Deep Inside Your Armor (a Steve Orr Bible reflection)

In a fictional story I’ve considered writing, the three Bethany siblings—Jesus’ friends Mary, Martha, and Lazarus—would be the children of well-off olive oil merchants. Lazarus would become the prodigal son from the parable. Mary would become the woman caught in adultery, as well as the sinful woman who anoints the feet of Jesus. My fictionalized Lazarus and Mary would, at some point, be restored and saved by Jesus. 

But what about Martha?

In my story, Martha is the good one, the responsible one. Martha remains true to her family’s beliefs. She stays and keeps the home, nurses her parents in their old age. Martha watches her siblings waste their inheritance and their lives. After her parents’ deaths, Martha becomes the family matriarch.

That is the Martha I would like us to encounter in this week’s Luke passage: the one who stayed, the one who held it all together. But also the one who Jesus described as “worried and distracted by many things.” 

It is not, and never was: Mary good, Martha bad. His words about worry and distraction were not an indictment of Martha, nor of her desire to maintain order and decorum in her home. Jesus knows the depths of the people He encounters. Martha needed Jesus just as much as her siblings—just not for the same reasons. When He spoke those words to Martha in real life, He knew that she, like Mary, needed to be sitting in His presence. 

His words to her were an invitation. 

It’s the same one He offers us: You can set down your heavy load of excessive worries and numerous distractions, the “armor” you use to cover the real you. You’re safe with Jesus. You can take the risk of allowing Him to gently remove that armor. 

You can rest in Him. 

__________________________

PHOTO: “A Knight in Malta” by Pattie Orr

BONUS MATERIAL 

Pause and listen to Twila Paris sing about the armor we wear: “The Warrior Is a Child” (with lyrics on the screen)

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uRNFf3ykQvM

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Friday morning at 8:00 we will gather on Zoom** and at Our Breakfast Place for DaySpring’s Lectionary Breakfast. We share an hour of food, fellowship, Bible discussion, and—surprising to some—laughter and joy. Together, we encounter God. 

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

Read them here: 

https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/texts/?y=384&z=p&d=65

Print them here:

https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/Cx_Proper11.pdf

Amos 8:1-12

Psalm 52

Genesis 18:1-10a

Psalm 15

Colossians 1:15-28

Luke 10:38-42

Proper 11 (16) (July 20, 2025)

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We Can’t Run on Empty (a Steve Orr Bible reflection)

For a while, I was a bank examiner. It was a hard job. We worked day and night. Days, we were in banks examining them. Nights and weekends, we were analyzing data and writing reports. I saw little of my wife and baby. My chief memory from that period? Being exhausted. There never seemed to be even a moment to recharge.  

Sometimes, I would go over to a colleague’s apartment to collaborate on number-crunching and report prep. On those nights, he played a Jackson Browne album over and over. About once each hour, we would hear Jackson sing "Running on Empty." After a while, I knew all the lyrics and could sing along. Those lyrics perfectly matched my situation:

(Running on) RUNNING ON EMPTY!

(Running on) RUNNING BLIND!

(Running on) running into the sun

But I'm running behind

No vehicle runs on empty. Doesn’t matter whether it’s gasoline, diesel, electricity, or any other fuel. There’s got to be something in “the tank” for it to work as intended. I guess we could get out and push. But how long could we keep that up?

I recalled this season of my life as I read this week's Luke passage. I've known so many people who became exhausted trying to fulfill their desire to “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Spiritually speaking, these followers of Jesus are running on empty. I'm not sure where we got the idea that we can perform the so-called “second greatest commandment” on our own. Maybe from some misapplication of the concept of "sacrificial love." Definitely from some misunderstanding of scripture. 

Wherever we got that idea, it's wrong.

We are spiritual vessels. Unless we allow ourselves to be filled with the love, vitality, talents, and gifts of God, we are not going to be able to love our neighbors as ourselves. If we can accept God's filling of our vessel, we will have the resources to love our neighbor without bankrupting our spirits. In other words: God loves us, why can't we love ourselves? 

Seriously, dare we think less of ourselves than does God?

When I was a bank examiner, I soon came to the understanding that the people above me were also running on empty. I exited that career path in less than a year. I found a job that let me spend my evenings and weekends with my family, meeting my vital needs, and recharging my batteries for the next workday. 

Granted, we cannot always arrange our work for the optimum rest and recreation needed. But that is no reason to approach our spiritual journey the wrong way. We can (and must) set aside time with God, allow ourselves to accept that God loves us, to rest in that love, and to love ourselves as God loves us.

Something must be in the vessel or there will be nothing to pour out. Then, and only then, can we successfully love our neighbors as ourselves. Only then can we truly live the second greatest commandment.

_________________________

PHOTO: Steve Orr

Jackson Browne singing “Running On Empty (with lyrics): 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vq25ZJwZJzU

Devotions for people running on empty): 

https://www.faithfoxvalley.org/running-on-empty

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Join us Friday for a great hour of fellowship at DaySpring’s Lectionary Breakfast. We meet at 8:00 on Zoom** and at Our Breakfast Place. It is a time of scripture reading, discussion, and laughter—part of the way God fills our vessels for the week ahead.

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

Read them here: 

https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/texts/?y=384&z=p&d=64

Print them here:

https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/Cx_Proper10.pdf

Amos 7:7-17

Psalm 82

Deuteronomy 30:9-14

Psalm 25:1-10

Colossians 1:1-14

Luke 10:25-37

Proper 10 (15) (July 13, 2025)

Accepting the Gift of Pain (a Steve Orr Bible reflection)

It’s possible you may never have heard of Hansen's Disease. It doesn’t get a lot of media attention. And if it does ring a bell, it might be more like: "Wasn't that on an episode of The X-Files?”

You may, however, know Hansen's by its other name: leprosy.

It's likely you've also never heard of Dr. Paul Brand, the Leonardo da Vinci of the Hansen's Disease universe. It was Dr. Brand who first raised the idea that the observable symptoms of the disease—skin lesions, blindness, crippled limbs, disfigured faces—might be a result of nerve damage caused by the disease rather than directly by the disease. He began documenting lack of pain along with the other symptoms. In time, he drew the wider medical community to an inescapable conclusion: The lack of pain in these people's lives was causing them harm. 

Wait. Wouldn't the absence of pain be a blessing, especially for those suffering from such a terrible disease?

People with Hansen's didn't notice when a rock or limb scratched them, and so made no attempt to protect themselves from infection. Simple abrasions led to serious problems. A twisted ankle went unnoticed, was never immobilized, leading to permanent dislocation. The absence of pain set up a serious domino effect leading to loss: of limbs, facial features, vision.

 

This week's 2 Kings passage says leprosy afflicted Naaman, the commander of the Aramean King's army. Whatever he had, it was serious. Aram’s King sent 750 pounds of silver and 150 pounds of gold with Naaman to Israel in hopes it would purchase a cure for his condition—that's over $3 million US dollars!

If Naaman did have Hansen's, then his likely symptoms included white, scaly skin and one other very notable symptom: lack of protective sensation. In other words, a significantly diminished sensitivity to pain. Hansen's is a progressive disease. Absent treatment, every symptom worsens over time. While at first glance an insensitivity to pain might look like a good thing, especially for a warrior like Naaman, there is a real downside.

 

Naaman, at first throwing a fit because the prophet Elisha failed to make a big enough deal over him, was eventually convinced by those who cared about him to comply with the prophet's simple instructions. After bathing seven times in the Jordan River—as instructed—Naaman was cured of his leprosy. His skin was fully restored.

On the other hand, along with his skin, he may also have regained his pain. 

 

Pain is a gift that protects us in a world filled with hidden dangers. Pain draws our attention, early on, to injuries that could deepen and cause us great harm if not timely addressed. 

 

Pain is a gift to the spirit as well as the body. It is that quality of life we often wish was not present, but which is really a gift from a loving God. 

 

_______________________

 

BONUS MATERIAL:

Dr. Brand wrote several books, three of which were written with Philip Yancey, including Pain: The Gift Nobody Wants. In addition, Dr. Brand is also one of the featured subjects of Yancey's book, Soul Survivor. 

Types of Nerve Damage Due to Leprosy (and graphic):

https://www.happiesthealth.com/articles/neurology/types-of-nerve-damage

 

Controversy: There's this big controversy over whether what the Bible calls "leprosy" is always the same as Hansen's. I certainly don't know. But archeological discoveries and subsequent DNA testing have established that Hansen's was present in Asia, Europe, and even the Americas over 5,000 years ago. 

https://www.eurasiareview.com/01072025-a-rare-form-of-leprosy-existed-in-the-americas-for-thousands-of-years/

 

 

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There will not be a DaySpring Lectionary Breakfast this week. Enjoy the holiday weekend and join us next week. Below is the list of the coming week’s Lectionary scriptures. 

 

Blessings,

Steve

 

SCRIPTURES FOR SUNDAY AND THE COMING WEEK

Read them here: 

https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/texts/?z=p&d=63&y=384

 

Print them here:

https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/Cx_Proper9.pdf

 

2 Kings 5:1-14

Psalm 30

Isaiah 66:10-14

Galatians 6:(1-6), 7-16

Psalm 66:1-9  

Luke 10:1-11, 16-20

Proper 9 (14) (July 6, 2025)

 

Looking Back (A Steve Orr Bible reflection)

I'm pretty sure where it went wrong was having the 11-year-old drive the tractor. 

We were at the farm of some family friends, helping with spring planting. The idea, in theory, was a simple one: Use the tractor to pull a disking sledge through the field to make furrows. Once it was done, we could walk down each row, pressing one seed into the soil about every eight inches. 

So there we were, townies and farm folk, children and adults, working together to get a crop into the ground. Two of us were age 11 that spring, the oldest of the kids. My friend was the farm boy. I was the townie. 

The first pass of the tractor and sledge made some progress, but the ground was still hard from winter. For those of you who know farming, it was harrowed but not furrowed. Another pass was needed. That’s when the farmer asked his son to drive the tractor. 

A big smile on his face, my friend climbed up onto the seat, placed one hand on the steering wheel and the other on the large gearshift knob. Wrestling it into reverse, he backed that tractor away from the fence line like a pro. He stopped, planning to turn and pull forward. 

That's when it got stuck in reverse. 

No matter what he did, he could not get the thing into any forward gear. To be fair, it was an old tractor. It might have happened to anyone. It was just my friend's bad luck it happened as he was about to plow his first set of furrows. His turn was over before he had even gone 10 feet. 

Farms run on hard work, good tools, and windows of opportunity. It wasn't like we could just quit for the day. Neither the good weather nor the presence of additional farm hands (even townies like us) could be relied upon. A solution had to be found.

That's when the farmer had his idea: He would drive the tractor backwards. The sledge would now be in front, so to speak, but the principle was the same. The disks would be pressed into the soil and the field would be tilled. All he had to do was look back over his shoulder as he drove the tractor backward through the field. 

It worked pretty well … for the first row. 

But while backing through the second row, something caused the tractor to swerve. The sledge backed over part of the row he had just finished plowing. He managed to straighten out the tractor, but not before doing more damage to the already completed row. 

After the same thing happened twice more, he gave up. 

That was the end of plowing, at least for that day. A mechanic was called, and we were told, “You kids go play.” Which we did. 

I recalled this incident when I read this week’s passage from Luke. A disciple declares he wants to follow Jesus, but wants to tell his family goodbye, first. In reply, Jesus says a person is unfit for the Kingdom of God if they put their hand to the plow and then look back. To many readers, the passage sounds like Jesus is condemning any potential followers who wished to tell their families goodbye. But did Jesus really say we can't follow him unless we disconnect from our families?  

No. 

A little sleuthing finds that what Jesus is warning against is someone continually focusing on their previous life while also trying to be His disciple. It just won't work. It would be like trying to plow a field while looking back. You might be able to keep your furrows straight for a short time, but eventually it would all end up crooked. 

Not unlike trying to plow with a tractor stuck in reverse. 

_________________________

BONUS MATERIAL:

When I was 11 years old, it was common for children of all ages to work on family farms. Second, it was common for friends to drive out from town to help on farms. Third, it was common (and perfectly legal) for 10-year-old children to operate farm machinery, including tractors and pickup trucks. 

PHOTO and a little bit on “Why Looking Back from the Plow is not a Smart Thing”:

https://mywindowsill.com/looking-back-plow-not-smart-thing/

AXIOM OF THE DAY:

In theory, theory and reality are the same. In reality, they're not.

—NOT originated by (as many have suggested) Albert Einstein, Yogi Berra, Richard Feynman, or any other modern person. The earliest form of this axiom appeared in the February 1882 issue of the Yale Literary Magazine in an article written by Benjamin Brewster: “In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice, while in practice there is.”https://quoteinvestigator.com/2018/04/14/theory/

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DaySpring’s Lectionary Breakfast meets Friday on Zoom** and in person at Our Breakfast Place. Join us at 8:00 a.m. for some good food, great scripture, and each other’s company. 

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

Read them here: 

https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/texts/?y=384&z=p&d=62

Print them here:

https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/Cx_Proper8.pdf

2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14

Psalm 77:1-2, 11-20

1 Kings 19:15-16, 19-21

Psalm 16

Galatians 5:1, 13-25

Luke 9:51-62

Proper 8 (13) (June 29, 2025)

Waking Up in the Seventh Grade (a Steve Orr Bible reflection)

When I tell the story of my life, I start with, “I woke up in the seventh grade.” It’s because that’s when I realized I had no guide in my life. I didn’t know if this was a common awakening among middle schoolers or if it was just me. All I knew was that someone needed to take charge of my life, guide my day-to-day, orient me, so to speak, and devise plans for my future. My conclusion: It would be up to me to figure those things out. 

 

As a start, I created some rules to help. Here are two examples:

 

🔸I will always do my homework. 

Rarely had anyone in my home even asked whether I had homework, much less if I had completed it. It was time someone asked those questions. That someone was going to have to be me. 

 

🔸I will never skip class. 

I figured I would learn more by being there. I made sure I went to school, arrived on time, and attended every class.   

 

Over the years, I created many such rules and they became the way I did life. In time, using my rules, I completed public school, junior college, and a Bachelor of Science. That collection of rules was essential to shaping me into an adult. 

 

Once I reached adulthood, though, I no longer needed those rules. I needed an entirely different approach to life, one that was far more flexible than the structures I had used to become an adult. Malcolm Goldsmith shares a similar conclusion in his book What Got You Here Won’t Get You There. And he is right. My adult life works on a totally different level and in a totally different way. 

 

This is not to say that rules are unimportant or that they are no longer useful. This is about subtlety and nuance. When I entered the working world, I sometimes had “homework” to complete before returning to work the next day. I did that work. But I didn’t do it because I had a rule to follow about doing it. I did it because I had chosen to follow a certain path in my work life. Doing that “homework” was a reflection of my commitment to that pursuit. 

 

What we find in this week’s Galatians passage mirrors my newer approach. The Apostle Paul makes the point that the Law of Moses served as our “disciplinarian” until Jesus came to justify us through faith.   

 

My early “life rules” restricted me, but they also guarded me until such time as I could learn an entirely new way to live. That was the role served by the Law of Moses. It set stringent restrictions on God’s chosen people, shaping them into people who could receive Jesus when He finally walked among them. They became a people who could embrace His radical, more adult approach to living. 

 

If we continue trying to live our lives by subjecting ourselves to the Law of Moses, then basing all our words and deeds on love might seem impractical, unworkable, maybe even impossible. Living a life made up of love rather than rules—that would seem radical to a Law-follower. In fact, it only works properly if we start with faith. We cannot hope and we cannot love—we cannot even make sense of Jesus’ teachings—without first believing in Jesus. 

The Apostle Paul teaches us that we cannot actually follow those old rules. We will always fail in the attempt, no matter how hard we try. We need to accept that truth. Those old rules help us get to Jesus. But they can’t take us any further. Paul encourages us to move on, to grow up, to continually seek spiritual maturity. 

We need to do the right things for the right reason: our faith in Jesus and his radical call to do all out of love. 

 

_________________________

PHOTO: Steve Orr

A brief article about Paul Dickson’s humorous take on rules and laws in his The Official Rules:

https://www.newspaperalum.com/books/

 

And, if you don’t mind a little ‘80s Christian rock music, here’s Petra singing Beyond Belief (with lyrics on the screen): 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lepstB6N_Bw

 

 

_________________________

 

When DaySpring’s Lectionary Breakfast meets Friday mornings at 8:00, we eat good food, read scriptures, share our thoughts, and enjoy fellowship. We meet on Zoom** and at Our Breakfast Place. 

 

None of the rules are official. 

 

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

Read them here: 

https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/texts/?y=384&z=p&d=61

 

Print them here:

https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/Cx_Proper7.pdf

 

1 Kings 19:1-4, (5-7), 8-15a

Psalm 42 and 43

Isaiah 65:1-9

Psalm 22:19-28

Galatians 3:23-29

Luke 8:26-39

Proper 7 (12) (June 22, 2025)