pipeline script to reproduce it:
-------------------------------

@NonCPS
def renderTemplate(input, binding) {
    def engine = new groovy.text.SimpleTemplateEngine()
    def template = engine.createTemplate(input).make(binding)
    return template.toString()
}

def input = '$number <% words.each { word -> %> hello $word <% } %>'
def binding = [number:5,words:["one", "two"]]

def output = renderTemplate(input, binding)
echo output

node {
    echo 'test stuff'
}

Notes:

• It works without without the node block.
• I suspect that the culprit is: "scriptObject.setProperty("out", pw);" which is line 167 of https://github.com/groovy/groovy-core/blob/master/subprojects/groovy-templates/src/main/groovy/groovy/text/SimpleTemplateEngine.java#L167
• I'm switching to StreamingTemplateEngine as a work around

The resulting callstack:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
java.io.NotSerializableException: java.io.PrintWriter
at org.jboss.marshalling.river.RiverMarshaller.doWriteObject(RiverMarshaller.java:860)
at org.jboss.marshalling.river.BlockMarshaller.doWriteObject(BlockMarshaller.java:65)
at org.jboss.marshalling.river.BlockMarshaller.writeObject(BlockMarshaller.java:56)
at org.jboss.marshalling.MarshallerObjectOutputStream.writeObjectOverride(MarshallerObjectOutputStream.java:50)
at org.jboss.marshalling.river.RiverObjectOutputStream.writeObjectOverride(RiverObjectOutputStream.java:179)
at java.io.ObjectOutputStream.writeObject(ObjectOutputStream.java:344)
at java.util.LinkedHashMap.internalWriteEntries(LinkedHashMap.java:333)
at java.util.HashMap.writeObject(HashMap.java:1362)
at sun.reflect.GeneratedMethodAccessor52.invoke(Unknown Source)
at sun.reflect.DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.java:43)
at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:498)
at org.jboss.marshalling.reflect.SerializableClass.callWriteObject(SerializableClass.java:271)
at org.jboss.marshalling.river.RiverMarshaller.doWriteSerializableObject(RiverMarshaller.java:976)
at org.jboss.marshalling.river.RiverMarshaller.doWriteSerializableObject(RiverMarshaller.java:967)
at org.jboss.marshalling.river.RiverMarshaller.doWriteObject(RiverMarshaller.java:854)
at org.jboss.marshalling.river.BlockMarshaller.doWriteObject(BlockMarshaller.java:65)
at org.jboss.marshalling.river.BlockMarshaller.writeObject(BlockMarshaller.java:56)
at org.jboss.marshalling.MarshallerObjectOutputStream.writeObjectOverride(MarshallerObjectOutputStream.java:50)
at org.jboss.marshalling.river.RiverObjectOutputStream.writeObjectOverride(RiverObjectOutputStream.java:179)
at java.io.ObjectOutputStream.writeObject(ObjectOutputStream.java:344)
at java.util.HashMap.internalWriteEntries(HashMap.java:1785)
at java.util.HashMap.writeObject(HashMap.java:1362)
at sun.reflect.GeneratedMethodAccessor52.invoke(Unknown Source)
at sun.reflect.DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.java:43)
at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:498)
at org.jboss.marshalling.reflect.SerializableClass.callWriteObject(SerializableClass.java:271)
at org.jboss.marshalling.river.RiverMarshaller.doWriteSerializableObject(RiverMarshaller.java:976)
at org.jboss.marshalling.river.RiverMarshaller.doWriteObject(RiverMarshaller.java:854)
at org.jboss.marshalling.river.RiverMarshaller.doWriteFields(RiverMarshaller.java:1032)
at org.jboss.marshalling.river.RiverMarshaller.doWriteSerializableObject(RiverMarshaller.java:988)
at org.jboss.marshalling.river.RiverMarshaller.doWriteObject(RiverMarshaller.java:854)
at org.jboss.marshalling.river.RiverMarshaller.doWriteFields(RiverMarshaller.java:1032)
at org.jboss.marshalling.river.RiverMarshaller.doWriteSerializableObject(RiverMarshaller.java:988)
at org.jboss.marshalling.river.RiverMarshaller.doWriteObject(RiverMarshaller.java:854)
at org.jboss.marshalling.river.RiverMarshaller.doWriteFields(RiverMarshaller.java:1032)
at org.jboss.marshalling.river.RiverMarshaller.doWriteSerializableObject(RiverMarshaller.java:988)
at org.jboss.marshalling.river.RiverMarshaller.doWriteSerializableObject(RiverMarshaller.java:967)
at org.jboss.marshalling.river.RiverMarshaller.doWriteObject(RiverMarshaller.java:854)
at org.jboss.marshalling.river.BlockMarshaller.doWriteObject(BlockMarshaller.java:65)
at org.jboss.marshalling.river.BlockMarshaller.writeObject(BlockMarshaller.java:56)
at org.jboss.marshalling.MarshallerObjectOutputStream.writeObjectOverride(MarshallerObjectOutputStream.java:50)
at org.jboss.marshalling.river.RiverObjectOutputStream.writeObjectOverride(RiverObjectOutputStream.java:179)
at java.io.ObjectOutputStream.writeObject(ObjectOutputStream.java:344)
at java.util.HashMap.internalWriteEntries(HashMap.java:1785)
at java.util.HashMap.writeObject(HashMap.java:1362)
at sun.reflect.GeneratedMethodAccessor52.invoke(Unknown Source)
at sun.reflect.DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.java:43)
at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:498)
at org.jboss.marshalling.reflect.SerializableClass.callWriteObject(SerializableClass.java:271)
at org.jboss.marshalling.river.RiverMarshaller.doWriteSerializableObject(RiverMarshaller.java:976)
at org.jboss.marshalling.river.RiverMarshaller.doWriteObject(RiverMarshaller.java:854)
at org.jboss.marshalling.river.RiverMarshaller.doWriteFields(RiverMarshaller.java:1032)
at org.jboss.marshalling.river.RiverMarshaller.doWriteSerializableObject(RiverMarshaller.java:988)
at org.jboss.marshalling.river.RiverMarshaller.doWriteObject(RiverMarshaller.java:854)
at org.jboss.marshalling.AbstractObjectOutput.writeObject(AbstractObjectOutput.java:58)
at org.jboss.marshalling.AbstractMarshaller.writeObject(AbstractMarshaller.java:111)
at org.jenkinsci.plugins.workflow.support.pickles.serialization.RiverWriter.writeObject(RiverWriter.java:132)
at org.jenkinsci.plugins.workflow.cps.CpsThreadGroup.saveProgram(CpsThreadGroup.java:429)
at org.jenkinsci.plugins.workflow.cps.CpsThreadGroup.saveProgram(CpsThreadGroup.java:408)
at org.jenkinsci.plugins.workflow.cps.CpsThreadGroup.run(CpsThreadGroup.java:356)
at org.jenkinsci.plugins.workflow.cps.CpsThreadGroup.access$100(CpsThreadGroup.java:78)
at org.jenkinsci.plugins.workflow.cps.CpsThreadGroup$2.call(CpsThreadGroup.java:236)
at org.jenkinsci.plugins.workflow.cps.CpsThreadGroup$2.call(CpsThreadGroup.java:224)
at org.jenkinsci.plugins.workflow.cps.CpsVmExecutorService$2.call(CpsVmExecutorService.java:47)
at java.util.concurrent.FutureTask.run(FutureTask.java:266)
at hudson.remoting.SingleLaneExecutorService$1.run(SingleLaneExecutorService.java:112)
at jenkins.util.ContextResettingExecutorService$1.run(ContextResettingExecutorService.java:28)
at java.util.concurrent.Executors$RunnableAdapter.call(Executors.java:511)
at java.util.concurrent.FutureTask.run(FutureTask.java:266)
at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor.runWorker(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:1142)
at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor$Worker.run(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:617)
at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:745)
Caused by: an exception which occurred:
in field locals
in field capture
in field def
in field closures
in object org.jenkinsci.plugins.workflow.cps.CpsThreadGroup@69c52e9a