The Bungee Cord 6-27-22

Hello,

What does the story of Cinderella have to do with the Christian faith?

The reason that I ask that is that when I hear some people (some of them are Christians and some are non-Christians) tell their version of the Christian story, it sounds a lot like the story of Cinderella, at least the glass slipper part. The story that I hear them tell identifies Jesus with Prince Charming who is looking for Cinderella, the one whose foot fits into that glass slipper. The foot that fits, according to these tellers, are those people who think a certain way on particular issues, live a certain way, and even believe in Jesus in a certain way. Those that don’t are like the mean and ugly (at least ugly according to Disney) step sisters, who although they yearn for the prince’s favor, because the glass slipper doesn’t fit, they do not receive his favor. When this telling of the Christian story is told the moral of the story, they say, is, if you want Jesus to love you, you need to work hard to make your foot fit his slipper.

As you may have already guessed, I do not find myself aligning the story of Jesus with the story of Cinderella. As a matter of fact, as I read the Bible, I see God telling the very opposite story. As Jesus walked this earth, the ones who tried to shut him up were the tellers of the Cinderella version: the scribes and the pharisees. They were the ones who told people that if they hoped to be in God’s favor, they needed to fit their lives into 613 laws, worship according to a strict procedure, and keep their beliefs in line with traditions that were centuries old. And if they didn’t, they were shunned by God and the community. So convinced were they of their version of the God’s story that even if something happened to you beyond your control, like leprosy or a work accident that left you to be a eunuch, you were forever outside of God’s favor and excluded from entering the temple. You had to fit in that glass slipper.

The story of Jesus that I read in the Bible is much more like a gentle, highly skilled cobbler who brings his tools and materials out into the street and when he sees someone shoeless or with shredded clumsy shoes, he says, “Come on over hear. Let’s put some shoes on you that fit.” I see Jesus to be the cobbler that carefully measures the feet, examines their unique structure, and then puts his hands to work with leather and sole to wrap those feet in shoes of grace; shoes with which they can tread through life, and even death. Oversized feet of mean step sisters, feet with bunions and callouses, feet of stable workers with manure under the toenails, feet with warts and scabs. Jesus shoes them all. The Jesus I read about in the Bible is a kind and loving cobbler who seeks to fit people’s feet with shoes that fit, not a prince charming who is seeking people who fit into a specific glass slipper.

And isn’t it true, that when you have perfectly fitting shoes, then you can better traverse the path of life. Not as much tripping and falling. Running with speed and agility. Rocks and large stones don’t turn your ankles. No blistering friction. I believe the Christian story is this: Jesus will fit you with shoes, shoes made of grace and mercy, that whoever you are (however you have thought about certain issues, however you have sought to live your life, or however you have understood Jesus working in your life) those shoes will endure the trek you are taking, and when you come to the end of that trek, Jesus, the cobbler be there with a smile on his face and say, “Good shoes, huh.”

Have a great week,

God’s grace and peace, (ggap)

Pastor Jerry Nuernberger

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