Bungee Cord 9-16-13

Hello,

For the first time in my ministry, no one can say that I talked too long in my sermon….because I didn’t talk at all!

The Gospel reading began with the scribes and Pharisees (two groups who considered themselves pretty squeaky clean in the eyes of God) complaining that Jesus who was rubbing shoulders with tax collectors and sinners (two groups of people who were seen as filthy dirty in the eyes of God) would “welcome” them and “eat with them”.

So, let me draw your mind’s eye into the sanctuary of First Lutheran Church for yesterday’s silent sermon, the enactment of a parable that I have come up with to get at Jesus’ response to their complaints:

As the notes of “Amazing Grace” lift from the piano, I retrieve a card table that is resting in the choir loft in the front of the church, unfold its legs, and set it right in front of the altar.  On it I place a blue and white checked table cloth, put a place setting of silverware on one side, decorate it with a flower arrangement, and slide a chair under the table.  With a waiter’s towel over my folded elbow, I go over to Rocco (the worship assistant for the day) and bid him come and dine at my table, which with glowing smile he does.  After I seat him in my chair, I prepare to take his order by placing a glass of water in front of him….a glass of water that I have filled full of dirty stones before filling with water.  Looking at me with confused eyes, I motion to him to drink it.  He motions back, “No way!” 

Realizing his issue with the glass of water, I take the glass, reach into it with my hand and grab as many of the stones as I can, leaving it with about half as many stones as before.  Graciously setting it before him, he again looks at me with disbelief, still unwilling to drink it. 

So, since the customer is always right, I take the glass again, empty it of all its stones, and then drop one stone in and fill it with water.  Again, as I set it before him, he adamantly refuses to drink of it, even though I declare to him, putting up one finger, that it is only one stone.  But no.  Still he will not drink the water. 

Frustrated with his pickiness, I take the glass, dump out all the water and the one stone, and gesture a couple of spits into the glass and wipe it “clean” with my towel.  I then fill it with water, impatiently set it before him, and with equal impatience with me, still he refuses to drink from it.

So….since the customer is always right….I leave him and the glass at the table, go get a wash basin, fill it with water, put soap in it, scrub the class clean, dry it, hold it up to the light to make sure it sparkles….then I fill it with water….set the glass in front of Rocco, and he with a refreshing smile on his face drinks it down!

So was the sermon…..so is today’s Bungee Cord.

Have a great week.

God’s grace and peace,

Pastor Jerry Nuernberger

Bungee Cord 9-9-13

Hello,

     Regular readers of the Bungee Cord know that on Sunday mornings before our two services I stand out in front of the church on Main Street, greeting people and waving at cars as they go by.  Why do I do it?  Well,  it seems to me that God’s grace is not meant to be kept inside the walls of the church, and so as people drive by I wave at them as a gesture of grace.  In a world where people are all too often forgotten or ignored, I wave at everyone in hopes that they will discover from me that there is one who counts them important, important enough to die for:  God.  Maybe my wave, through the power of the Holy Spirit, will be the catalyst for a life filled with divine hope, peace and love.  Who knows?

     This Sunday as I was waving, up Main Street from the south came an old, blue paneled van.  As it came hissing and squeaking my way, I issued a wave to its passengers.  The driver’s window was lowered, so as the van passed me I could clearly see his arm returning my wave and a rugged, polite smile on his face.  As he was waving, the man who was in the passenger seat leaned toward the driver, and he yelled at me, “Party down!” through his scraggly beard and lifting a cup (ironically it looked like a coffee cup from a gas station) as if it were a stein of beer my way. 

     Quite a greeting to a pastor draped in liturgical robes and garb standing out in front of a church on a Sunday morning.  “Party down!”  True enough, I usually have my traveling mug of coffee with me as I stand on the sidewalk, but I haven’t yet thought to raise it as that man’s cup of coffee was raised toward me and shout, “Party down!”

    But maybe I should.  After all, that really is what every Sunday morning is all about.  It is about  “partying down” in celebration of the victory of all victories when God hit sin with a breath suffocating blow on a Good Friday cross, and sent death to an eternal grave as Jesus walked out of an Easter tomb.  Every Sunday, we who live on this side of God’s victory gather together to celebrate: celebrate that the mess that we have made of our lives does not have the power to determine the future of our lives because our futures are empowered by the forgiveness of God; celebrate that there is nothing in all of creation (Romans 8)…nothing in life, and nothing in death that can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus; celebrate that God Almighty….yes, God Almighty…deigns to inhabit our lives.

     We don’t gather every Sunday morning to learn about how to be a good person. We don’t gather every Sunday morning to adopt principles for a happy life. We don’t gather every Sunday morning to find out how to be successful and rich.  We don’t gather on Sunday morning to get away from “bad” people (truth is, we who gather on Sunday morning are just as sinful as those who don’t).

     We gather on Sunday mornings to…….Party Down!  Every week as the world tries to beat us down, as the pressures of life try to bring us to our knees, as our failures try to engrave their tattoo on us, as the world trembles in fear and wobbles in hopelessness…..we gather together to Party Down….not to inebriate ourselves and become numb to the world, but rather to be inspired (in-Spirited) by God to take God’s victory into the world.

     So, as this Bungee Cord comes your way, envision it as a gesture of grace to you, and imagine that as you read it, I am raising a cup of wine, inviting you to come on in and “Party Down!”

Have a great week.

God’s grace and peace,

Pastor Jerry Nuernberger

Bungee Cord  9-2-13

Hello,

     I usually leave my house around 7 a.m. on Sundays, as I did this past Sunday.  The first thing that I do when I jump into my car is ajust my radio to NPR where a weekly program called “Sunday Baroque” is aired.  It purports to be on for four hours, but I only catch the 30 minutes that it serenades me over the ridge.  Believe me, I am not always so cultured.  Often times when I jump into my car my, my radio is blaring “oldies” (rock music from pre-2000), or sports talk from listening to the Pirates.  But for some reason, neither “Oldies” or sports talk seems appropriate to set my mind for worship, and so I listen instead to Bach, Mozart, Handel and the like on “Sunday Baroque.”

     As I was about half way to work, a piece came on the air that had been written for the recorder.  Remembering the days in grade school when we were taught to play the recorder, I prepared myself for something akin to “Twinkle, Twinkle, little star”.  Instead what I heard was this complicated piece with notes streaming by as fast and numerous as shoppers entering a store on Black Friday.  In my mind’s eye I could see the recorderist’s fingers tapping on that plastic white tube with a red mouthpiece more quickly than a middle schooler texting in English class.  On and on he went.  Never a break.  Never a time to take a breath.  How did he do it?  I was losing my breath just listening to it.

     People who play wind instruments tell me that the secret to playing these kinds of pieces is to learn how to circle breath, which as I understand it is to breath in through your nose as you are breathing out of your mouth.  Sounds like it requires a bit more coordination than rubbing your tummy and patting your head.

     I suspect that there are weeks, and maybe even every week, that your life mimics that recorderist’s piece: the list of things to do and places to be looking like a Bach musical score, and the pressure of the expectations that others lay upon you squeezing the breath right out of you.  No time for a break.  Never a time to take a breath. How do you do it?

     Most of us have learned to circle breath in life, breathing in and out at the same time, multitasking, texting and tweeting.  And as amazingly good as we can be at playing our life’s complex and crazy score, we can’t circle breath forever.  We need to take a good long breath and clear out our lungs.  We need to gather air for the days when the wind gets knocked out of us.  We need to draw our breath in slowly and feast on the fragrances that come with it.

     For me, that is what Sunday morning worship is all about.  It’s about taking a break from circle breathing and just breath.  Breath in……and then breath out.  Clean out the residue of the smog of life as my lungs are filled with the forgiving grace of God.  Take a deep breath and recover from the gut punches the world has thrown at me.  Savor with a slow breath the love and wonder of God’s presence in my life.

     For me, going to church on Sunday morning is not just one more thing to do, one more place to be, one more commitment to fill in a circle breathing life.  For me, going to church on Sunday morning is the deep, lung filled, life filled breathing that I need to carry me through the circle breathing days of my life.

     So, come this Sunday to church….and take a long, deep, and slow breath.  It beats circle breathing!

Have a great week,

God’s grace and peace, (ggap)

Pastor Jerry Nuernberger

Bungee Cord 8-26-13

Hello,

     Where did the summer go?  For as long as I can remember, the three months of summer have always passed by much faster than the three months of winter.  The fact is that summer and winter compose the same amount of time, but at least for me, they don’t seem to be the same amount of time.

     Time is a strange thing.  We hear it tick and tock with the same tempo, second by second, but some of those seconds seem to expand as if put under a high powered microscope, and other seconds fly by faster than the speed of their sound.  It doesn’t seem that long ago that I was holding my boys in my arms, newborn and new to the world.  But when I try and do the things that I did back then, my achy muscles and molasses paced reactions let me know just how much time has passed.  When I look at the pictures in my “Illinois Man Cave” of my days at the University of Illinois, it doesn’t seem that long ago that my hair was fuller and longer and my waistline was thinner.  But when I remember that we had one phone in our fraternity house which we had to take turns answering every night, and we used typewriters with carbon paper, the cell phone in my pocket that takes dictation from me and connects me to every corner of the world lets me know just how much time has passed.

     Time.  It is a strange thing, but this can be said of it for sure: time comes and goes.  Like a baseball pitch, we only get one swing at every second that comes by.  In baseball you know you will get at least three swings, but in life you don’t know the number of swings you’ll get.

     Someone once said that he was sure that when his time in this life would come to an end, he was certain that he would not say to himself, “Gee, I wish I would have spent more time at work.”  I think that I would add to that, that when I reach that day, I don’t think that I will say that I wish I had spent more time fretting and worrying, getting angry over little things, finding fault in myself and others, being envious of what others had, or trying to live up to other people’s unrealistic expectations.

     But I do think that I will say to myself that I will be thankful for the time that I spent with the people that I most dearly love, thankful for the good that I brought to other people’s lives, thankful for the moments of peace and calm, thankful for the unexpected and unmerited joys that sprinkled my days….and thankful for the grace of God that carried me through every day.  Grace when faith was full and vibrant.  Grace when doubts sandblasted the little faith that was there.

     Some say that I am wasting my time when I go to church every Sunday, but I don’t think so, because the proof will be in the pudding when my time nears its end and I look back.  I am quite certain that I will be thankful for every moment  of my time that I spent being shaped by the Word of God.  I will be thankful for every time I heard, “This is my body…this is my blood….shed for you.”  I will be thankful for the rut of hope that God weekly dug in my life.

     Sunday is coming like a baseball being thrown from the mound….you only get to swing at it once…..why not swing your way into church…..you’ll be thankful now and when your time is coming to an end.

Have a great week.

God’s grace and peace, (ggap)

Pastor Jerry Nuernberger

The Bungee Cord  8-19-13

Hello,

    The Pittsburgh Steelers hold their training camp in Latrobe, Pa, just over the ridge from our house.  So, last week, when my son and his wife were visiting, we decided to visit the training camp and see what goes on. 

     I was surprised by a couple of things: first, it is amazing how close you can get to the players, closer than you or I could ever get at a football game, and second, IT WAS ALL FREE!  When we ventured onto the grounds we could see people standing on the sidelines and right behind fences that outlined the field.  We took our place in the stands….about 15 rows up at the 50 yard line…in the shade.  Walking down the stairs I immediately spotted Ben Rothlisberger, who must have seen me, because he waved at me.  The split end to whom he was going to throw the ball may have thought that Ben was waving to him, but I know his wave was really directed at me because when I was a pastor in rural Ohio, Ben was the quarterback at the neighboring town’s high school, making Ben and me this close (fingers crossed).  It was great being so close to all the players, seeing them interact with one another, catching the expressions on their faces when their helmets were off, and seeing just how BIG they are.  It was a treat!  AND IT WAS ALL FREE!  No charge for parking.  No charge for the seats.  No charge for autographs.  IT WAS ALL FREE!  Thank you Steelers!

     Maybe it is because it happens so often, I am not as amazed that Sunday after Sunday when I go to church I find myself so close to God Almighty, and like the Steelers training camp, IT IS ALL FREE! *  Sunday after Sunday, God draws nearer to me than I could ever expect as God gathers me around the altar and I receive the body and blood of Jesus in, with, and under the bread and wine of Holy Communion.  And when I come to the altar, God doesn’t just wave at me, instead the word of God is spoken directly to me, “This is my body….this is my blood…given and shed for you.”  Far closer than the 15^th row in the stands, every Sunday morning God unites with me in a bond so deep that it is beyond human understanding.    And when God does, I feel the peace of God interacting with me, I experience the joy on the face of God as God takes hold of me with forgiveness, and my wobbling knees are infused with the power of God to set me on my feet again and walk with confidence and hope in my daily life.  What a treat!  AND IT IS ALWAYS FREE!  That is what grace is.  Free, unconditional, unexpected, undeserved love.  Life giving, hope producing, sin erasing, joy exploding, death crushing love.  AND IT IS ALWAYS FREE.  Thank you God!

     It’s amazing!  Sunday is just around the corner!

Have a great week!

God’s grace and peace,

Pastor Jerry Nuernberger

*I know that there is an offering collected each week…but notice, no one is ever excluded if they give nothing, no one receives anything greater if they give a lot….the offering that is collected is in truth a response of thanks and personal discipleship.

The Bungee Cord  8-13-13

Hello,

  Ever heard of the “Ain’t Paul Ain’ts”?  Neither had I before last week as I was listening to the radio on my way home from work.  Apparently, as a promotional gig, the minor league baseball team from St. Paul, Minnesota, “The Saint Paul Saints”, took the letter “S” out of their name for one game, a game that was being sponsored by the Atheist Society of Minnesota (didn’t even know there was such a society) and transformed themselves into the “Ain’t Paul Ain’ts”.  “Come,” was the invitation by the team management to the ballpark for a night ‘unbelievable fun’!”

   When I heard about this promotional stunt (that is what the team’s representative called it), I had mixed feelings.  Personally, I did not find it amusing….but that is just me.  What struck me is the reality that it depicts, the reality that we live in a time when the reality of God is often questioned and sometimes dismissed.   Questioned by serious minded people, whose questions deserve serious dialogue.  Questioned by people who seem to avoid serious thought and seem to have little desire to delve into careful conversation.  Questioned by those who find themselves as the rope in a tug of war between the things of this world that they can see and the things of God that they cannot see.  I don’t know if our time is a time of unequalled questioning of the existence of God, but it certainly is a questioning that has made it home in our day.

     Does God exist?  To think that this question can be answered in the shortness of the Bungee Cord would be a bit preposterous given that people far smarter than I have written tomes, and the question still is left incomplete in answer.  To me, it seems reasonable that no answer, short or long, could ever be surmised by empirical evidence or logical thought to nail down the certainty of the existence of one who is purported to be beyond and outside of human senses and intellect.   To me, the question of God’s existence is akin to the question of the existence of the love between people.  Can you put your finger on love and touch it?  Can you wrap your mind around it and understand it?  Such is the complexity in coming to terms with the existence of God.

     Yet, just as one who loves seeks to convince the lovee of the love that exists, the Bible tells us that God is likewise at work to convince us of his existence and love.    Interestingly enough, that although the wonders of nature may lead some to consider God’s existence, the Bible affirms that the wonders of nature can also lead people to wonder of God’s existence due to the capriciousness and devastating power of nature.  I know that a God who seems to care little for you or me is not easy to believe in, and in truth, probably isn’t worth believing in.

     But the Bible tells us that God is determined to make himself known to us so that we can live and die in uncrushable peace and an unshakable hope.  That is what Jesus all about.  “God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son (Jesus), that whosoever believes in him might not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)  As unbelievable as it might seem, the one who is beyond and above human conception, was conceived in a woman and became human.  Why did God do that?  So that we might come to know God…know that God exists and know that God cares for us so deeply that God would hold nothing back….not even the pain of life and the agony of death.

     But even more than that, God is so determined to speak to our questions of God’s existence, be they reasonable or not, that God invites us to a Sunday table, sits us down and in  a piece of bread and a sip of wine gives us himself, the body and blood of Jesus.  It is true that it is unbelievable that God would do such a thing for mere mortals as we, and maybe equally unbelievable that God could do such a thing.

     Fact of the matter is that you don’t have to be an “Ain’t Paul Ain’t” to find yourself questioning the existence of God and thereby miss out on the peace and hope that is found in God’s embrace.  There’s plenty that we encounter every day to dim our belief in God.  Thanks be to God that by the power of the Holy Spirit, God himself, God is determined to raise up faith in us so that we can say and live in the confidence and hope that “Jesus is LORD.”

Have a great week.

God’s grace and peace,

Pastor Jerry Nuernberger

The BUngee Cord  8-6-13

Hello,

    This past weekend, my wife, Kate, went to visit her sister, leaving me to take care of the chickens (which I report survived, if not thrived) and in the company of our loyal dog, Duncan.  Duncan is a 5 year old Gordon Setter who has been with us since his puppyhood.  Jokingly I say that he loves me and obeys Kate.  This weekend I found out differently.

     It used to be  when we lived in Sioux Falls that Duncan would spend his nights in a kennel afar from our bedroom, in the laundry room.  When we moved to Pennsylvania and lived by the good graces of Kate’s brother in their cabin, his kennel moved to the bedroom.  However, the kennel was soon abandoned as his sleeping quarters when he discovered that Kate’s brother’s dogs took their place on the king-size bed upon which her brother and his wife slept.  A new habit was formed.  So, now that we have lived in our house for a while, the kennel has been placed in the garage attic, and Duncan makes himself cozy on one of the beds….often ours….on my side!

     Well, this weekend, even though the bed was half vacant, when it became bed time, Duncan did not hop into bed with me.  Instead, he went into the front bedroom where he could lay himself down and keep an eye out the window.  It didn’t strike me as too unusual, because it is upon this front bedroom bed that he often sleeps, but when I noticed that over the course of the weekend he would sit himself down in front of our house and watch out over the drive.  It didn’t take too long for me to realize what he was doing….he was looking for Kate to come back home.  When she did come back home, he greeted her with tail away, and since now all was right in the world, he also took his place back on our bed…..on my side!

     It all reminded me of the parable that Jesus told that we call the Prodigal Son, but others who study the Bible have entitled “The Loving Father”.  As you may well know it is about a father that has two sons, of which the younger one in disrespectful manner demanded his inheritance (even before his father’s death) and then ran off and wasted it on wild living.  His other son, in the mean time, dutifully stayed at home and worked.  When the younger son finally “came to himself”, he decided to come home and beg for mercy, the mercy that would be given a slave.  Jesus, however, tells us that while the younger son was still far off, the father spotted him and like a fool ran out to greet him, kissing him…..with tail awag! “Get a robe!  Get some sandals!  Get a ring!  Kill the calf…lets party!”  Although the older brother didn’t find it to be so, with the son’s return, all was right in the world.  The father’s son was by his side.

     As Jesus tells the story it seems clear that the Father was like Duncan….always keeping an eye on the driveway, looking for the return of the one who was missing, and until that one was back, he would keep his watch.  I am convinced that it was the father’s love that pulled his son back (like a bungee cord). It may have been that Duncan took sentry duty awaiting my wife’s return,  but I know that I was just as anxious to have her back…even more so…..than he.

     This weekend I experienced the point of this parable that Jesus told, the point being that God so intently loves each of his children that things are not right in his heart when even one of them is not with him, and no matter how far away a child of God’s may go, God’s eye is on the horizon and his heart is attached to the hearts of his children pulling them back to his side, where when they are back God’s greets them …. greets you and me….with tail awag!

Have a great week.

God’s grace and peace, (ggap)

Pastor Jerry Nuernberger