The Bungee Cord. 10-29-24

Hello,

What would you say if someone said to you, “What’s the good word today?”

Well, it happened to me last week as I was trying to set up an EZ pass account for an old pick-up we have. I had tried to do it on the internet, but, as all too often with me, I could not get the process to work on the website. So, I called the “contact” number on the site ready to be frustrated again.

“Hello, my name is Jerry Nuernberger, and I am trying to set up an EZ pass account for my pick-up. I tried the website, but was unable to complete the process,” I said trying to be as polite as possible in spite of my frustrations.

“Well, Mr. Nuernberger, let me see what we can do for you,” said the guy who responded in a tone as if he had said this over and over again.

“Uh oh,” I thought to myself, readying myself for another round of frustration.

“Do you already have an account?” he asked.

“Yes, I do.”

“And what is your account number?”

“I don’t know,” I said.

“What is your pin number?”

“I don’t know that either?”

“What is your e-mail?”

Ah, something I could tell him. “Nurnillini@gmail.com”

“We don’t seem to have that email on our file,” he responded.

Ugh! But just as I was about to spew out some of my frustration, I realized that I had reversed my email. “Wait,” I said, “It’s illinurn@gmail.com.”

“Ah, there it is. Now Mr. Nuernberger, what is it again that you want to do?”

I reminded him that I was trying get an EZ pass account for my pickup. It took him a couple of minutes and a few more questions, and my mission was accomplished. My pickup was ready to be equipped with an EZ pass. I was just about to hang up, when he said, “I see it says that you are a pastor. Are you a pastor?”

“I am,” I said abruptly, just wanting to hang up the phone.

“Pastor. What’s the good word today?”

I was caught off guard. I had expected that he, like I, just wanted to get our business over with. I did not know him. He did not know me. So, quickly thinking, I said the word that I think the Christian faith is all about, “Hope.”

“Well, Pastor,” he said, “I’ll do more than hope. I will trust that you will have a blessed day.”

“Thank you,” I said, “and I’ll trust the same for you.” And I hung up.

I don’t know if this was the way that he tried to end all of his phone calls, but it left an impression with me. He took a very mundane thing, a phone call to establish an EZ pass account, and turned it into a spark of joy. I hope that this regular mundane missive from me, The Bungee Cord, does the same for you each week. I hope that every week that you receive it, you hear in it the good word for the day, “Hope.” As you and I gather together on the Bungee Cord, I trust Jesus’ promise to be there as two or more gather in his name. And I believe, as I wrote in a song when Mary and Martha said to Jesus who came to Lazurus’ tomb, “Lord, when you draw near there is hope.”

As my EZpass helper said to me, I will take that hope, and I will trust that you will have a blessed day.

Have a great week.

God’s grace and peace, (ggap)

Pastor Jerry Nuernberger

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