The Bungee Cord 10-26-22

Hello,

Today I am in Brooklyn, the last stop on my inaugural retirement road trip. Been to Davenport to see my folks and my brother’s family, to Denver to see my oldest son and his wife, to Kansas City to see my cousin and connect with a guy I played high school baseball with, to Charlotte to see my middle son, to Baltimore to rendez-vous with a friend I’ve known since kindergarten, and now I am here visiting my youngest son, his wife, his mother-in-law (who lives with them in a two bedroom NYC apt), and my grandson. It has been a great trip. A great way to kick off the years ahead and celebrate the blessings of my kids from the years behind. I’ve had a lot of windshield time to contemplate and reflect, but I am looking forward to getting back home in 4 days to hug my wife and receive a slobbery kiss from my dog.

As you might guess, the time has given me many things about which to write, so get ready for the weeks to come. But today the thing that is top on my list is the grace that I received from each of my sons as I visited them. They are 32,36, and almost 38. Young men tackling the world with gusto. Each of them blossoming into the unique persons they are, from bud when they all lived under my roof, to amazing flowers adorning the world.

Although we keep in pretty regular contact, the distance that separates us keeps me from spending time with them, “dad” time with them. But that is what I have been doing on my trip. I have done a couple of adventures with them during my several day visit at their homes, but most of the time we have just hung out. Watching games and Ted Lasso, talking over sips of whiskey, and eating. It was a week of the sort of thing I got to do every day when they were growing up. I am thankful for them and the relationship that I have with each of them.

But the thing that I treasured most from my visits with each of them is the genuine love that I felt from them. It is not that I don’t feel that love over telephone calls, zooms, texts and e-mails, but there was something palpably different when I spent time with them….just me. They really do love me. They love me for the good things that managed to seep into their lives from me as their father, and they even love me in spite of the foolish and painful things that pricked their lives from this less than perfect person with whom they were stuck with as their father. As I cruised along the interstates listening to music from when I grew up (James Taylor, John Denver, Elton John, Simon and Garfunkel, and the Doobie Brothers), there was a song that played simultaneously deep in my heart, a love song sung by my sons. It is a song of grace.

That what “visiting with God” is all about on Sunday mornings, experiencing the palpable love that God has for you and me. Sure one can feel God’s love when one prays at home, serves a neighbor, and reads the Bible, but just like I discovered in visiting my kids and spending dad time with them, the feeling of love with those sort of things doesn’t measure up to the feeling of love that comes from hanging out with God…talking to God, dining with God, and solving (?) all the world’s problems together with God. There’s nothing like experiencing the embrace of God who is proud of you for the blessing that you have been to the world, and loves you in spite of the times that you have been far less than a blessing. And when you go back onto the highways of your life, there’s lots of songs that the world will be playing in your ears, but when you have spent some time hanging out with a God who loves you nomattterwhat, there will be a far more beautiful song playing in your heart, a love song from God. A song of grace.

Happy travels as that song fills your life.

Have a great week.

God’s grace and peace, (ggap)

Pastor Jerry Nuernberger

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