The Bungee Cord   11-16-20

Hello,

 

I suspect that for many, the thing that causes them the most trouble with the Christian faith is this, “If there is an all-loving God, why are all these terrible things happening?” Maybe you find yourself wresting with this question, too.

 

Actually, it is a question that people, believers and nonbelievers, have asked all through Biblical history. The Psalms, which were composed centuries before Jesus birth, are full of this question.  Even the disciples asked it of Jesus when they saw a man who was blind from birth.  

 

Books and books have been written trying to answer this question, and personally many of the answers that book writers give fall short of helpfulness, for me, when I wrestle with this question.  Some authors say that the terrible things that happen are God’s punishment, but that answer leaves a bigger question when terrible things happen to me, “Why is God picking on me?”  Others say that God is trying to teach us something, but that answer leaves me with a God who isn’t a very good teacher, because some things we don’t seem to learn. Others say that God has a purpose for everything, but if that’s the case I am not sure that I want to trust in a God who intends for a child to get killed by a crazily driven car.  Still others say that in order to be all loving, God has chosen not to be all powerful.  That makes me wonder, is God powerful enough for me to trust in him?  None of these answers work for me.

 

The reality of evil is so real, that sometimes evil can cast a thick veil over the reality of God.

 

This year, 2020 has been an evil filled year.  Covid 19. Racial strife.  Polarizing politics.  Climate turmoil.  International saber rattling.  Ugh!  It has been so bad that many cynically joke that we should erase it from the calendar, or hit a restart button.  And many ask, “Where has God been in all this mess?”

 

The reason that I write about this is that this Sunday is the last Sunday in the Christian calendar, and it is named “Christ the King” Sunday.  On this day we celebrate with thankfulness that Christ has been with us through the past year, and that we can step into the next year with the promise that Christ will be with us in the coming year, too.  Given what we have been through this year, should we cancel “Christ the King” Sunday?

 

To the evil that we are confronting and the darkness that it has brought to our lives, I find a verse from John 1 instructive. “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”  To me, this is the answer to the question, “If there is an all loving God, why do all these terrible things happen?”  And the answer that this verse gives is that God is equally opposed to the evil, if not more so, as you and I.  God is not one who waits at the end of the tunnel with a light and encourages us to make our way there.  When I don’t have the strength to move an inch, such a God is not of any help to me at all!  But God has shown us by the fact that he jumped feet first into our world in Jesus that he is not afraid to embattle any evil, even death.  Is there darkness in this world?  Yes, and God is charging into that darkness, and he won’t give up the fight until he has won.  And God will!

 

For Christians on Christ the King Sunday, the promise of God’s loving invanquishable power in our lives does not come from a soft and fluffy heavenly throne.  The Bible makes it clear that God’s throne is on a torturous cross, where the darkness has never been as dark, and the power of evil never seemed so strong.  And it was there that God jumped in feet first, brought evil to its knees, and then walked all over evil as if it was a bunch of dying cockroaches.  You see, the light shined in the darkness and the darkness did not overcome it!

 

So, this year, as every year, we will gather around the cross of Jesus Christ and celebrate his presence in the year that has past, and his presence in the year to come.  “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

 

Have a great week.

God’s grace and peace, (ggap)

Pastor Jerry Nuernberger

 Bungee Cord 11-9-20

Hello,

 

   If you are a regular reader of the Bungee Cord, you know two things:  before our worship service I am out on the sidewalk waving at cars and people who pass by, and we have had a couple of yard signs pertaining to my waving.

 

   The first sign stood for a couple of months and it said, “Q: Y Wave?”  Over the course of its public presence, that sign stirred up a lot of intrigue in our little town of Ligonier.  People were asking some of our members what that sign was all about?  I even had some people stop while I was waving and say, “What’s with the sign?”

 

   When asked, I would always say that I am outside waving at people every Sunday morning and that soon a new sign would be in the yard with the answer to the question, “Y Wave?”

 

   That new sign came out on the last Sunday in October, which folks in my denomination celebrate as “Reformation Day.”  Reformation Day used to be a bit triumphalist for many, many years, but in the last several decades the tone of this day of celebration has changed to a day of thankfulness for the work of the Holy Spirit in all of God’s people.  Red, from the tongues of fire of the Holy Spirit on the disciples’ heads that came upon them 50 days after the resurrection, has been the color that decorates worship spaces on days that the work of the Holy Spirit is being celebrated. So, two weeks ago, on Reformation Day, our sanctuary was adorned with red….but not only our sanctuary, but also the people who came to worship in it, all wearing red.

 

   And something else unusual happened on Reformation Day.  We started our worship service outside on the sidewalk.  All of us wearing red, and all of us waving!  Forty of us lined the street and waved  at people driving and passing by, and in the middle of our waving line was the new sign answering the question, “Y Wave?”.  And the new sign said, “A: Jesus (the shape of a heart) U!”

 

   That is why I wave every Sunday, and that is why we all were waving two Sundays ago.  We wave at everyone who drives by, because no matter how busy in life a person may be, no matter how unimportant God might be to someone, no matter how confused and shattered life might be, no matter how successful a person might be, no matter how strong a grip the forces of this world may have on a person, no matter how devout a person might be, no matter angry a person might be toward God….NO MATTER WHAT….that person is loved by Jesus.    That is why I wave every Sunday.  That is why we waved on Reformation Day.  “A: Jesus (shape of a heart) U!”.

 

   When I wave by myself, many folks either wave back or give a little honk on their horn.  But when forty of us were waving, nearly everyone waved back, honked their horns, or even slowed down to gather in all the waves.  One person even stopped, rolled down his window and said, “Thank You. Thank You.  This is just what we needed!”  And horn honking wasn’t the only noise that you could hear out in front of our church.  There was laughter!  Laughter coming from the mouths of those who were waving.  Joy in making a dent in our town during these somber days.  When we went inside to continue our worship, the sanctuary was abuzz with chatter and laughter, and I could hear people say, “That was fun!”

 

   So, although you may not have driven by our church a couple of weeks ago and you didn’t catch a forty hand wave, I hope that this Bungee Cord has brought that wave to you.  Because NO MATTER WHAT you matter to God, matter so much that God gave the life of his Son,  Jesus, for you.  Matter so much that NO MATTER WHAT Jesus will never regret one bit giving his life for you. “A: Jesus (shape of a heart) U!”

 

   “Q: Y Wave?”……. “A: Jesus (shape of a heart) U!”

 

Have a great week.

God’s grace and peace, (ggap)

Pastor Jerry Nuernberger

 Bungee Cord  11-2-20

Hello,

 

There is a verse in scripture that not only do I cling to, but it also clings to me.  

 

Psalm 46:10

 ‘Be still, and know that I am God!
   I am exalted among the nations,
   I am exalted in the earth.’ 

 

Interestingly enough, this verse comes toward the end of this rather short Psalm, a Psalm that speaks of the reality of the world.

 

though the earth should change,
   though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea; 
³ though its waters roar and foam,
   though the mountains tremble with its tumult.

 

These sorts of things happen literally, and they also happen figuratively.  We all find ourselves confronting things in life that are far bigger than we are, and far more powerful, too.  As we step into this week in our nation, I feel like I am encountering one of these times.  A virus that seems to hunt with the deadliness of a jaguar.  A political environment that feels like a huge cumulonimbus cloud pouring down a hailstorm of anxiety.  Cities so divided by tension that earthquakes of hate are rumbling through them leaving great chasms.

 

Reading the Psalms helps us see that although these things are terrible and frightening, they are not new. From the beginning of creation, through the history of humankind things far bigger and far more powerful than people have been part of life.  And the other thing that reading the Psalms helps us see is that there is one whose power and greatness dwarfs the terrifying things around us.  God.

 

⁶ The nations are in an uproar, the kingdoms totter;
   he utters his voice, the earth melts. 

⁹ He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
   he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear;
   he burns the shields with fire. 

 

Now, as I read scripture and as I read my life, I have come to see that this does not mean that everything will go right for me as I live under the power and might of God.  After all, wars still happen.  Tragedy still strikes.  And chaos still swirls.  But what it does mean, as Martin Luther wrote in his hymn based on this Psalm, “A Mighty Fortress is our God”, that God will be on our side when strife and struggles come our way, “a sword and shield victorious”.  And even when these forces think they have won the day, SURPRISE, their victory was only short lived, “Though they take our spouse, goods honor child or spouse. Though life be wretched away. They cannot win the day.  The kingdom’s ours forever!”

 

That is why I find myself clinging to verse 10, “Be still and know that I am God,” when I am facing the overwhelming forces that swirl around me.  But maybe it would be more accurate to say that I am thankful that I find this verse clinging on to me at those times….or even all the time. 

¹ God is our refuge and strength,
   a very present help in trouble. 

 

It is not that I hear this verse telling me that I need do nothing when “mountains shake and waters roar”. There is a lot that I can do….take cover, help my neighbor, be wise and courageous…but in the end, what I can do also has an end.  And when that end comes, that is when I hear this verse being whispered in my ear, “Good effort!  I’ll take over here.”

 

So, in these turbulent times, I am thankful for that which I can do to make it through, both for myself and for my neighbor.  But I am even more thankful to rest in the power of God’s grace and mercy, a power that will indeed see me through.  “Be still and know that I am God….Good effort, I’ll  take over from here.”

 

Have a great week.

God’s grace and peace, (ggap)

Pastor Jerry Nuernberger

 The Bungee Cord  10-19-20

Hello,

 

Yesterday afternoon, the Rector from a nearby Episcopal church and I gathered with a varied group in the town park.  I say “varied” because the group was not only comprised of people, it was also comprised of pets (all dogs and one brave cat).  The reason for the gathering was to continue a long held tradition of “The Blessing of the Animals” around the day that we remember St. Francis, an animal lover and blesser.

 

Some of the people and their pets were from our two respective churches, but others had come because they saw the announcement in the local newspapers.  One such person brought her aged Bulldog, who in talking with her I found out that he was dealing with an inoperable tumor and his days were limited.  Another family, mom and dad and a elementary son,  brought their German Shepherd mix dog who had just undergone significant surgery. An older couple brought a smaller dog of unknown breeds who they had recently rescued from a shelter.  Others brought their dogs who had been wonderful companions and friends.  And one person brought her cat, secured by a leash, who had become part of her life this spring.

 

After a general service of blessing, each animal was escorted to the Rector or myself, and when they arrived the animal was individually blessed.  Always asking the name of the animal, and making sure it would welcome a stranger to pet it, I would put my hand on the animals head and say, “Lord God, watch over “Charlie” with your grace and mercy, and watch over those who care for him.”

 

As you can imagine by my description of our crowd, some of the blessings were met with tears.  And smiles.  

 

As I participated in this blessing event, I couldn’t help but see that even in the midst of all of the chaos and turmoil, isolation and dismay God slides blessings into our lives. Blessings that come from the companionship of animals who often exhibit unconditional love better than humans.  

 

In these Covid days where the big and grand blessings have had to take cover for a while, I have found the manifold smaller blessings from God to come out from under the leaves. Pets.  A call from a friend.  A walk in the woods.  A song. Sunsets.  Gentle winds and falling leaves.

 

This morning I woke up before my wife and went down to our lower level where our dog, MacMahon sleeps (we tried having him sleep upstairs with us, which proved to be no sleep for us). As usual, he is patiently waiting for one of us to take down the gate that guards the stairs.  His patience is not long lived, though.  Springing to exuberance, he bounds up the stairs, heads to the front door, and makes circles as if chasing his tail until I can reach the door. I can barely get the door cracked open when he lurches out the door and in one leap flies down the 5 stairs, and heads off full steam to the front of our hill top (where he is met by the underground fence).  Then he abruptly turns around and sprints around our detached garage, and before you know it he is back at the front door, more than ready to eat his breakfast and take on the day.

 

If there was a reminder of the verse from Scripture, “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!”, more vivid than exhibited by my dog, MacMahon, I have seen few.  Thanks be to God during these days of Covid drudgery for the blessing of MacMahon’s witness to me today!

 

Have a great week.

God’s grace and peace, (ggap)

Pastor Jerry Nuernberger  

 Hello,

 

So, I don’t know about you, but I am ready for a little humor…with an emphasis on “little”. Today, I thought I would sprinkle some riddles into your life.  The answers are on the bottom, so cover them up and only reveal one at a time….no cheating, remember, God is watching!

 

1.    What do you call a cow that doesn’t give milk?

 

2.    How do you know that there’s been an elephant in the refrigerator?

 

3.    Why did Tigger go to the bathroom?

 

4.    What’s green and hops from bed to bed?

 

5.    Where do cows go to dance?

 

6.    Why don’t zombies eat popcorn with their fingers?

 

7.    What happened when the rubber duckie fell into the bathtub?

 

8.    How do you clean a dirty tuba?

 

9.    What snacks do you serve at a robot party?

 

10.  What is the best way to escape the inside of a whale?

 

I suspect that you have had enough….either from your ribs being laughing sore, or your tired of saying, “Boy, was that dumb.”  But either way, I hope that you had a giggle or two with these riddles.

 

Sometimes life seems like a riddle, and not a funny one.  These days seem to be one of those times where we riddle questions like, “Why is this happening?”, “How can we know what to do?”, “When will things get back to normal?”, “Where will all of this take us?”

 

Yesterday in worship we heard a word from Scripture that unriddles life and turns life into an adventure that is guided by the one who created the universe, died on a cross and killed death by walking out of an Easter tomb, who has called you his own and will let nothing separate you from him…not even your wandering off, and who has prepared a place for you in his eternal home so that where he is you will also be.  Listen to this Word:

4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. ⁵Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. ⁶Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. ⁷And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 

“The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding”…when the riddles ring in you head, “Why?”, “What?”, “How?”, “When?”, and “Who?”  God speaks his unriddling word, “I, the Lord, am here.”  And like a lost child in a department store who is finally found by her mom, you will find joy exploding from your heart in the embrace of God.  Rejoicing!

 

Although my riddles might bring a small sparkle to you day, God’s word has the power to change your day.

 

Have a great week, 

God’s grace and peace, (GGAP)

Pastor Jerry Nuernberger

 

Answers: (no cheating!)

 

1.    A milk dud.

2.    By the footprints in the jello.

3.    To find his friend, Pooh.

4.    A prosti-toad.  (ooh….maybe a little too racy)

5.    The meatball.

6.    They prefer to eat their fingers separately.

7.    It quacked up.

8.    With a tube ‘a toothpaste.

9.    Assorted nuts.

10.  Run around until you get pooped out.

 The Bungee Cord    10-5-20

Hello,

 

Fall has arrived in Western Pennsylvania, and in my mind this is the most beautiful time of the year to live here.  The ridges are ablaze in color and the air is crisp.  But with the arrival of fall, something also leaves.  The songbirds.

 

In the summer the trees that surround our house host all sorts of birds making all sorts of songs.  In the morning they comprise a choir that brings a delightful start to the day.  As the day goes on they keep on tweeting (the original use of the word!), and when dusk arrives their songs bid the day farewell.

 

But they are gone, now. Quiet has settled in.  I miss their songs.

 

In these Covid days other quiet has also settled in.  The chatter of friends around a dinner table.  The shuffling of shoes in a busy store.  The cheers from stadiums.  Even songs filling the church.

 

When people come to our house, one of the things that they say is, “My, it is quiet out here.”  Out in the country, shielded from most road noise, distant from commerce and industry.  It is a good quiet, a peaceful quiet, a healing quiet.  A quiet for which I am thankful.

 

But the quiet that has settled in with the advent of fall and the dampering of Covid is, for me, an unwanted quiet.  It is a lonesome quiet.  A heavy quiet.

 

I long for noise, good noise.  The songbirds, friends and family, bouncing balls, and bellowed hymns.  I could try and make a bunch of noise to diminish the quiet, but no matter how much noise I make, the current quiet always seems louder.

 

So, in the wearisome quiet of these days, I hear a word from Scripture break into my mind, (Psalm 46:10) “¹⁰ ‘Be still, and know that I am God!
   I am exalted among the nations,
   I am exalted in the earth.’ 

 

This verse might be a soft whisper in my mind, but it is a whisper that comes from God Almighty.  In the quiet of these days, God greets us with powerful words of hope.  “Rest in this quiet.  You don’t have to overcome the quiet.  I am God, and the quiet has never been a challenge to me.  Out of the quietness of nothing, I spoke my word and brought forth creation  Out of the quiet of the Good Friday tomb, I spoke my Word (the living Word, Jesus) and brought forth life that has no end.  Out of the quiet of silent waters, I spoke my word and sealed you in my care. And when the day comes that the quiet of death embraces you , I will speak my word and embrace you as I welcome you into the place that I have prepared for you.  Be still and know that I am God.”

 

And so I pray God to give me the grace to do just that.  Be still and know that God is God.  And as I rest in that grace, I have confidence and hope that soon the birds will return with their songs, and the day will come when other good noise fills my ears.  

 

“Be still, and know that I am God.”

 

Have a great week.

God’s grace and peace, (ggap)

Pastor Jerry Nuernberger