Jesus and the Star Trek Redshirts (a Steve Orr Lectionary reflection)

It was a death sentence.

I’m talking about one of the now well-known quirks of the original Star Trek television show (1966-69). Tried & True fans caught it pretty quickly, but It was a while before most of us took note: Crew members who wore red shirts (Security Personnel) almost always died when the starship’s officers took an “Away Team” down to some planet.

During that initial three-year run, 73% of those that died were wearing red shirts. A rare exception to the so-called “Redshirt Rule” was a crewman played by the actor who eventually became known as “the most interesting man in the world” on Dos Equis beer commercials (Of course he didn’t die). By the time viewers were well into the second season, the word was out: if there was a redshirt on the “Away Team,” you could expect them to die before the Starship Enterprise left orbit.

Our expectation was based on what had occurred in past episodes, and what triggered our thought was the similarity of the current situation to one or more in the past.

Reading the Bible can be like that. If you’ve been paying attention as you’ve gone along, you begin to recognize little echos of past action. You read something that Jesus says or does and you think, “That sounds familiar. I think something is about to happen that is similar to what has happened before.”

Surprise. That’s intentional.

Consider the Elisha story in this week’s Lectionary selection from 2 Kings. You might call it, “the feeding of the one hundred.” Elisha was one of Israel’s greatest prophets, God’s chosen person to take up the work of the mighty Elijah. Suffice to say, Elisha was well known to the followers of Jesus.

I can imagine that, shortly after Jesus had His disciples feed the five thousand, one or more of them (and likely some in the crowd, as well), had one of those “light bulb” moments. “Wait a minute! This is similar to when Elisha fed the one hundred!”

But wait, as they say on late night TV, there’s more. It wasn’t enough for Jesus to simply repeat the miracle God performed on behalf of Elisha. Yes, Jesus had a similar conversation with his disciples, but He then proceeded to feed 50 times as many people ... that was amazing, notable, extraordinary! Yes, there were leftovers in both instances, but when Jesus fed the five thousand, what remained was far more than they even started with!

Jesus said and did much that was intended to “ring a bell” among those listening and following. As Israelites, they were supposed to recognize that what Jesus did and said was connecting with the teachings, miracles, and acts of the prophets and others God had employed over the centuries.

The takeaway: the next time you read about Jesus teaching something “new,” or of Him performing some miracle, or doing something shocking (Ike driving the money-changers from the Temple, for example), take a minute to find the link to the previous time (or times) something related appeared in the Bible.

That’s a dependable pattern ... better even than the Star Trek Redshirts.

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PHOTO (and one of many websites where you can purchase a Star Trek Redshirt for your very own ... click and boldly go): https://m.aliexpress.com/item/32653193155.html?trace=wwwdetail2mobilesitedetail&productId=32653193155&productSubject=Cosplay-Star-Trek-The-Original-Series-TOS-Cosplay-Scotty-Red-Shirt-Uniform-Costume-Halloween-New

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READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
Proper 12 (17) (July 29, 2018)
https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu//

2 Samuel 11:1-15
Psalm 14
2 Kings 4:42-44
Psalm 145:10-18
Ephesians 3:14-21
John 6:1-21
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Join us for DaySpring’s Lectionary Breakfast Friday morning. The location is the Waco “Egg and I” restaurant. Look for us in the back (we may be inside; try there first). We start at 8:00, and we spend the hour reading, discussing, laughing, and chowing down ... not necessarily in that order.

Salve Diem!
Steve

Private Tracey and Firefly Delivery (a Steve Orr Lectionary reflection)

His final message: Please take my body home.

In the all-too-brief television miracle that was Firefly, there was a lot of excellence crammed into just 14 episodes. Fans all have their favorites. So, in a sense, every episode was the best episode. One particular episode, though, appears on every short-list: “The Message.”

In it, the Captain and First Mate of Serenity find themselves tasked with transporting the body of a man they once served with during the war ... home to his family and his final resting place. They agree to do this after hearing a recording of the man where he references a saying they well know from their military past: “When you can’t run, you crawl, and when you can’t crawl, you find someone to carry you.”

When The Hollies released “He Ain’t Heavy” in 1969, it was immediately appropriated by Vietnam veterans. It so perfectly reflected their wartime experiences of carrying an injured buddy to a place where someone could help. But, the real story behind “He ain’t heavy. He’s my brother.” goes back to Father Flanagan’s Boys Town and an abandoned little boy who had polio (links to The Hollies performance and the Boys Town story are below).

I couldn’t help thinking of “He Ain’t Heavy” and that Firefly episode, especially that saying, when I read this week’s selection from the gospel of Mark. Jesus and team used a boat to try to get away (“to a deserted place”) for a little down-time. But, as they brought their boat to shore, the crowds found them, anyway.

As we know from previous stories, many who were ill were carried into the presence of Jesus. Their needs were so great, they begged permission to just touch “even the fringe of His cloak.” They had all, apparently, heard about the woman who was healed simply by touching the hem of His garment.

Was it true? Or was this just so much talk? Was that all that was needed to be healed, just to touch his garment? Did you have to sit through a sermon, first? Did He have to grab your head and shout? Was there a 12-step program to complete in advance? Was there a pre-interview? Perhaps a statement of faith to declare?

No.

Scripture tells us: "All who touched it were healed." They just needed to do as Private Tracey reminded Mal and Zoe in Firefly, “When you can’t run, you crawl, and when you can’t crawl, you find someone to carry you.”

When it’s Jesus you’re going to see, you need to just get there ... any way you can.

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READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
Ninth Sunday after Pentecost
Proper 11 (16) (July 22, 2018)
https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu//

2 Samuel 7:1-14a
Psalm 89:20-37
Jeremiah 23:1-6
Psalm 23
Ephesians 2:11-22
Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

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PHOTO & Info about the Boys Town statue: https://www.boystown.org/blog/Pages/story-behind-aint-heavy.aspx

The Hollies sing “He Ain’t Heavy”: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1OLm9qid3I0&t=12s

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A small portion of this reflection appeared in 2015 as part of a reflection titled: “Word Gets Around.”
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Join us Friday morning for an hour like no other. DaySpring’s Lectionary Breakfast meets at 8:00 in the function room of the Waco “Egg and I” restaurant. We read, we pray, we laugh, and we discuss ... all while enjoying breakfast together.

Get there the best way you can.

Blessings,
Steve

The Last Policeman and the Reluctant Prophet (a Steve Orr Lectionary reflection)

Their world was ending, but it was no excuse for continued injustice.

Henry Palace always wanted to be a police detective ... ever since he was a boy and his mother was murdered. The detective leading that investigation explained every step to the young boy who had lost his mother. And, somehow, from that terrible crucible came a desire to investigate and solve crimes ... to see justice done.

And that’s what we find Henry trying to do when Ben Winter’s novel, The Last Policeman, begins. Only, a lot has changed since Henry was a boy. And now, a lot of people, including many of his peers among the detectives of the Concord, New Hampshire PD, are puzzled by his dedication.

You see, everyone has recently learned that a huge meteor is on its way to destroy all life on the planet. There are those who don’t quite see the point of pursuing law enforcement when, six months along, there may well be nothing left.

Most think Detective Henry Palace should just cool it. But someone —maybe more than one someone— wants him gone for good.

Oddly enough, in one of this week’s Lectionary scriptures, Amos encountered a similar mindset while delivering God’s prophecies to the northern kingdom of Israel. Local leaders wanted Amos to know that he, and all his talk of justice for the poor, was no longer welcome in the north. They begged him to go back to the south, to Judah, to peddle his prophesying there.

But, where Detective Henry Palace continued to insist he was a policeman and must press on in the pursuit of justice, Amos balked. Amos rejected the title of prophet, declaring, "I am no prophet!”

What was going on there? Why would God’s prophet reject the title of prophet? The answer: in that time, being called a prophet was tantamount to an insult. It implied you were just spouting whatever would earn you some money. Yes, some people, supposedly speaking for God, were telling other people whatever they wanted to hear just to get a payday. The title had fallen into such disrepute that God’s actual prophet could not abide being thought of as one.

Still, despite his reservations, Amos responded to God’s call. Unlike Jonah, who also objected to some aspects of being a prophet, Amos went where he was sent and did what he was told to do. He carried God’s message that Israel, because of the injustices leaders heaped upon their own people, was about to be devastated by a foreign invader, that death-and-destruction was on its way.

And so, like Detective Henry Palace, Amos pursued justice in the looming shadow of destruction, asking only that people do right by one another despite what was to come.

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PHOTO (and more about The Last Policeman by Ben Winters): https://www.amazon.com/Last-Policeman-Novel-Trilogy-Book-ebook/dp/B0076Q1GW2

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READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
Eighth Sunday after Pentecost
Proper 10 (15) (July 15, 2018)
https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu//

2 Samuel 6:1-5, 12b-19
Psalm 24
Amos 7:7-15
Psalm 85:8-13
Ephesians 1:3-14
Mark 6:14-29
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No matter what may be coming your way, consider taking some time to be with God’s people. Join us Friday morning at DaySpring’s Lectionary Breakfast. We meet at the Waco “Egg and I” Restaurant and begin at 8:00. An hour later, you will have read scripture, eaten breakfast, discussed how we can live, and laughed. Sounds nice.

Blessings,
Steve

The Scariest Thing (a Steve Orr Lectionary reflection)

“Do you know what the scariest thing is?”

This is the question raised by Elijah Price in the movie, Unbreakable. It’s the pivotal question of the movie. And it’s answer drives everything in the story.

Early in the movie, we learn that Price was born with brittle bones ... bones that break very easily. Because he was so breakable, other children yoked young Elijah with the moniker, “Mr. Glass.” His affliction fills him with fear; fear that all the pain, all the surgeries and hospital stays, all the casts and metal pins in his bones, may be all for nothing. That he may just be so afflicted for no reason whatsoever.

So he asks the question: “Do you know what the scariest thing is?” And he also supplies the answer: “To not know your place in this world, to not know why you're here.”

In this week’s Samuel passage, God set David on the throne of Israel. He did it in such a way that there could be no doubt on anyone’s part. David knew his place in this world.

In the Ezekiel passage, God made Ezekiel a prophet. He did it in such a way that no one, least of all Ezekiel, could ever doubt he had been sent by God. Ezekiel knew his place in this world.

In the Corinthians letter, the Apostle Paul explained that he accepted God’s imposition of a “thorn in the flesh.” It showed everyone that God had extended His grace to a flawed vessel, that God’s grace was enough. Paul knew his place in this world.

And, finally, in the Mark passage: Jesus, on a visit to his hometown, had a shocking encounter with the life He could have had. He was forced to deal with an inability to do at home the kinds of amazing miracles he had done everywhere else. As a result, He turned away from His hometown and headed off to carry the good news elsewhere ... somewhere people were more receptive to His message.

Jesus knew his place in this world.

In the movie, Elijah Price shapes his life around a vision of who he might be, a vision he formed in isolation. In our examples this week, each person was open to God’s leading and instruction concerning who and what he was. Sure, they experienced fear in their lives, but not a fear of what purpose they served in this life. Each knew his place in this world.

The scariest thing is not the conclusion reached by Elijah Price —though it could be ... if you pursued the answer in isolation.

The scariest thing is to live your life without God in it. Your place is with Him.

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PHOTO (and more about the movie, Unbreakable):
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0217869/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

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READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
Proper 9 (14) (July 8, 2018)
https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu//

2 Samuel 5:1-5, 9-10
Psalm 48
Ezekiel 2:1-5
Psalm 123
2 Corinthians 12:2-10
Mark 6:1-13

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How was July 4th for you? I hope you were able to have time to celebrate and recreate some. We continue to meet DaySpring’s Lectionary Breakfast Friday mornings at the Waco “Egg and I” Restaurant. Join us at 8:00 for an hour of food, fellowship, and scripture.

Blessings,
Steve