What if We’re Not Good Enough? (a Steve Orr Bible Reflection for Advent)

In the Charles Yu short story collection, Third Class Superhero, Nathan lives in a world full of super-powered beings. But he’s not good enough to be one of them. Oh, he has a power—of sorts. But it’s too meager to qualify for full-time heroics. So, instead of zooming to the rescue of someone in desperate need of saving, he works a thankless job that barely covers room and board.

 

What’s a third-class superhero to do?

I know actual people like Nathan. They don’t have special powers, not even third-class powers, but they do suffer from a similar problem. Life has been signaling something to them—for a while: 

 

They’re just not good enough. 

 

It’s hard to accept that the thing you’ve invested yourself in—that goal you’ve had for your life, that career you’ve been working hard to build, that relationship you’ve been pursuing—is never going to be a reality. That window of opportunity is not just closing, it’s nailed shut. And, as hard as that is, there’s worse. 

 

It is difficult to face our shortcomings. It is even worse to have to hear about them from someone else.

 

That’s what happens in this week’s selection from the Gospel of Matthew. John the Baptist looks out over the crowd and gives the most unusual “altar call” I have ever encountered: "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” As unwelcome as this sounds, I believe John was doing them a kindness. He was shocking them into a realization. Like the prophet Malachi before him, John saw them for what they were: 

 

Not good enough. 

 

John knew their need, even if they had not yet grasped the situation. What sounded like cruelty was necessary for them to understand their need for Jesus, and why repentance was the beginning of fulfilling that need. God had not been “in their midst” for hundreds of years—and they were the reason why. 

 

They needed an entirely new approach.

 

When we read this same story in the Gospel of Luke, we learn that many responded to John by coming forward and asking: “What then should we do?” The shock treatment worked: They began to see their need. 

 

This is an Advent lesson for us, too. As we look to the coming of the Lord—to a time of rejoicing, singing, shouting, exulting, thankfulness, and prayer—we must first acknowledge our need. We must recognize that part of preparing for the coming of the Lord is accepting that we need Him. 

 

We, too, must be willing to ask: “What then should we do?”

_________________________

PHOTO: Adobe Express filtered through Photoshop Express 

_________________________

We're back from our Thanksgiving hiatus and looking forward to hearing everyone's Turkey Day tales. Join us Friday morning if you can on Zoom* or at Our Breakfast Place. We meet at 8:00 for an exceptional hour. We visit, eat, read scripture, and engage in a robust exchange of ideas. 

Kryptonite must be checked at the door…

Many Blessings,

Steve

 

*Zoom link (Zoom allows you to mute the camera and the microphone if you don’t wish to be seen or heard.)

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89947678414

 

 

SCRIPTURES FOR THE SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT (DECEMBER 7, 2025) AND THE COMING WEEK

 

Find them here:

https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/texts/?y=17134&z=a&d=2

 

Print them here:

https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/Ax_SecondSundayofAdvent.pdf

 

Isaiah 11:1-10

Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19

Romans 15:4-13

Matthew 3:1-12

 

 

Sharpened Saw Saves Camelot (a Steve Orr Bible reflection)

The radial saw operator was cutting wood to needed lengths and widths. Folks were standing about waiting for some of those sawn pieces. My crew had finished assembling a few of the larger all-wood set pieces and now had nothing to do until more wood arrived.

 

We were supposed to be building the set for our annual musical. If we didn’t get it built, the actors were going to be singing Camelot tunes on an empty stage!

 

The bottleneck was that saw. 

 

With almost every piece, the operator had to stop and back out the blade. It was getting stuck part way through. Pieces were getting damaged and had to be thrown out. The process was slow—and getting slower.

 

Into this situation stepped Mr. Starnes, our drama instructor. He took it all in with a long glance and then walked straight over to the person running the saw. They spoke for a few seconds, and then, together, removed the saw blade and replaced it with another. Mr. Starnes then walked away. When he came near, I asked him about it. 

 

“We’ve used this blade too much,” he said. “It’s grown dull. I helped Jimmy put on a new, sharp blade. We’ll get this one sharpened.”

 

It was as simple as that. Sawn wood production increased, pieces began to flow out to the various working groups, and we were soon all re-engaged—turning wood into dreams.

 

In Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Habit 7 is “Sharpen the Saw.” Mr. Covey explains it like this: A man sawing a tree says he's too busy to take a break and sharpen his saw. As a result, he is eventually unable to cut any part of the tree because the saw blade has become too dull to function as intended.  

 

Habit 7 is not about saw blades. It’s about renewal. Covey says we need renewal in four dimensions: physical, spiritual, mental, and social/emotional.

 

If that rings a bell, it’s because it sounds a lot like something you may have come across in the Bible. In fact, Covey’s “habits” are remarkably similar to Biblical guidance. Habit 7 aligns perfectly with the commandment to take a weekly Sabbath day, to pause for a day of renewal, to wait upon the Lord. And take a look at Philippians 4:8 in the Thanksgiving Day readings for great examples of how we can “sharpen” our life walk in multiple dimensions. 

 

Those should be reason enough for us to make this habit a part of our lives. But if more is needed, we can find it in this week's Matthew passage. Jesus tells his disciples to: “Be ready because the Son of Man will return when you least expect him." 

 

We must prepare if we are to “be ready.” Since no one except God knows the day or hour of the return, we need to heed that exhortation. One way to do that is to set aside a day each week to recharge and renew. 

But consider all of the dimensions reflected in this week’s scriptures. They all give us the opportunity to “sharpen” those essential areas of our lives. After all, as I learned all those years ago building sets for Camelot, you really can’t be productive with a dull saw.

_________________________

PHOTO: Adobe Express

 

The Pause That Refreshes: some thoughts on the Sabbath and a little Coca-Cola history

https://www.bufordcoc.com/the-pause-that-refreshes/

 

 

Covey resources related to Sharpening the Saw:

https://www.franklincovey.com/courses/the-7-habits/habit-7/

_________________________

As is our practice, DaySpring’s Lectionary breakfast will not meet the Friday morning after Thanksgiving Day. Included below are the links to the scripture readings for Thanksgiving and the First Sunday of Advent. 

 

Have a blessed Thanksgiving. See you in December!

Blessings,

Steve

 

*Zoom link (Zoom allows you to mute the camera and the microphone if you don’t wish to be seen or heard.)

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89947678414

 

READINGS FOR 

THANKSGIVING DAY, USA (NOVEMBER 27, 2025)

Find them here:

https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/texts/?y=384&z=p&d=87

 

Print them here: 

https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/Cx_ThanksgivingDay.pdf

 

Deuteronomy 26:1-11

Psalm 100

Philippians 4:4-9

John 6:25-35

 

READINGS FOR 

FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT (NOVEMBER 30, 2025) AND THE COMING WEEK

 

Find them here:

https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/texts/?y=17134&z=a&d=1

 

Print them here:

https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/Ax_FirstSundayofAdvent.pdf

 

Isaiah 2:1-5

Psalm 122

Romans 13:11-14

Matthew 24:36-44

“Full Price” (a Steve Orr Bible reflection)

“Never pay full price for late pizza.”

—Michelangelo (not the Sistine Chapel artist)

 

Among my favorite events of the 1980s was the arrival of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. TMNT looked like turtles. But their mutations meant they could talk, walk on two legs, had arms and hands. 

 

These four “teenagers” were named for renaissance artists: Michelangelo, Raphael, Leonardo, and Donatello. As the name implies, they were ninjas, and they were trained to use their martial-arts skills by Splinter, their mutated-rat-Sensei. They lived in the New York City sewers, wore masks, fought crime, and celebrated victories with delivery pizza.

 

Ludicrous? Ridiculous? Maybe.

 

Yet, against all reason, that comic book was popular from the get-go. People were drawn to these wise-cracking, adolescent, street-warrior amphibians. Also against all reason, the TMNT are still around, still going strong, and still 🖤NY. The TMNT franchise spans books, films and TV shows. These days you can expect to see them buddy up with the likes of Batman to fight crime on (and under) the streets of the city. 

 

But it’s not crime-fighting we’re going to zero in on: It’s that delivery pizza. My favorite TMNT quote comes from an early film in which the Turtles pay the Domino Pizza delivery guy only $10 for a $13 pizza. When he complains about being shorted, Michelangelo replies: “Wise man say: Forgiveness is divine—but never pay full price for late pizza.”

 

From the moment I heard those words, I knew I could put them to work. Never again, I vowed, would I reward someone for delinquency. At that point in my working career, I had people who reported to me, people to whom I assigned projects with deadlines. I reasoned that if they thought that work was important, they would make the effort, and the arrangements, to ensure on-time delivery—maybe even early. 

 

Oh, it’s not that I punished my staff if they were late. I just didn’t reward tardiness. And at that time, in that setting, the philosophy worked pretty well. Those who needed that lesson learned it.

 

But—penalizing tardiness doesn’t always work. 

 

And I, for one, am really glad it doesn’t. What if Jesus followed that approach in this week’s Luke selection? I am happy to report that Jesus, when face to face with a real latecomer, soundly rejected that philosophy. 

 

The latecomer was a thief on the cross next to Jesus. He asked to be remembered when Jesus came into His kingdom. He was, in effect, saying, “I’m very, very late to this, but I am hoping you will reward me, anyway.” And Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” Can you imagine two people, soon to die, having such a conversation? 

 

Ridiculous. Crazy. Completely irrational. 

 

It gets even wilder. Jesus isn’t watching the clock. Yes, he was very, very late, but Jesus didn’t penalize him for his tardiness. Instead, Jesus paid the full price for that thief.

 

Ridiculous. Crazy. Completely irrational. 

 

Like paying full price for late pizza.

_________________________

PHOTO: Adobe Express filters through Photoshop Express 

 

 

_________________________

 

DaySpring’s Lectionary Breakfast meets Friday morning at 8:00 on Zoom* and in person at Our Breakfast Place. Good food, good friends, and interesting stuff to talk about. 

 

It’s full price, regardless of food delivery times…

 

Blessings,

Steve

 

*Zoom link (Zoom allows you to mute the camera and the microphone if you don’t wish to be seen or heard.)

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89947678414

 

 

SCRIPTURES FOR SUNDAY AND THE COMING WEEK 

Find them here:

https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/texts/?y=384&z=p&d=86

 

Print them here:

https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/Cx_ReignofChrist.pdf

 

Jeremiah 23:1-6

Luke 1:68-79

Psalm 46

Colossians 1:11-20

Luke 23:33-43

Proper 29 (34) (November 23, 2025)