To settle a bar bet, Ernest Hemingway wrote a short story on a napkin ... supposedly.
Maybe that’s true, and maybe it’s not. Here’s the tale: the bet was that Hemingway, known for his brevity in writing, could not write a compelling story in just six words. After a brief reflection, the author penned: “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.”
Poignant; heartbreaking even.
The thoughts and images that flood our minds when we read Hemingway’s mini novel are, if not identical, certainly similar. We know about baby shoes. We understand what he means by “for sale.” And we can easily surmise the kinds of events that might lead to “never worn” ... all because we have a shared understanding of what those things might be.
I first came across Hemingway’s six-word novel in a wonderful little book titled, “Not Quite What I Was Planning." The folks at Smith Magazine collected six-word memoirs from people all across the globe.
These short summaries include the humorous ("Catholic girl. Jersey. It's all true,”), comedian Tracey Morgan's self-description ("At the end of normal street"), and Janelle Brown's confession ("My second grade teacher was right"). There are commentaries on life ("It's like forever, only much shorter") and on life’s absurdities ("Time to start over again, again"). There is bathos ("We were our own Springer episode") and pathos ("I still make coffee for two").
In reading this week's Lectionary passages, I saw that some of those could be distilled into excellent six-word memoirs. Here are my attempts: From Psalm 126, "Sowed in tears, reaped with joy" or (from Isaiah 61) "Gave a garland instead of ashes.” From Luke, "Filled the hungry with good things" and "My spirit rejoices; God my savior." Thessalonians yielded “Gives thanks in all circumstances; still.” And from John, "Came to testify to the light.”
The first week of Advent was about orientation (looking back and owning our true history, while looking forward in hope of salvation). Week two was about pausing (practicing patience while we wait upon the Lord).
This third week of Advent is about declaration (proclaiming, to all who will hear, the imminent arrival of the Messiah, the Christ, the “light”). We can proclaim the immediacy of a savior who has come and is coming again because we know that deep inside of all humankind is the same expectation.
It is our shared understanding ... just waiting to hear that good news.
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PHOTO: Steve Orr
Different versions of this reflection appeared in prior years.
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SCRIPTURES FOR THE COMING WEEK
Find them here:
Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11
Psalm 126 or Luke 1:46b-55
1 Thessalonians 5:16-24
John 1:6-8, 19-28
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Friday mornings are a special time for us. We gather on Zoom for DaySpring’s Lectionary Breakfast. It’s a time of prayer and scripture, and, yes: orientation, pause, and declaration. Join with us at 8:00 for all of that plus a surprising amount of laughter (BYOB*)
NOTE: Zoom allows you to mute the camera if you don’t wish to be seen and to mute the microphone if you don’t wish to speak.
Contact me if you want to attend. I’ll send you the Zoom link and alert out gatekeeper to let you in.
Blessings,
Steve
*Bring Your Own Breakfast
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