The Bungee Cord. 5-31-21

Hello,

 

On this Memorial Day week, when our eyes and our hearts are turned to graveyards filled with those interred who lost their lives on the battle field, I hear the words from Isaiah 11:

 

⁶ The wolf shall live with the lamb,
   the leopard shall lie down with the kid,
the calf and the lion and the fatling together,
   and a little child shall lead them.
⁷ The cow and the bear shall graze,
   their young shall lie down together;
   and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
⁸ The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp,
   and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den.
⁹ They will not hurt or destroy
   on all my holy mountain;
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord
   as the waters cover the sea.

And I find myself crying, “Lord, make it soon!  We’ve battled enough.”

 

We’ve battled enough in the darkness of our souls from the brokenness of our lives, hating ourselves for the things that bring pain to ourselves and others.

We’ve battled enough in families where the deepest pain is felt from harsh words and broken promises.

We’ve battled enough in communities that believe the worst about our neighbor and look for the worst, too.

We’ve battled enough in churches where personal power tries to usurp the power of God’s grace and mercy for which the churches exist.

We’ve battled enough in our country that fights over pieces of the pie when there is a feast great enough for all to share.

We’ve battled enough over trivial things so we don’t have to confront the deeper, more frightening things of life.

We’ve battled enough in our world, seeking to dominate others rather than embrace them.

We’ve battled enough driven by the arrogance that we are certain of our rightness, and others who do not see things our way or live like us are wrong.

We’ve battled enough against you, God, and your desire to shepherd us to green pastures and still waters, prodigally wandering away.

 

“Lord, make it soon.  We’ve battled enough.”

 

Have a great week.

God’s grace and peace, (ggap)

Pastor Jerry Nuernberger