You may know David Macaulay’s book, "The Way Things Work." But you may not know his "Motel of the Mysteries." This funny, quirky book does for the modern world what he has done for machines, castles, nuclear power, and pyramids.
But there's a twist.
The set up: 2000 years from now, most of the American continent is covered in a thick layer of petrified material. It has become one giant archeological site; people from across the globe try to piece together what life was like in "Usa" before the not-fully-understood catastrophe made it uninhabitable.
In humorous parallels to Howard Carter's excavation of Tutankhamen's tomb, Macaulay shows us how easy it is, despite best intentions, to get it all wrong. Every time something is discovered about life in "Usa," it is assumed to have religious significance. And that's what happens when the ground gives way beneath amateur archeologist Howard Carson. He drops several feet into a shaft that reveals a previously undisturbed "burial" chamber in one of the former civilization's mysterious "motels."
A great part of the fun in reading through "Motel of the Mysteries" is that, due to Mr. Macaulay's remarkable drawings, we readers recognize each thing and know it is not what they think it is. We know that what they have found is just a motel room and that each discovered item is not something of religious significance. Some of my favorites are the Sacred Urn (commode), the Sacred Point (foil seal on the toilet paper), the Internal Component Enclosure used to symbolically store major organs of the deceased (ICE bucket), and the "Plant That Would Not Die."
If you have any interest in archeology—whether you’ve read Michener's "The Source" cover to cover or are just a fan of Indiana Jones—you’ll find this makes for an entertaining afternoon. Snickers abound.
And that brings us to this week's scripture passages. Somewhat like Macaulay's future archeologists, we tend to see what we expect to see. And all the more so when we are treading familiar territory. We get so caught up in the part of the Bible story we know, we often miss some very significant gems.
The unexpected discovery in this week’s Esther passage: The celebration included "days for sending gifts of food to one another and presents to the poor." Wait. What? They celebrated by giving gifts to the poor?
The unexpected in the Numbers passage: God puts the Spirit on some folk who didn’t even come to the meeting! This should be a cautionary note to those in spiritual authority. A leader's desire must be that God blesses the people and leaders equally, particularly in matters of the Spirit.
The unexpected in the Mark passage: "If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones [children] who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea."
The unexpected in the James passage: “whoever brings back a sinner from wandering will save the sinner's soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins."
Gifts to the poor. God’s spirit infusing people we think should not be included. A shocking promise of punishment for those who harm children. A vast multitude of sins are forgiven by a simple loving act. Not what we expected to find.
Examples of the way things really work.
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PHOTO: Adobe Express and Photoshop Express
Friday is almost here. It gets here pretty fast. I hope you can join us for DaySpring’s Lectionary Breakfast. We gather at 8:00 a.m. on Zoom** and at Our Breakfast Place. It’s an hour of revelation, tasty food, and laughter.
No one will be asked to dig up a motel.
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=382&z=p&d=77
Print them here:
https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/Bx_Proper21.pdf
Esther 7:1-6, 9-10; 9:20-22
Psalm 124
Numbers 11:4-6, 10-16, 24-29
Psalm 19:7-14
James 5:13-20
Mark 9:38-50
Proper 21 (26) (September 29, 2024)
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