Steve's Writing: A Tree Grows In Brooklyn (a Steve Orr scripture reflection)

Friday, November 15, 2024

A Tree Grows In Brooklyn (a Steve Orr scripture reflection)

Aunt Sissy had a dark side.

Francie Nolan is 11 years old when A Tree Grows in Brooklyn opens in 1912. Betty Smith's novel follows Francie and her family as they strive to rise above their poverty.

A lot was happening in the world as this novel unfolds. The Titanic sank, the Panama Canal opened, U.S. Congress approved Prohibition, Houdini dazzled at the Hippodrome, the Bolshevik Revolution transformed Russia, World War I, Ford created the automobile assembly line, women worked for—and finally got—the vote. This is a picture of Francie’s world.

And that brings us back to Francie’s Aunt Sissy.

In all her world, Sissy was Francie's favorite: vivacious, playful, fun-loving. She wore colorful clothing, loved to dance and sing. Sissy was the polar opposite of Francie’s mother. So much so that Francie often wondered how the two women could be sisters.

People said Sissy was wild, a "bad" girl. There was truth in that. Sissy was a sexually aggressive party girl. She used a very liberal definition of the term "married" so she could be with the men of her choosing—one after another. Francie was not unaware of Sissy’s dark side. But Francie also knew why Sissy was that way.

Sissy wanted a baby.

She moved from one man to another because she was looking for one able to give her a baby—who would live. Ten headstones in the nearby cemetery marked where her babies lay, mutely accusing her each time she passed.

It’s heartbreaking. What she does in her desire for a living child is beyond what most of us can comprehend. But not all of us. Some of us understand completely.

I think Hannah—in this week’s 1st Samuel passage—would empathize with Sissy. We find her suffering from childlessness. Like Sissy, she desperately wants a living child. At one point, she becomes so worked up while pouring out her broken heart to God, the priest thinks she is drunk! When she does finally give birth to Samuel, her prayer of thanksgiving is almost electrical in its praise of God.

There is a difference between Sissy and Hannah, however. Neither can accept her barren state, but Hannah pours out her heart to God on both sides of the matter.

We, too, must seek God as we struggle with our deepest desires and needs. Like Hannah, we need to avail ourselves of prayer and petition while we are yearning. Then, we need to offer praise and joy when God answers.

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PHOTO: Steve Orr

Cat Stevens singing Wild World (with lyrics):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69kTbYNZvtY

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We meet Friday mornings for DaySpring’s Lectionary Breakfast on Zoom** and at Our Breakfast Place. We would love for you to join us at 8:00 for an hour like no other. We delve into God's word, enjoy each other's company, and have our choice of delicious breakfasts from the menu. And laughter; it may not be on the menu, but it’s definitely in the room.

What a great way to start the weekend!

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=85

Print them here:

https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/Bx_Proper28.pdf

1 Samuel 1:4-20

1 Samuel 2:1-10