Resisting the Siren’s Song (a Steve Orr Bible reflection)

In case you haven't read The Odyssey or seen one of the films, let me sum it up: Odysseus (also known as Ulysses) and his crew have been fighting in a terrible war in Troy (of Trojan Horse fame). As they attempt to sail home to Ithaca on the Mediterranean Sea, they are blown off course by mighty storms. Adventures and misadventures follow. One of those misadventures involves some Sirens—creatures who sing a song that, legend held, seduces sailors to their death. 

 

Those Sirens were alluring—but ultimately destructive. So, before meeting those bewitching females, Odysseus had everyone's ears sealed with wax. But he had himself—minus the earwax—tied securely to the ship’s mast. Then, even though he could hear the Sirens' song, he could not respond to it, despite having a great desire to do so. Odysseus was seduced, but his constraints kept him from succumbing to the Sirens' Song. It was a clever work-around. 

 

Perhaps you, too, have been tempted and hoped something would hold you back. If so, you will want to spend some time in this week’s scriptures. The theme running through them is temptation and what might happen when nothing and no one keeps you from giving in. 

 

The Genesis and Matthew selections allow us to contrast Satan‘s temptations of Eve and of Jesus. The temptations were similar but definitely tailored to the person being tempted. There were decidedly different outcomes. 

 

The Romans passage describes those outcomes. Eve's fall led to Adam's fall (not that he put up much of a fight). By resisting Satan’s temptations, Jesus paved the way for our redemption. Jesus, in effect, "reversed the curse" resulting from Eve's (and Adam's) sin. We can now be reconciled to God because Jesus resisted Satan's temptations.

 

The problem with temptation is not the temptation. Temptations are going to come our way. In that sense, neither Eve nor Jesus differs from us. But different people are tempted by different things. I think the real problem is summed up in Psalm 32: "Do not be like a horse or a mule, without understanding, whose temper must be curbed with bit and bridle, else it will not stay near you." In other words, we are expected to control ourselves, regardless of the temptation. 

 

But, as we all know, we are not always able to exert that level of control.

 

In the Letter to the Hebrews,* we learn that Jesus was tempted in every way we are, and yet He didn't sin. That's what we should take away this week: not that we don’t sin, but that He didn’t. The things that tempt you—people, foods, gossip, ego, revenge, inappropriate sex, wealth, power, etc.—Jesus not only understands those temptations, but has withstood them. He resisted the siren’s song. 

 

Take your concern to Jesus. He knows what you’re going through. Whatever is tempting you, Jesus is the answer.

 

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*Hebrews 4:15

The Apostle Paul’s encouragement in 1 Corinthians 10:13 is also not in this week’s Lectionary, but any discussion of temptation should include it:

 

“The only temptation that has come to you is that which everyone has. But you can trust God, who will not permit you to be tempted more than you can stand. But when you are tempted, he will also give you a way to escape so that you will be able to stand it.”

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Hear Jake Armerding sing “Ithaca” (Thank you Ivy Hamerly!):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDaC7ILp2ss&list=RDQDaC7ILp2ss&start_radio=1

 

 

Hear Josh Garrels sing “Ulysses” (Thank you Evette Alexander!):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=12x4TYkZgxM&list=RD12x4TYkZgxM&start_radio=1

 

 

PHOTO (Painting of “Ulysses and the Sirens"—John William Waterhouse, 1891): 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulysses_and_the_Sirens_(Waterhouse)

 

 

Join us Friday morning at DaySpring’s Lectionary Breakfast. Food, fellowship, scripture, prayer, the occasional "Eureka!" and some of the best laughter you could find anywhere. Now, that is a good kind of temptation! We start at 8:00 and begin the exodus at 9:00. We meet on Zoom** and at Our Breakfast Place.

 

Ear wax will not be issued at this time.

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=17134&z=l&d=25

 

Print them here:

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

 

Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7

Psalm 32

Romans 5:12-19

Matthew 4:1-11

First Sunday of Lent (February 22, 2026)

 

Table of readings for Lent

https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/calendar/2025-26/?season=lent

 

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Do Even the Mighty Fall? (a Steve Orr Bible reflection)

Whether it’s a corporation, a political leader, or a superstar, there comes a day when they are no longer on the top of the heap. Do you recall when you first realized this? For me, it was when as a teen I read Shelley’s little poem about mighty Ozymandias. Arrogant and grandiose, his hubris was off the charts. See the link, below, to read the poem and learn his fate.* 

 

Later in life I read about Jim Collins, who made a career of exploring the rise of the mighty. He started tracking the life cycles of corporations with his groundbreaking book Built to Last. Next was his huge bestseller, Good to Great (I highly recommend this). Finally, he turned his searchlight on How the Mighty Fall. The results of that research? Turns out that, like mountain climbing, there are only a few ways to the top, but all sorts of ways to reach the bottom. Those descents can be painful, bruising and—often—fatal. Collins writes that a "company can indeed look like the picture of health on the outside yet already be in decline, dangerously on the cusp of a huge fall." 

 

Are there ways to see that fall coming? Collins and crew found there are some usual stages through which the mighty descend on their way to the bottom. If brought to their attention, knowing these stages might allow companies to reverse course before they are too far gone. The first three are particularly instructive:

 

Stage 1: Hubris Born of Success 

Stage 2: Undisciplined Pursuit of More 

Stage 3: Denial of Risk and Peril 

 

In the Bible, these “stages” are all present in the nations that surrounded Israel and were constantly conspiring to bring about its downfall. But God sent warnings to those nations. God showed them their hubris, their unbridled appetite, and the risks they were incurring by conspiring against His will.

 

This week's scriptures, especially Psalm 2, tell of God's sovereignty and the authority He has conferred on His Anointed One (Jesus). God makes it clear: He is the authority, and He has anointed His chosen. Kings, rulers, judges, and everyone else must recognize both His sovereignty and His anointed. 

 

Collins discovered how corporations can avoid an early decline by bringing wisdom to the equation. Likewise, everyone—both mighty and otherwise—would be wise to recognize God’s sovereignty over our lives. 

 

Nothing in this life lasts forever. Even the mighty fall. A decline in position and power is part and parcel with living this life. And every human faces such declines. But how we navigate life, the quality of our experience as we ride its ups and downs, rests in our relationship with God. 

 

And that does last forever. 

 

 

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PHOTO: Adobe Express filtered through Photoshop Express 

BONUS MATERIAL

* Shelley’s poem about Ozymandias, plus a funny rewrite by humorist Ogden Nash:

https://muddlet.wordpress.com/2018/01/07/ozymandias-ogdeniasis/

 

A very brief piece about the real Ozymandias (thought to be Ramses II of Exodus fame):

https://vahshatedil.wordpress.com/2010/03/24/ozymandias-…-two-versions-ii/

 

And for us armchair archaeologists, here’s a longer look at Moses and the Pharaohs:

https://armstronginstitute.org/1041-is-this-moses#:~:text=It%20puts%20her%20sickly%20husband,first%20part%20of%20Exodus%202.&text=Finally%2C%20in%20this%20scheme%2C%20I,princely%20figure%20within%20her%20administration.

 

 

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Join us Friday morning at 8:00 for DaySpring’s Lectionary Breakfast. We meet on Zoom** and at Our Breakfast Place. We chew on some scripture and chow down on some great food.

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=17134&z=e&d=23

 

Print them here:

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

 

Exodus 24:12-18

Psalm 2 or Psalm 99

2 Peter 1:16-21

Matthew 17:1-9

Transfiguration Sunday (February 15, 2026)

 

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Thunderously Loud, Blindingly Bright (a Steve Orr Bible reflection)

I clearly remember the first time I heard—and was shaken by—a rocket engine. The testing of them is a fairly common experience for those of us living near SpaceX. That deep-throated roar has been known to shake pictures off walls, objects off shelves, and nappers off couches. 

 

During that first test, there was one question on the mind of every person: What is happening?!  It kept happening, though. In time, our adrenaline levels eventually stopped shrieking "Emergency!" Soon, we downgraded to: "Oh, that again." It was still loud, and it still shook houses. But nothing bad followed all that noise; nothing momentous occurred. 

 

The excitement waned. 

 

We settled down.  

 

We got used to it.

 

That's the situation confronted by the prophet Isaiah in this week's scriptures. God had been active in the lives of the Jewish people for centuries. God had previously presented as a giant pillar of fire or a great whirlwind (think: tornado or hurricane). Sometimes God appeared with such a roar that ordinary people were afraid to approach. 

 

God could be blindingly bright, thunderously loud. 

 

Eventually, though, people came to take God for granted. Oh, they still did the religious things. They fasted, made sacrifices, participated in worship. And, in their minds, that was enough. 

 

They had moved past the excitement of following God's commandments for living. They quarreled and fought with each other. They let the hungry get even hungrier. They denied justice to those who were falsely imprisoned. They were supposed to bring the homeless into their own homes, to free the oppressed, and to be caring for their relatives—but, no. 

 

No time for any of that stuff; too busy being busy. And all the time they were wondering where God had gotten to. 

 

Because they no longer did as God asked, God instructed Isaiah to "Shout out, do not hold back! Lift up your voice like a trumpet! Announce to my people their rebellion!" Nothing else was getting their attention. They could no longer hear the roar, no longer see the light.

 

What about us? Are we deaf to that roar, blind to that light? Where do we go to experience God’s presence? Where do we modern folk fit into this message?

 

Consider this week’s Matthew passage: Jesus “flips the script.” Instead of encouraging his listeners to change their ways so they can experience God’s bright light, He tells them they are the light of the world and that they must not hide their light. They must act in such a way that everyone can see their light. How? They are to do good works (see the Isaiah passage) in such a way that everyone will give the glory to God. 

 

God’s bright light isn’t gone. It’s just experienced differently. It’s up to us to ensure people see it. People need to be able to identify us, without having to turn over a bushel to check the strength and quality of our light. We need to be obvious. We need to be, unmistakably, the people of God. 

 

 

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PHOTO: Adobe Express filtered through Photoshop Express 

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Ears to hear…

 

Katy Perry’s Firework:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KSbwHzlcgs8&pp=ygUaa2F0eSBwZXJyeSBmaXJld29yayBseXJpY3M%3D

 

Colbie Caillat’s Brighter Than the Sun:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MYkudx096Pg&pp=ygUrY29sYmllIGNhaWxsYXQgYnJpZ2h0ZXIgdGhhbiB0aGUgc3VuIGx5cmljcw%3D%3D

 

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As we move through the season of Epiphany, join us Friday morning at DaySpring’s Lectionary Breakfast. Fat Tuesday will be upon us before you know it, and then Ash Wednesday and Lent. Next thing you know, we'll be celebrating Easter. 

 

Take time to fellowship with us on Zoom* or at Our Breakfast Place. We start at 8:00 and finish around 9:00. We eat, we laugh, we pray, and we spend some quality time in God's word. Hearing the roar. Seeing the light. 

 

Rocket Scientists welcome.

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=17134&z=e&d=18

 

Print them here:

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

 

Isaiah 58:1-9a (9b-12)

Psalm 112:1-9 (10)

1 Corinthians 2:1-12 (13-16)

Matthew 5:13-20

Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany (February 8, 2026)