Hello,
I woke up about
1:15 last night, and if I wouldn’t have looked at my clock, I would have
thought that daybreak had arrived. The
sky was completely clear of clouds and the moon was incredibly bright. It was so bright that the light that it cast
into my house was nearly enough to read by, and vivid shadows fell on the
outside ground. The brightness had been
forecast and even named, “the super moon”.
Last night’s rendezvous with the moon was the closest encounter for the
last 68 years, so the scientists said.
Of course, the
light that emanates from the moon does not come from the moon, at least the
moon does not produce it. The light
comes from the sun. The moon just
reflects it, and as I discovered in the wee hours of last night, it is
reflected most brightly when there is nothing blocking it and when it is
closest.
As one who bears
the name of Christ (i.e. Christian), I see a lot of myself in the moon (I
realize that I just set myself up for comments about likenesses to “the old man
in the moon”, or “green cheese”.).
Although I, like the moon, may generate some energy and power, the truth
is that the power that Christ has given me to reflect in the world is incomparably
mightier and brighter. And I have also
seen that Christ’s darkness dissipating grace is most profoundly reflected upon
others when there is nothing blocking it between me and they, and when I am
closest to them. Just like a super moon.
There are, of
course, many things that get in the way between others and me. Many of my own making. My greed….my narrowmindedness….my arrogance….my
thoughtlessness…just to name a few. And
although I can’t do anything to declutter the things that others pile up in our
interpersonal space, I can do something about the things that I hoard that get
in the way. Repentance. It is
a daily task, empowered by the grace of God.
And then there is
that other thing about the degree of reflection of the light of Christ from me
to others; my distance from them. I know
that, like the moon, the closer I am to others the brighter the
reflection. Yet, I find myself falling
into the temptation to keep a distance from many. I have a way of naming others “them” instead
of “us”. It is less work, less painful,
and less bothersome to orbit in isolation.
But God won’t let
me. God, in Christ, has joined my orbit,
and has brought into my orbit everyone in Christ’s orbit. Jesus is drawing me ever closer to others. That is what Jesus does when he draws me to
church on Sunday morning. That is what
Jesus does when he opens my heart to others in prayer. That is what Jesus does when he gathers me
around his table. That is what Jesus is
doing through the writing and reading of this Bungee Cord!
It was nice to
wake up in the middle of the night and not stumble my way through
darkness. No bruised shins from bumping
into a dresser. No tumbling from
tripping over shoes. No stubbed toes
from kicking a wall. It is my hope that
such delight does not only happen in my house, but in the world…..not once
every 68 years….but every day. “Shine,
Jesus, Shine!”
Have a great week.
God’s grace and peace, (ggap)
Pastor Jerry Nuernberger
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