Loving the Bumpuses (a Lectionary reflection by Steve Orr)

"The Bumpuses were so low down on the evolutionary totem pole that they weren't even included in Darwin's famous family tree. They had inbred and ingrown and finally emerged from the Kentucky hills like some remnant of Attila the Hun's barbarian horde. Flick said that they had webbed feet and only three toes. It might have been true.” Jean Shepherd, A Christmas Story


If you've ever seen A Christmas Story, then you surely recognize that line from the voiceover narration. The Bumpuses were the family that lived next door to Ralphie Parker and his family. It was the Bumpus hounds who absconded with the Parker Christmas turkey. Author Jean Shepherd portrays them as caricatures, the ultimate hillbilly family (at least as perceived by those who considered themselves more sophisticated).

I went to church with a family very much like them . . . in some ways.

My Bumpuses had the requisite drawl, the car with the busted suspension, the rambunctious kids who just could not stay clean between their house and midweek services. Their clothes never seemed to fit; too large, too small, too long.

There were plenty of people who, I'm certain, could not see past the look and sound of them to realize what was right before their eyes. I heard the talk. I saw the looks. I quickly discerned how most of the folks in our congregation of believers regarded them: not quite measuring up, and not likely to ever do so; too hillbilly.

I will admit that, initially, I, too, was put off by their seeming disinterest in looking and acting like everyone else. I suspect their children may have had a few such moments, as well. But, the way they lived their lives soon won me over. At a crucial time in my development, God sent these simply-living, yet anything but simple, people into my life.

My Bumpuses were one of the very best things to happen to my young life. Think of the people who helped shape you into the person you are. My Bumpuses are high up on that list. I learned something so important from them, something I am sad to report I have seen far too little of in this life.

I didn't have a term for it, then. I just knew I was witnessing something I had read about but could not recall ever seeing. Now, to be fair, I have encountered this a few times since then. But my Bumpuses were the first, and they left a lasting impression.

I have a term for it now: Advent People.

My Bumpuses lived their lives as if every day was an Advent day, as people who were expecting Jesus, looking forward to His arrival. Yes, they seemed to give little thought to how they were dressed, the baby's drooping diaper, the loud creaking of the suspension whenever entering or exiting their old car, an accent that turned heads even in Kentucky.

But, in place of all that, they invested their time and energy into helping others. They were always available to help out. Always. They taught Sunday School when substitutes were needed. They did all of those behind-the-scenes kind of jobs that are so forgettable but so necessary. They were almost always the last to leave, just in case something needed doing.

And, for some reason, they took an interest in me.

I rode in that old car to church camp when my parents couldn't take me. I later learned that it was my Bumpuses who rounded up the camp fees when my mother had no extra funds. I had a front row seat, so to speak, to observe them pray, simply and earnestly. I could not count for you the numerous acts of kindness I saw these folks perform, and almost always on the down-low.

A lifetime of reflection has not eroded my view of them, and it is not idealized. Experience has taught me that they actually read their Bibles; that they understood that what Jesus said and did to others provides a template for how we should speak and act. And, perhaps most of all, they wanted to be found being just like that when they encountered Him.

My Bumpuses, my Advent People. Don't think they didn't know what others thought and said about them. They knew. They just didn't care. They were living, breathing examples of that well known A. W. Tozer quote, "I claim the holy right to disappoint men in order to avoid disappointing God."
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READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
Second Sunday of Advent (December 6, 2015)
First reading - Malachi 3:1-4
Psalm - Luke 1:68-79
Second reading - Philippians 1:3-11
Gospel - Luke 3:1-6
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Advent! A great time to spend with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Consider joining some of us at Lectionary Breakfast, Friday morning. We gather at 8:00 at the Waco "Egg and I" restaurant for an hour like no other. We eat, we talk, we laugh; and all of it surrounding a reading of God's word.

Hope to see you there.

Enjoy the week!
Steve