The Bungee Cord

Hello,

We are coming up on the longest day of the year, June 21. Officially it is called the summer solstice. It happens when the axis of the earth is tilted toward the sun, thus giving the northern hemisphere the longest day and the shortest night. Living in Pennsylvania that means that it is light when I wake up in the morning, and it is there is still some light when I hit the rack at night. Of course, the opposite is true when the earth’s axis is tilted away from the sun in December. It is dark when I awake, and it is dark far before I go to sleep. I much prefer the longer days of daylight. So, in those darkest days, I assure myself that the lighter days are coming.

I think it is true for all of us that there are times in our lives when the darkest of days has nothing to do with the earth’s axis, but rather life’s axis. The events of our lives can so wobble our world that the axis of our lives creates a darkness that can be darker than the darkest night and seems to go on without any light rising on the horizon. I have found myself in such times when depression rocks my life. I have listened to others speak of the darkness that shows no sign of ending at the death of a loved one, a marriage that has fallen apart, a hole that has been fallen into, or a rejection where the door has been slammed shut and locked. When these times happen, it doesn’t matter what time of the year it may be, the darkness is long, very long.

Although you and I can trust that the longest nights of the calendar year will be transformed into the longest days of the year by virtue of the laws of the universe, there seems to be no law to assure us that the darkness that befalls us due to the wobbling of our lives will likewise recede. The darkness can hit us out of nowhere, and it can enshroud us with a stubbornness that seems unwilling to let go.

That is why the good news that God gives us is not Annie’s song, “The Sun Will Come Up Tomorrow”. That might work for the calendar, but it doesn’t work for life. The good news that God gives us is that God, the one who separated the darkness from the light in the beginning, has used his power to do so again on the darkest day that has ever befallen all of creation when God’s Son, Jesus, died on the cross. On that day, it seemed like the universe would be wrapped in darkness for eternity, after all, it was the Son of God who had just died. But three days later, God, who in the beginning said, “Let there be light,” who said to Lazarus who had been dead in a tomb four days, “Lazarus come out!”, who said to a soldier’s daughter for whom the people had already begun their mourning, “Little girl, get up,”….that same God, spoke into the darkness of that Good Friday tomb, and called Jesus to come out…..AND HE DID! Thereby announcing the good news that no darkness can overcome (John 1), Jesus came up on Easter!

It is this singular event in the history of the universe that crashes into the darkness of our lives with explosive power. Like a thief in the night, God has broken his way into the darkness, and he has stolen us away to live in the light of his eternal love. And having given his all to rob the darkness of us, God is not going to let anything steal us away from him. As the Bible says, “there is nothing in all of creation that can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans

So, when the days are the darkest, and the darkness is long, don’t sing the powerless platitudes with Annie, “The Sun Will Come Up Tomorrow”. Instead, fill your lungs with a deep breath of the Spirit and sing triumphantly, “I Know That My Redeemer Lives!” That’s a song that will carry you forever!

Have a great week.

God’s grace and peace, (ggap)

Pastor Jerry Nuernberger

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