The Bungee Cord 1-3-22

Hello,

Many Christians throughout the world celebrate the visit of the Magi on January 6th, the day of Epiphany. All the way back in my first congregation in 1984, I preached on the Sunday of Epiphany, and it was such a captivating sermon that people remember it to this day!

The gist of my sermon was that although we think we know a lot about the Wisemen, in truth we know very little. We don’t know exactly where they came from, only from the east. We don’t know exactly what they did for a living, star watchers is what the Bible says, but we have dubbed them kings. We don’t know how they travelled. Maybe camels? We don’t know their names, even though they have been given names (Balthasar, Melchior, and Gaspar). We don’t know their race, although one is usually depicted with dark skin. We don’t know how many there were. The Bible tells us that there were three gifts given, but not the number of givers. Many number them as three, but some of Christianity number them as 12.

And here’s the thing that I said that has stuck in people’s memories for nearly 40 years. I said, “We don’t know their sexual orientation.” As newly ordained pastors are apt to be, I was not aware of the bombshell that I had just dropped by saying those words. “Pastor Jerry just said that the Wisemen were gay!” Remember that I said this back in 1984, a time when the issue of homosexuality was still treated with disdain by many people. I remember that when I was in high school and college, to be called “gay” was like wearing a scarlet letter. So, in afterthought, it isn’t surprising that my statement of the unknown sexual orientation rumbled people’s minds.

All these things about the Wisemen that I mention were meant to lead up to this sentence, the point of my sermon: “All we know is that they were welcome at Jesus’ side. After all, God led them there.” And from that sentence, I went on to say to my congregation, “And although I don’t know very many of you that well (there were 2500 people in that congregation), I can assure you of this. No matter who you are, you, too, are welcome at Jesus’ side. After all, God has led you here.”

And in this Bungee Cord, let me assert to you, the same thing. Even though I don’t know many of you really well, I am sure of this; No matter who you are, you are welcome at Jesus’ side. After all, you were led here, and I believe it is the Holy Spirit that has done that. I hope that in every Bungee Cord that I write, you hear this Epiphany truth. You are welcome at Jesus side. And I further assert this truth as I read the Bible and find out who Jesus welcomed to his side: thieving tax collectors, rich young rulers, people dealing with frightening mental illness, people with little to no faith, fishermen, people with chronic illness, members of synagogues…..on and on. Never was anyone, even those who saw Jesus as their enemy, unwelcomed at Jesus side.

There are those who would erect barriers between Jesus and some people, saying that Jesus would not want to be around “terrible” sinners. Saying that Jesus would never want to give them the impression that their sins were ok with him. I find several problems with going in that direction. First, as I read the Bible it isn’t true. Second, usually the sins or lifestyle that people regard as off putting to Jesus belong to others, and not them. And lastly, to say that Jesus goes lightly on the issue of sin is to forget that Jesus died … he died, what could be more severe…to save people from their sins.

So, after reading this Bungee Cord, I hope you won’t go viral saying that Pastor Jerry says the Wisemen were gay (although we don’t really know if they weren’t). And I hope that you won’t read into this that Pastor Jerry thinks that homosexuality is a sin (I leave that decision up to God whose passion is to forgive sin….including mine!) And I hope that you will hear from me that whatever the world knows about you, whatever you know about you there is one thing to remember: You are welcome at Jesus’ side!

Have a great week!

God’s grace and peace,

Pastor Jerry Nuernberger

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 The Bungee Cord 12-20-21

Hello,

Passion drives people to do some crazy things. Crazy things like going to a Steelers football game in the middle of December, with winds blowing and temperatures flirting with the freezing mark. I, who am not nearly as passionate about the Pittsburgh Steelers, joined all those passionate people in watching the game, but I watched in the comfort of my warm home. No need for snowmobile suits, multiple layers of blankets, mittens fitted with hand warmers, and scarfs pulled up over my face. But there was nothing keeping those passionate fans from going to that game. Passion drives people to do some crazy things.

But not people only. Passion drove God to do a crazy thing. As incredible as it may be to comprehend, God – the one whose watch stretches the universe, the one whose potters hand shapes every piece of matter in the cosmos, the one who power and might holds it all together – is so passionate about each and every human being that he will not let anything keep him from embracing them in his love forever. So deeply determined that those who were created in his image would abide with him eternally, God broke the barriers of the eternal and took his place in a manger, shared in the struggles and fears of finitude, and silenced the claim that anything else might utter when he brought them to an end on the cross. God was not going to let anything get in his way or turn him away. God is passionate about human beings…..about you and me…and God’s passion drove God to do what many would dub a crazy thing.

And that is why we, at the church where I am the pastor, is going to do a crazy thing. Engulfed in God’s passion for us, we are going to gather in thanks and praise to God on the day we celebrate the eternal God’s inhabiting flesh and blood, and nothing is going to stop us! Not the weather, no matter how cold it is. Not our unwanted houseguest, Covid 19, no matter that it keeps us from gathering inside. Not our busy schedules, no matter what the world tells us we need to do to keep up with things. We are the product of God’s passion, passion that changes who we are and how we live our lives, and as crazy as many might think we are, we are going to be outside on Christmas Eve, fueled and full of passion.

No matter who you are, mighty or small. No matter what you have done, tremendous or terrible. No matter the depth of your faith, microscopic or monumental. No matter the holes you have fallen into, self-dug or pushed into. No matter the reputation that you carry, abysmal or astronomical. Nomatterwhat! Nomatterwhat God’s passion includes you, and the passion of Christmas Eve envelops you, too. So, if you are in the Ligonier area come and join us as we gather outside at 5:00 NOMATTERWHAT. And if the drive might be a little bit far for you, and you don’t own a jet, take some time to read the story of Jesus’ birth found in the first part of the books of Matthew and Luke….and if there’s a safe place to gather with others who are likewise driven by God’s passion, go and join them in thanks and praise when they gather on Friday (Christmas Ever) or Saturday (Christmas Day).

Passion drives God to do crazy things…..and God’s passion makes people do crazy things, too!

Have a wonder-full Christmas!

God’s grace and peace, (ggap)

Pastor Jerry Nuernberger

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 The Bungee Cord 12-13-21

Hello,

Today’s Bungee Cord is my sermon from yesterday based on Philippians 4:4-7. Seems Bungee-able to me.

We hear this advice all the time:

Don’t worry, be happy.

Don’t worry, everything happens for a purpose.

Don’t worry, there’s nothing to worry about.

Don’t worry, President Schmoe is in charge now.

Don’t worry, you’re so strong.

Don’t worry, it’s all going to come to an end someday, anyway.

And today we hear the apostle Paul say to the people of Philippi and to us, “Don’t worry about anything.”

I don’t know about you, but when I find myself in a precarious or even frighten situation, to be told, “Don’t worry,” is like being on a steep black diamond ski slope, skies pointed down, my momentum and gravity taking hold of me and being told, “Don’t ski down that hill.” I know that I am well aware of my human limitations, and likewise the limitations of other humans, so I find myself easily prone to worrying.

Are you worried?

Have you watched the news and have seen how wobbly our world is spinning? We are told of rumblings in China, deception in Russia, unrest in the Middle East, and violence in South America. It seems like everywhere things are way out of balance and at any moment everything might spin out of control. Are you worried?

Have you looked at the Covid statistics in our country? Cases are still rising, with more cases now that there were last year at this time. Have you seen that Westmoreland County is considered to have a very high Covid infection rate. Have you heard of the latest in what seems to be a never-ending birthing of mutations, the Omicron mutation? Are you worried?

Have you taken a look at your checking balance lately? Gas prices going up. Food bills on the rise. Electric bills climbing. Medical procedures on the horizon.. The car is getting old and needs repairs. Income isn’t keeping up with expenses. Are you worried?

It is easy to fall into a snake pit of worry, filled with snakes slithering with the venomous poisons of impatience, fear, anger, panic, short tempers, despair. Worrying is exhausting. Worrying is life sapping. Worrying is corrosive. From my perspective I can see the turmoil that worry is causing all around the world, in our country, in our towns, in our homes, in this church, and in our hearts.

And today, we hear the Bible tell us, “Don’t worry about anything.” Right. As is said on the internet, “LOL”.

But in truth, the Apostle Paul’s word to the Philippians and to us, does not begin with the admonition not to worry. Immediately before those words, the Apostle Paul writes this, “The Lord is near.” The Lord God….the one who created all that exists, the one who holds it all in the palm of his hands, the one who cares about a single sparrow that falls from a tree, the one who knows the number of hairs on your head, the one who loves you so much that he took his place on a cross, the one who wrestled death to the ground and death breathed its last breath, the one who on Easter Sunday walked over every power that would try and wrestle you and me from him as if they were merely pesky ants….that one is near. The Lord is near….as near as the breath that fills your lungs….as near as the blood that flows through your veins….as near as the thoughts that churn in your mind….and in a few moments…as near as the molecules that make up every cell in your body when he comes to you in his body and blood. The Lord is near.

Before Paul tells us not to worry about anything, he sets our eyes on the one who is near to us: the Lord. “Look and see,” says Paul, “Look and see who is near to us. The Lord!”

I wrote once in one of my Bungee Cords about my cat, Miss Nicklebee. She and her buddy, Attaboy, are outdoor cats that live in their hutch in our garage. Miss Nicklebee is shy, preferring to spend much of her day hiding in the hutch, but every once in a while she’ll be sitting on a shelf, out of reach of our dog, but within my reach to pick her up. When she was young, my previous dog chased her down and had her in his jowls when we came to her rescue. She knows the danger of a dog, but she has also come to know the safety of our care. Anyway it so happened that one day when I came home and pulled into the garage, there she was on the shelf. So I went over to her, picked her up in my arms and started petting her, then suddenly from around the corner of the garage my current dog, who also likes to chase the cats, came bounding and barking.

She didn’t even flinch. She just stayed completely relaxed and purring. I was near…..she wasn’t worried about anything.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, here’s the thing that God would have us know today, that God would have us take into our hearts today, that God would have us rest in today…..the Lord is near. AMEN.

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