Lawless (a Lectionary reflection by Steve Orr)

"A gripping and sinister tale."

That's the reviewer's comment on the cover of the very first Rebus novel, Knots & Crosses. And it's true. Already, as the story opens, two young girls have been abducted and murdered, and a third is missing. Detective Sergeant John Rebus of the Edinburgh Police is one of many hunting the killer. But only he has begun to receive bizarre messages --- knotted string and matchstick crosses --- taunting him to try to solve the puzzle before it's too late.

For those who love crime novels, hard boiled detectives, and other noir fiction, Ian Rankin's Rebus is absolutely magnetic. Like his noir brothers and sisters, he has a superficial toughness masking a somewhat broken interior. Like them, as well, he tends to work outside the established protocols to accomplish his objectives. Make no mistake, Rebus does not brook lawlessness; he's a copper, after all. He just may bend a rule here and there to ensure justice.

But, at least for some of us, there is a big difference between Rebus and most other noir anti-heroes.

John Rebus is a believer.

Oh, he's rejected his Presbyterian roots; and though he's tried several churches, he just cannot find one that really works for him. Nevertheless, Rebus believes in God and continues to seek Him in his own, broken way. Still, his beliefs form the core of his moral code and that's what drives him to pursue the lawless.

I can't help but wonder if John Rebus, like most of us, would benefit from a better understanding of this week's Lectionary selection from Galatians 5. No doubt he would recognize the list of problem behaviors seen in verses 19-21 as root causes for much of the lawlessness infecting his beloved Edinburgh: “The result of sin’s control in our lives is clear. It includes sexual immorality, impurity and wild living, worshiping false gods, doing witchcraft, hating, making trouble, being jealous, being angry, being selfish, making people angry with each other, causing divisions among people, having envy, being drunk, having wild and wasteful parties, and doing other things like this. I warn you now as I warned you before: Those who do these things will not be in God’s kingdom.” (‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5:19-21‬ ‭ICB, ‬‬http://bible.com/1359/gal.5.19-21.icb)

But I wonder if Rebus would recognize that it is his desire for the qualities in verses 22-23 that drive him in his pursuit of the criminals: “But the Spirit gives love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” (Galatians‬ ‭5:22-23‬a ‭ICB, ‬‬http://bible.com/1359/gal.5.22-23.icb) *

All of us could do well to focus our time and energy on that second list. The more we can rest in the Spirit, the more we can have those "fruit" in our lives. All of these are outside the Law; that is, the Law of Moses. And while to relax and enjoy them may have the uncomfortable feel of lawlessness, none of us would have to worry that Detective Rebus, or any like him, would be coming for us. Because, as has been made plain in Galatians:

"Against such things there is no law.” ‭
(‭Galatians‬ ‭5:23‬b ‭NIV‬‬, http://bible.com/111/gal.5.23.niv.")
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READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
http://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/

Proper 8 (13) (June 26, 2016)
First reading and Psalm
2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14
Psalm 77:1-2, 11-20
Alternate First reading and Psalm
1 Kings 19:15-16, 19-21
Psalm 16
Second reading
Galatians 5:1, 13-25
Gospel
Luke 9:51-62
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I hope you can join us Friday morning for Lectionary Breakfast. We still meet at the Waco "Egg and I" restaurant at 8:00 for an hour that surprises and enriches. It's "lawlessness" in the very best sense of the word! :-)

Enjoy!
Steve
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** An alternative reading of the "Fruits of the Spirit"

“But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely. Legalism is helpless in bringing this about; it only gets in the way. Among those who belong to Christ, everything connected with getting our own way and mindlessly responding to what everyone else calls necessities is killed off for good—crucified.” (Galatians‬ ‭5:22-23‬ ‭MSG‬‬, http://bible.com/97/gal.5.22-23.msg)

Elijah and the Ya Ya Sisterhood (a Lectionary reflection by Steve Orr)

Vivi had a secret.

In the novel (and movie), Devine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood, we meet a group of older women who have been friends since early childhood. Even now, they still care deeply for each other, despite their flaws.

A war has erupted between one of the Ya Ya's, Vivi, and her adult daughter, Sidda. Like many family conflicts, this one is part truth and part misunderstanding. Hoping to reconcile the two, the Ya Ya's kidnap Sidda from her life in New York City and spirit her away to Louisiana.

In the course of trying to help her understand just why her mother is so difficult a person, they finally realize they must reveal to Sidda her mother's deepest, darkest secret.

Vivi dropped her basket.

If you know the story, then you already realize this is the phrase Vivi came up with to describe a time when she had a mental and emotional breakdown as a young mother, brutally beat her children, and then was hospitalized for her subsequent attempted suicide.

You'll have to read the book or rent the movie to get the rest of it. As for us, this is what we need to know: Vivi dropped her basket. Life can be tough. Some of us fare better than others. Some of us are, for reasons known and unknown, stronger than others when it comes to our mental and emotional health. And, even when we appear strong to those around us, we can be coming apart on the inside.

About the time I discovered Elijah in my Bible reading, I also discovered the Twila Paris song, The Warrior is a Child. It was a perfect paring. In the song, Paris sings, "People say that I'm amazing, strong beyond my years. But they don't see inside of me, I'm hiding all the tears ... I drop my sword and cry for just a while, 'cause deep inside this armor, the warrior is a child."

Elijah, on the other hand, is this almost superhuman prophet of the Old Testament. He performs amazing feats in the name of the Lord. People are in awe of his power and authority. To his peers, he seems the ideal warrior for the Lord. And yet.

Elijah dropped his basket.

That's the story we find in this week's Lectionary passage from 1 Kings. This great warrior for God, on the heels of a mighty victory ... just loses it. In fear, he runs out into the wilderness; so depressed, he begs God to take his life. When you read this passage, don't stop when the Lectionary breaks: keep going through the end of Elijah's story. See what God does with Elijah's depression.

Keep that in mind as we face the struggles that affect us in this life. No matter how strong we've been, no matter how amazing our most recent Mountaintop experience, no matter the number of victories we've achieved, any of us can drop our basket.

The takeaway this week is tied to a passage in the New Testament book of James where we're told, "Elijah was a man just like us." And like Elijah, we can depend on God to be in it with us, to hear what we have to say, and, if we can receive it, to redirect us on our journey.
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READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
Proper 7 (12) (June 19, 2016)
First reading and Psalm
1 Kings 19:1-4, (5-7), 8-15a
Psalm 42 and 43
Alternate First reading and Psalm
Isaiah 65:1-9
Psalm 22:19-28
Second reading
Galatians 3:23-29
Gospel
Luke 8:26-39

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We meet each Friday morning for Lectionary Breakfast. We're still sojourning at the Waco "Egg and I" restaurant from 8:00 to 9:00-ish for an extraordinary hour of relaxed fellowship, Bible reading, and meaningful exploration of just how those scriptures affect our actual lives.

Join us.

Blessings,
Steve

Conquistador (a Lectionary reflection by Steve Orr)

In the novel, Conquistador, S. M. Stirling tells an exciting and thought-provoking tale of a North America that never saw the arrival of Europeans. Through a clever device, he has his characters travel from 1946 California to another California, one that is filled with various Native American groups, none of whom has ever seen a Caucasian.

Many adventures ensue for these "conquistadors" and the many men and women who followed them from our world to that still unsullied new one. There were no highways, no man-made aquifers, no super cities (LA, for instance). There was no smog.

The early crossovers, these Conquistadors from "FirstSide," made the most of the pristine nature of things; they brought over horse's, camped out, went hunting. Eventually, they hatched a plan to mine precious metals from what they knew, from FirstSide history, to be untouched sources. They used it to build wealth back on FirstSide. Their goal? To establish an infrastructure that would keep that new "new world" (and the gateway to it) secret, to maintain its treasures for themselves and their progeny.

And in time, they succeeded. For that story, and the challenges they faced from FirstSide in the 21st Century, you'll need to read the book.

One of the many aspects that puzzled these new invaders was how the newly discovered "new world" came to be. How could it be that that history contained no European discovery of the Americas? It took many years, but they eventually saw enough of the new world to piece together the chain of events. I won't go into that, but suffice to say it started with Alexander the Great not dying in 323 B.C.E.

One of the twists posited by the author is that this changed timeline led to Christianity never forming. He lays it out quite logically, and without any sympathy that I could detect.

In this week's Lectionary scriptures, there are two resurrections: one facilitated by Elijah and one performed by Jesus. Both involved raising the sons of widows. Both freshly alive young men were returned to their mothers and received with joy. Both acts led to people drawing closer to God.

How strange to think that someone could imagine a world where redemption lay forever beyond the reach of humankind, where salvation was not even a concept, much less a reality, where the conqueror of death never came.

Here on FirstSide, in our real world, Jesus came from another world to walk ours. Over two millennia ago, he conquered something far more important than a country or even a continent. By bringing life in the form of himself, he conquered all that separates us from God.

He is our conquistador.

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READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
http://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/

Third Sunday after Pentecost
Proper 5 (10) (June 5, 2016)

1 Kings 17:8-16, (17-24)
Psalm 146
1 Kings 17:17-24
Psalm 30
Galatians 1:11-24
Luke 7:11-17

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We are more than conquerors. Join us Friday mornings for Lectionary Breakfast and find out why. Still meeting at 8:00 at the Waco "Egg and I" restaurant.

Walk-ins welcome.

Enjoy the week!
Steve