The Bungee Cord

Hello,

Grace.

It is a difficult thing to understand and it is a difficult thing to live under, but as I was sitting in the Denver Airport awaiting my flight to return home from my visit to my son who lives in Denver, I encountered grace.

All the seats in the gate area were full, so I was thankful that I had a seat to sit in. As I was waiting, I noticed in the row of seats next to the ones that I was sitting in, there was a young man moving in the aisle. As I looked more closely, I saw that he had a freshly opened bags of Fritos, and he was going to each person in that aisle with a Frito in his hand offering it to them. It was a remarkable thing to see, such grace. He had a bag of Fritos, and everyone else was empty handed so he shared, not expecting anything in return. Grace.

The people were at first a bit surprised by this young man’s gesture, but when they could determine that this was a man with Down’s Syndrome their response came with a smile, “No thank you.” Smiles spread around that aisle of previously somewhat impatient waiting folks who had been through the hassles of getting to board their flight. Grace.

I believe that grace has transformational power, and I saw that power work its might through that grace-full man. Having run through the obstacle course of rules to get to the gate….getting their tickets, obtaining their boarding pass, tunnelling through TSA, getting their luggage checked and approved….the gesture of a Frito lightened people’s hearts and transformed their trip.

Because grace has such transformational power, that is why God used grace to transform creation. Sure, creation is well served by the rules and laws that keep everything in order, including everything on earth. But the rules of daily life can feel as binding as the rules that proceed getting on a plane. Grace, however, does something that rules cannot do. It transforms. It renews. It brings hope. It opens life. That is what happened when Jesus took his place on the cross, dying so that we might live, and expecting nothing as payment or in return.

Grace is hard to understand, because it doesn’t come naturally, at least to us. We tend to hold on tightly to that for which we have worked hard. We tend to expect others to carry their weight. We tend to expect appreciation for what we have done, and hold people accountable for what they have done. We hold on tightly to rules.

And grace is hard to live under, because it knocks down all the ladders that we proudly climb. It declares us no better than those whom we have a hard time stomaching. It speaks, “Fear not,” when we encounter situations that would lead us to turn to violence and destruction.

But when you fall flat on your face, bruised and broken like the traveler which the Good Samaritan encountered, there is no more blessed or powerful thing to encounter than grace. And that unmerited, self-giving love shown by the Good Samaritan, is a picture of the kind of love which God bestows upon us. Grace.

There are some who say that it is possible to refuse grace, but from what I saw happen at the airport, it confirms my belief that that is not true. It may have been that the people to whom that young man offered a Frito refused the Frito, but the utter kindness that he gave to them was something that they could not turn back…..evidenced by their smiles. I hope that in telling you this story, you may have a keener power of God’s love for you….a love that is pure grace…a love that brings joy to your heart and breath to your life!

Have a great week.

God’s grace and peace, (ggap)

Pastor Jerry Nuernberger

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