To Be or Not To Be (a Lectionary reflection by Steve Orr)

Someone once said, "We are constantly walking out of this life" (If you know who, please let me know. I like to cite with the proper attribution).

I understood this to be something akin to "seize the day," an exhortation to focus fully on what good can be done today and to act accordingly. This, I believe, is an encouragement to not waste time mourning yesterday's lost opportunities, nor, aside from planning to correct them, to dwell on our past poor behaviors.

The same is to be said of the future. Too much thought on it robs us of the time to act in the present. After all, there is only today. To paraphrase scripture: enough bad can occur today; no need to drag it from the past or borrow it from the future.

If we are, in fact, constantly walking out of this life, then we better do some good while we can. I recently read a friend's public apology to someone my friend had wronged. It was impressive, both in its courage and in its honesty. It was a carpe diem kind of thing to do.

But why, you may ask, does this matter? It matters because our citizenship is in heaven and each day we are moving closer to going home.

As I read through this week's Lectionary scripture selections, I noticed that all of them focus on our destination and how we are to live, here, until we arrive there. They say things like, “Learn to do good. Seek justice. Punish those who hurt others. Help the orphans. Stand up for the rights of widows.” (‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭1:17‬ ‭NCV‬‬, http://bible.com/105/isa.1.17.ncv)

Hebrews 11, that great treatise on faith, tells us we are going to a country unlike any on this planet, one prepared by God for those whose faith serves as the actual substance of their hopes and the evidence of what they cannot, as yet, perceive.

And until we arrive in that place prepared for us by God, we must be courageous like my friend, always willing to be humbled if that's what it takes to act as we should while we are still here.

"For every person who makes fun of your beliefs, there is another who needs your compassion.

For every person who lashes out at you for your beliefs, there is another who needs comforting.

For every person who threatens your job, social position, or voice in the public square because of your beliefs, there is another who needs you to stand with them.

For every person who places your very life in danger because of your beliefs, there is another for whom you must intercede. Stand in that gap.

Every time someone treats you like you're the scum of the Earth, thank them. Then be better. Rise above."

We must strive to rise above our circumstances, to fully "be," every time. For we are constantly walking out of this life.

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READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
Proper 14 (19) (August 7, 2016)
First reading and Psalm
Isaiah 1:1, 10-20
Psalm 50:1-8, 22-23
Alternate First reading and Psalm
Genesis 15:1-6
Psalm 33:12-22
Second reading
Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16
Gospel
Luke 12:32-40

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I hope you can join us, Friday morning, at Lectionary Breakfast. If not, then I hope you can join with others, elsewhere to share some time in the scriptures. We're still meeting at 8:00 at the Waco "Egg and I" restaurant for a fun and provocative hour.

Blessings,
Steve
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Hamlet cuff links at: http://www.awceramics.co.uk/bespoke/bwgt_gallery.htm