Wildfire (a Steve Orr Bible reflection)

In late summer 1942, the United States government force-purchased more than sixty-thousand acres near the Appalachian foothills in Tennessee. Many of those acres had been farms. Earth was leveled, streets laid, foundations poured. Buildings rose.

 

No one was told why.

 

The "whatever it is" needed people: cooks, launderers, janitors, trash collectors, typists, file clerks, carpenters, lifeguards, teachers, plumbers, nurses, doctors, librarians, pastors, musicians, coaches—the kinds of people needed to run and occupy a city. 

 

No one was told why.

 

More than 75,000 people, though not told what they would be doing—or even where—agreed to work in a place without a name. It was all done in secret. Only after being hired and actually arriving on site was each told the details of his or her specific job. They were forbidden to discuss even that small part with anyone, even with each other. 

No one was told why.

Over the next three years, the folks who worked and lived there began calling this nameless place “Oak Ridge.” 

In late summer 1945, everything changed. On August 6, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Japan. At the time, it was the greatest explosion ever from a device deployed against an enemy nation. 

That news was stunning to the people of Oak Ridge, and it spread like wildfire.

 

What they had been doing at Oak Ridge those three years was supporting the Manhattan Project. Oak Ridge had become, in fact, the headquarters of the Manhattan Project. They were producing plutonium and enriching uranium—making "the blowing up parts" of the first atomic bombs. 

Despite the fact they were not allowed to know, and even though they had no idea of the implications of their work, each came and did their part day after day. The "big picture" was knowable only in retrospect. Then, finally, they really knew their why. 

 

The three years of Jesus' earthly ministry were somewhat like the Oak Ridge experience: men and women drawn into an enterprise that was not really understood. The reality—and its implications(!)—far too enormous for them to truly grasp.

 

It was only later that even the inner circle came to understand more fully what had come before. We read of it in this week's Acts passage. Peter draws together the facts—known, but not previously understood—and lays out the full picture for everyone at Pentecost.

 

As prophesied, God came down, allowed himself to be crucified as a sacrifice, and did not stay dead. What sealed it was the witness of Peter and the other apostles. Everyone could now know how it all fit together to make the greatest spiritual explosion of all time. 

 

It was good news, and it spread like wildfire. 

 

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PHOTO (and access to a brief YouTube video about life in Oak Ridge):

https://tnmuseum.org/junior-curators/posts/the-secret-city?locale=en_us

 

For more on the Secret City, I recommend these excellent reads:

 

The Last Reunion: The Class of 1952 Comes Home to the Secret City by Jay Searcy: https://www.amazon.com/Last-Reunion-Class-comes-Secret-ebook/dp/B007M4593U

 

The Girls of Atomic City: The Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War II by Denise Kiernan: https://www.amazon.com/Girls-Atomic-City-Untold-Helped/dp/1451617534

 

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Hope to see you Friday morning as we gather for DaySpring’s Lectionary Breakfast on Zoom* and in person at Our Breakfast Place. Join us at 8:00 for some tasty treats, plus an excellent breakfast.

 

We have nothing to hide.

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=s&d=44

 

Print them here:

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

 

Acts 2:14a, 22-32

Psalm 16

1 Peter 1:3-9

John 20:19-31

Second Sunday of Easter (April 12, 2026)

 

Soldiers (a Steve Orr Bible reflection for Easter)

In the novel (and film) The Robe, Tribune Marcellus Gallio was “assigned” to a remote post in the far eastern reaches of the Roman Empire—Jerusalem. He was sent there as punishment for an indiscretion he committed in Rome. 

It was an exile—and it was intended to end his career. While there, he was given what should have been a simple job for any high-ranking officer of the Roman Empire’s army: oversee the crucifixion of the Jewish rabble rouser, Jesus. Nothing, however, went as planned—not the plans of his enemies and not his own. Tribune Gallio was profoundly affected by his exposure to Jesus. 

Many real-world soldiers interacted with Jesus, too. He was arrested by them, mocked and abused by them, crucified by them, and, finally, His dead body was guarded by them. Like Tribune Gallio, each of those soldiers, at some point, had to deal with his own Jesus encounter. 

 

Consider the guards dispatched to keep watch over His tomb. However you read the Matthew passage, it comes down to this: They were soldiers, commanded to perform a task by their civilian superiors. To their credit, when they failed in that task—and who can defeat God?—they immediately reported the truth to their superiors. Yes, they were paid and instructed by their superiors to tell a different story. It was a story that, in the view of their leaders, served the national interest much better than the truth. 

 

But eventually, someone talked. 

Yes, even though paid—and, let’s face it, threatened—by their superiors, at least one of those guards, somewhere, sometime, spilled the beans. We have the entirety of the story in the Gospels, "on the record" if you will. So, someone on the inside told someone on the outside.

Those tomb guards had seen things, felt things, and heard things vastly different from most humans in all of history. Their piece of the story was extraordinary in the extreme. 

 

If you were one of those tomb guards—had seen, felt, and heard the things they did that morning—would you give credence to the claim that the person who occupied that tomb had risen from the dead? Could you believe the other things people were saying about Jesus: that He was the Son of God, that He could forgive sins, that His kingdom was a heavenly one, that anyone could enter that kingdom by following His commandments?

 

I think you might. 

 

And I think you, too, might break your silence.

 

Interacting with Jesus changes everything. 

 

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PHOTO: Adobe Express filtered through Photoshop Express 

 

BONUS MATERIAL

“GraveRobber” (with lyrics displayed) by Petra:

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

 

 

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Friday mornings are a special time for us. It's at DaySpring’s Lectionary Breakfast that we celebrate the Word. We read and discuss the scriptures, pray for ourselves and our community, and there is a lot of laughter to complement the meal. Join us on Zoom* or in person at Our Breakfast Place. 

 

The entry will not be guarded.

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=s&d=42

 

Print them here:

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

 

Jeremiah 31:1-6

Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24

Colossians 3:1-4 OR Acts 10:34-43

John 20:1-18 OR Matthew 27:62—28:1-15

Resurrection of the Lord (April 5, 2026)

 

Table of Easter Lectionary Readings:

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

 

 

Triumph (a Steve Orr Bible reflection for Palm Sunday)

In the 7th grade, I ran for homeroom student council representative. I lost. I lost again in the 8th. And the 9th. And the 10th. The 11th grade, though, was a special year for me. Oh, I still lost my homeroom representative race, and to the same guy who had beaten me every other time: Bobby King (not his real name).  

 

Still, something new happened that school year. 

That spring, I became a candidate for Student Council president—and Bobby King was not allowed to run because he was already overcommitted. Finally, I felt, I was going to get mine. I was finally going to get elected, and not only that, elected to the highest office. I felt excited, happy—assured.

 

Election Day: The moment had arrived when the students could make their choice. The polls would open right after the student assembly for candidate speeches. If I had had any concern, it vanished after we finished our speeches. Based on the applause, I clearly had the upper hand. 

 

Then the principal asked the question he had asked every year at this event: “Is there a nomination from the floor?”

 

For the first time anyone could remember, there was. A guy popped out from the side stage, stepped to the podium, and said: “I nominate Bobby King!” From the very back of the auditorium, Bobby stood and slowly walked down the sloping aisle toward the stage. As he passed each row, students rose to their feet, wildly cheering and applauding. By the time he mounted the stage, it was obvious to everyone that he would be the winner.

 

I was watching it all slip away—and I hated it. 

 

I wish I could tell you that I’m the hero of this story. But the truth is that I was crushed—and I was angry. I felt that everything I had worked for had been stolen from me, and not just for that election, but for all those years leading up to this. With each rising row of students, shouting accolades and praise for their chosen leader, my envy and jealousy also rose. And rose. And rose. His triumphal procession to the front infuriated me. I was forced to just watch as it all fell apart before my eyes. More than anything else in the world, I wished him gone.

 

That right there? The envy, the anger, the jealousy, the fervent wish that none of this had ever happened? That is what the religious and political leaders of Israel felt when they watched Jesus descend from the Mount of Olives in a triumphal procession into Jerusalem. 

 

We see it all in this week's two Matthew passages. Those leaders felt it all belonged to them, and they could not abide the thought someone else would take their place, that someone else would have all that power. They wanted Jesus gone, and they set in motion a plan to make it happen. 

 

Not pretty then, not pretty when I was in high school, and not pretty now. Do we, like the leaders of Israel, want to keep hold of the power? Are we trying, even now, to push Jesus from the lordship of our lives?

 

Or, do we embrace “the stone that the builders rejected” as our cornerstone? 

 

It is entirely our choice. 

 

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PHOTO: Adobe Express filtered through Photoshop Express 

 

BONUS: 

For the full story of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, first read the prophecy in Zechariah 9:9-17. Then read all three of the Gospels that report it: Matthew 21:5ff, Luke 19:28ff, and John 12:12ff.

 

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Join us at 8:00 Friday on Zoom* and at Our Breakfast Place for DaySpring’s Lectionary Breakfast. We'll be feasting, getting our hearts and minds prepared for Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and all that leads up to Easter. There’s a great breakfast menu, and the spiritual food is the very best.

 

There will be no nominations from the floor.

 

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 PALM SUNDAY AND THE COMING WEEK

Liturgy of the Palms (March 29, 2026)

Find them here:

https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/texts/?y=17134&z=l&d=33

 

Print them here:

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

 

Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29

Matthew 21:1-11

 

Liturgy of the Passion (March 29, 2026)

Find them here:

https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/texts/?y=17134&z=l&d=34

 

Print them here:

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

 

Isaiah 50:4-9a

Psalm 31:9-16

Philippians 2:5-11

Matthew 26:14-27:66

 

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