Guernsey Potato Pie and the Vampire Christians (a Steve Orr Lectionary reflection)

No one offered us potato peel pie. And I never saw a sign for a literary society. But our visit to the Isle of Guernsey was delightful, all the same. Many only know of this picturesque island from the book (and current movie), The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. I can recommend both the book and the movie. And, following our day of walking about in Guernsey, I am happy to say I can recommend the actual island, too!

The only place in the British Isles occupied by the Germans in WWII, Guernsey’s streets, buildings, farms, and lanes were untouched by enemy bombs. But the occupation, itself, left its own mark on the island. While there is much I could share with you about our time there, I’m going to focus on one little piece of our day-long adventure. As I meandered through the narrow lanes —passing shops, coffee houses, bakeries, and freestanding market-day kiosks— my eye fell on a sign that drew me off into a little corner: BOOKSTORE.

As I stepped out of the bright sunlight into the relatively darker shop, I had to pause a second for my eyes to adjust. Shortly, I saw before me two casually dressed, older ladies, each with a front-mounted fanny pack about their waists. They were deep in an animated, but subdued, conversation. Then, in a voice mostly British, but with a very faint hint of French somewhere in the background, the nearest said, “Come on in, Luv. Come get us if you have a question.”

So, with that out of the way, I wandered about the tiny shop, taking my time, getting the shelving order in my head. Eventually, I found myself in the far corner looking at the one shelf that held all of their crime, Sci-fi, mystery, and thriller titles ... maybe forty books, in all. I had no expectations when I decided to check out the shop. But, to be honest, I usually enter these secondhand book shops with a great deal of hope ... and that hope did not lead to disappointment.

There before me on the shelf was a thin collection of short stories written by Bram Stoker, the author best known for the classic horror novel, Dracula. I couldn’t believe my luck. As I read the preface, I discovered that Bram’s widow published these stories after his death —that, alone, would be enough to make me buy it. But then I read that this book contained a story that was, in fact, a piece his editors had deleted from Dracula! Now, I’ve read Dracula, and seen innumerable movies and TV shows that derive their villains (and sometimes, heroes) from this first popular novel about vampires. But I had never read this one!

I must admit to some fascination with these bloodsuckers. Leviticus 17:11 states, “The blood is the Life.” And, of course, that is the very essence of any vampire story: unless they drink your blood, they die. The Leviticus passage takes the opposite tack: God commands us to not drink blood because it is part of the process for the forgiveness of sin, and thus not to be used for anything else.

As I stood there —in that little bookstore, on the Isle of Guernsey, out in the English Channel, just off the coast of France— I recalled that from time to time, the followers of Jesus were accused of vampirism ... and worse. And the reason for that stems from what Jesus says in this week’s Lectionary selection from the Gospel of John. Jesus tells His followers, clearly, they must drink His blood and eat His flesh or they cannot abide in Him. It was just too much for some of them. In fact, John tells us, “Because of this many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him.”

That was the first time ... but not nearly the last. Over the centuries that followed, many a person has accused christians of cannibalism and vampirism. It’s easy to see how they could be confused about the requirement to ingest the blood and flesh of Jesus. We know better, today.

But It’s a stark reminder to those of us who follow Him: without the Spirit to instruct and guide us, there is plenty of room for misinterpretation of what Jesus taught.

So, before we even open our mouths to quote some teaching from scripture, we should pause and consider how it could be heard —confusion abounds in the absence of the Spirit— and then pray for discernment, enlightenment, and wisdom before we speak.

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Graphic (and great review of the novel, Dracula): http://www.wkar.org/post/book-review-bram-stokers-dracula#stream/0


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READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
Proper 16 (21) (August 26, 2018)
https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu//

1 Kings 8:(1,6,10-11), 22-30, 41-43
Psalm 84
Joshua 24:1-2a, 14-18
Psalm 34:15-22
Ephesians 6:10-20
John 6:56-69

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Join us Friday morning at 8:00 for DaySpring’s Lectionary Breakfast. We’re still at the Waco “Egg and I” restaurant, and we are still spending that hour reading God’s word, discussing, eating, laughing ... you get the picture. 😎

Blessings,
Steve

Gusher: King Solomon and the Beverly Hillbillies (a Steve Orr Lectionary reflection)

“Come ‘n listen to my story ‘bout a man named Jed
A poor mountaineer, barely kept his family fed
And then one day, he was shootin’ at some food
And up through the ground come a bubblin’ crude ...
Oil that is ... black gold ... Texas tea.”

When I first heard THE BALLAD OF JED CLAMPETT, the theme song for the television comedy, The Beverly Hillbillies, I was instantly hooked by Paul Hennings’ music and lyrics. Catchy ... and very singable. And in just a few lines, he told the story of how Jed Clampett became a millionaire. Sure, I thought at the time, it’s a wholly unrealistic scenario —you don’t find oil that way— but that goes along with the show being a comedy ... right?

Wrong.

Shortly after moving my family to Midland, Texas in the early 1980’s, one of the first things I was taught about “oil country” was this: Oil is where you find it. That’s just a pithy way of admitting the central truth of oil exploration: no one really knows where the stuff is.

Oil. Gold. Silver. This has always been the big problem with drawing such treasures from the earth: no one knows where to find it. Oh, sure, there are people —smart, capable people— who have an idea about where one might find it. But no one knows exactly where to find it. There’s a reason they call it oil exploration.

So, when I read this week’s selection from 1st Kings, I wasn’t shocked that Solomon might have asked God for riches. Considering that every time someone drills a hole in the earth looking for oil, there is a great chance they will find absolutely nothing ... well, it just doesn’t sound so crazy that people might think they should ask God to give them riches.

But, scripture tells us there is something worth more than the treasures of the earth, and that is what Solomon asked of God: Wisdom. It pleased God that Solomon chose wisdom rather than many other things he could have asked for as King: riches, long life, the death of his enemies.

We, too, can please God by wanting wisdom. And unlike silver and gold, or oil, or all the other treasures one might try to draw from the earth, finding wisdom is not a game of chance.

We know right where it is.

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PHOTO (and info on the Spindletop gusher): https://www.history.com/topics/spindletop

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READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
Proper 15 (20) (August 19, 2018)
Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost
https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu//

1 Kings 2:10-12; 3:3-14
Psalm 111
Proverbs 9:1-6
Psalm 34:9-14
Ephesians 5:15-20
John 6:51-58

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Join us Friday morning for DaySpring’s Lectionary breakfast at the Waco “Egg and I” restaurant. If you don’t see us, ask at the host stand. We spend that hour from 8:00 to 9:00 reading, discussing, laughing, praying ... all in the pursuit of wisdom.

Blessings,
Steve

Vivi Dropped Her Basket (a Steve Orr Lectionary reflection)

Vivi had a secret.

In the novel, Devine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood, we meet a group of older women who have been friends since early childhood. Despite their flaws, they still care deeply for each other. A war has erupted between one of the sisterhood, Vivi, and her adult daughter, Sidda. Like many family conflicts, it stems from equal parts truth and misunderstanding.

Hoping to reconcile mother and daughter, the other members of the Ya Ya Sisterhood kidnap Sidda from her life in New York City and spirit her away to Louisiana. Because she needs to understand just why her mother is so difficult a person, they must reveal to Sidda her mother's deepest, darkest secret. And so, they tell her.

Vivi dropped her basket.

That’s the phrase Vivi used to describe a time when she had a mental and emotional breakdown as a young mother, brutally beat her children, and was then hospitalized for her subsequent attempted suicide.

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.

Any of us can be fragile. Even those of us who follow Jesus. We are not immune.

The Twila Paris song, The Warrior is a Child, is about that fragility among believers: "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." (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uRNFf3ykQvM)

Elijah, a true warrior for the Lord, was this almost superhuman prophet of the Old Testament. He performed amazing feats in the name of the Lord. People were in awe of his power and authority. To his peers, he seemed 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. Do you see God’s response?

Rest and sustenance.

And then ... more rest and sustenance.

Why? Because God knew Elijah needed both before he could begin the journey back; a journey that included an audience with God.

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.

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 ensure we receive the rest and sustenance we need for our journey.

But there’s something else here: we might, instead, be the person God has sent to deliver the rest and sustenance to one who has dropped their basket.

Just like the Ya Ya Sisterhood.

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PHOTO: Steve Orr - Waco, Texas - August, 2018

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A slightly different version of this reflection appeared in June 2016.

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READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
Proper 14 (19) (August 12, 2018)
https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu//

2 Samuel 18:5-9, 15, 31-33
Psalm 130
1 Kings 19:4-8
Psalm 34:1-8
Ephesians 4:25-5:2
John 6:35, 41-51
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Once again, we meet Friday morning for DaySpring’s Lectionary Breakfast at the Waco “Egg and I” restaurant. Join us at 8:00 for a great hour of food and fellowship. We’re usually in the function room (down the outside, near the back). But if you can’t find us, ask.

Blessings,
Steve

I Could Eat (a Steve Orr Lectionary reflection)

Scene: George (or Eileen) suggests to Jerry that they go to the diner to have a meal. In response, Jerry thinks for a few seconds and then says, “I could eat.”

In the TV show, Seinfeld (“the show about nothing”), this was a recurring theme. Someone suggests food, Jerry thinks about it, and then he agrees by saying, “I could eat.” Though Jerry never did so, one could easily place the emphasis on the word “could.” What the scene always says is this: before someone suggested eating, Jerry wasn’t thinking about eating. It is only after it has been suggested that he thinks, yes, he might like to eat.

So, “could” is the right word. He isn’t hungering, exactly, just willing to eat when, moments before, he wasn’t even thinking about food. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been in an almost identical situation and echoed Jerry’s answer. It’s a pretty common situation for most of us. And I guess, technically, that might fall under the heading of “hunger.”

There is another kind of hunger, though, that I wager you have also experienced: the one where you get up, wander about your house thinking you want . . . something. You just don’t know what. You find yourself in the kitchen, thinking, “Maybe I want food.” You open the fridge or the pantry (or both in succession, possibly more than once), look at what’s there and . . . nope. Nothing there looks like it’s that “something” you wish you could name; that je ne sais quoi which just will not stop pestering you.

That, for certain, is a kind of hunger.

The case could be made that each of this week’s Lectionary passages is about hunger; a hunger for physical food, and a hunger for spiritual food; a hunger for rightness, and a hunger for community. In Exodus, Psalm 78, and John, we read of the Israelites and how God supplied their physical needs for food (Re-read this story if you think God doesn’t have a sense of humor). It’s Jesus, of course, who delivers the real lesson about satisfying hunger. He tells His followers they should not follow Him just because he might miraculously feed them loaves and fishes, again. He wants them to desire the spiritual food being provided by God, the only “food” that truly satisfies.

The 2Samuel passage addresses David’s mistake of confusing a hunger for rightness with a hunger for sex (he should have been in the field with his soldiers instead of wandering about on his rooftop wanting . . . something). And then Psalm 51, a companion piece if you will, deals with David’s desire to be, once again, filled with what he truly hungers for: God’s spirit and forgiveness for his sins. He is empty and he knows it.

It’s the Ephesians passage that ties it all together. Those things that drive us to wander about our houses, to channel-surf all the way round, to stare longingly but unsatisfied at the books in our TBR stack, to desire a je ne sais quoi without resolution . . . that is a hunger for which there is a satisfaction. And Paul nails it when he calls us into community with others who profess to love Jesus: we need the “unity of the Spirit” to fill those empty spaces in our souls so we can proceed confidently (and satisfied) in our relationships with others.

So, the next time you find yourself wandering about, seeking that je ne sais quoi that will not let you go, even if you can’t name it as hunger —maybe especially if you can’t name it as hunger— turn to the Lord and say, “I could eat.”

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READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
Proper 13 (18) (August 5, 2018)

2 Samuel 11:26 - 12:13a
Psalm 51:1-12
Exodus 16:2-4, 9-15
Psalm 78:23-29
Ephesians 4:1-16
John 6:24-35
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When you join us for DaySpring’s Lectionary Breakfast, check to see if we’re at the back of the main dining room of the Waco “Egg and I” Restaurant. We use whatever room they choose, so ask if you can’t find us. We might be in the function room (down the side, near the back). Otherwise: we still meet at 8:00 for a fun and interesting hour of food, fellowship, scripture, and robust discussion.

Blessings,
Steve