The Bungee Cord 2-14-22

Hello,

About 20 years ago, a neighboring pastor, a friend of mine, had the youth of his church stand at each of the doors of the sanctuary with a basket in their hands. They were there each Sunday to collect the spare change that people had in their pockets or purses. The pastor had been in Africa for some years as a teacher in a seminary, and in Africa one of the most common sights is children begging for food money. So, when he returned to the United States, he had the youth of his congregation do what so many youth in developing countries do, beg for food money. He said of the youth in his congregation, “We beg so that others don’t have to.”

This past Sunday as the TV world celebrated the Super Bowl, my congregation joined forces with numerous congregations throughout the United States to celebrate “Souper Bowl”. We, with so many, encouraged the people who attended worship to remember those who didn’t snack and feast while watching the Super Bowl, but whose soup bowls were empty. We had the largest pot in our church kitchen placed at the entry to the church for people to drop their contributions in as they entered the church, but when church was over, I borrowed my pastor friend’s practice and asked to elementary aged girls to hold that pot by the exit door. I said to the girls, “It’s easy to miss that pot when it is just sitting on the floor, could you hold it so people can see it better?” And they did. They begged so that others didn’t have to.

I don’t know how many dollars would have fallen into that pot if it just sat by the door, but I do know that $313.00 were placed into it as the girls held it. Our congregation is not big, and with Covid still swirling around we have fewer people worshipping than before Covid’s invasion. There were somewhere around sixty people there yesterday, many of them couples and families. Yet from this relatively small number of people, $313.00 was collected to fill people’s soup bowls. If you have been to the grocery store lately with a full cart of groceries, it may seem that $313.00 doesn’t go very far. But when in the hands of people who bring food to the poor, it goes a long way. It only costs ten cents to provide a meal in a refugee camp. It costs but a dollar or two to provide a meal in a soup kitchen in our cities and towns. And in the hands of the Westmoreland County Food Bank, it can provide bags and bags of groceries for the line of people who show up every month.

In my mind what happened this past Sunday at our church is a shining example of why coming together to worship is so important. I believe that we come together to be empowered. Every day of the week we find ourselves slogging our way through life….pressures placed on our shoulders, failures shackled to our legs, sins sapping the life out of our souls. But when we come together in worship we experience Jesus lifting those pressures from our shoulders when he embraces us in his love and fuels our hearts. When we come together in worship we experience Jesus picking us up when we have stumbled and supporting our steps with his strength. When we come together in worship we experience the power of the cross and resurrection pulsing through our veins with forgiveness and mercy, transforming us by God’s grace.

And God is so wildly gracious in his empowerment, that when we walk out of worship we are like someone leaving a coffee shop having had a cup of coffee with 5 shots of caffeine. We, like a 300 horse power Mini (I drive one), have more than enough power to take on the hills and valleys of our lives. Bursting with power to forgive a neighbor, a friend or a family member. Bursting with power to stand beside someone who the world torments and tortures. Bursting with power to……..drop some money in a huge soup bowl so that other’s soup bowls are filled.

Have a great week.

God’s grace and peace, (ggap)

Pastor Jerry Nuernberger

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