannot even imagine.  A move that will mandate leaving every relationship behind…family and friends.  A move that will be my home for far more than 10 years….an eternity.

 

Just like with every move, this move that lies ahead for me comes as a mixed bag.  It is a move where the saying, “a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush”, fits like a glove.  It is such a dramatic move that it is scary.  But it is a move that I will have no choice in making.  In truth, to think about it can set my stomach swirling.  What will eternity be like?  What will life be like?  What will it be like to have no measure of time or space?

 

But as my stomach swirls, I find myself hearing words from the one to whose neighborhood I am moving, “‘Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe^* in God, believe also in me. ²In my Father’s house there are many dwelling-places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?^*3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. “ (John 14). It may be true that I know very little about the place to which I am moving, but I do know an awful lot about the one who will be my nearest neighbor.  I know that he loves me so much that he died for me.  I know that he cares for me so much that he has led me to still waters in this life.  I know that he is so connected to me that if I find myself in trouble, he will drop everything to stand and defend me from bullies and beasts.

 

I have one more move to make, and so do you, and in this season of Easter, I find myself saying that having seen the depth of Jesus’ love for me in this life, I can trust him as he awaits me to arrive in the life to come.  Although I might think it would be helpful to know more about what awaits me, what awaits me is not nearly as important as who awaits me.  Jesus awaits me, and to know that is enough for me….and that settles my stomach.  I hope that it settles your stomach, too.

 

Have a great day.

God’s grace and peace, (ggap)

Pastor Jerry Nuernberger