They Shall Not Grow Old (a Steve Orr Lectionary reflection)

It felt like I was watching magic.

Do yourself a favor: see Peter Jackson’s stunning World War I documentary, They Shall Not Grow Old. If you were enthralled by what he did with Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, you should see what he does with reality. Gone is the jerky silence of those hundred-year old, black and white films. What he and his production team have accomplished with sound, color, and digitization is amazing.

He makes those soldiers come to life.

The film’s only narrators are men who actually fought in WWI, which adds authenticity. But the real magic came when I heard the sounds of the soldiers eating, laughing, marching, speaking. They came to life in full color. It felt as if I knew them, these men from a century ago. That’s some incredible filmmaking.

As we watched, one comment jumped out at me. One of the narrators made a joke, with the punchline, “We got mittens, too!” It triggered a memory of a story my own father told me about his military service in the Second World War ...

D-Day was mere days behind them. Dad and his crew continued to operate their British 40MM Bofors gun, one of six the U. S. Army had borrowed from the Brits. Since they were part of the infantry, they were always in the thick of the fighting. It was in these early battles that Dad first heard something strange being shouted by the enemy:

GOT MITTENS!

The voices were, of course, German and heavily accented; but Dad could think of no other phrase that made any sense. And yet ... it made no sense. But there was no mistaking what he was hearing. For some reason, as they charged Dad’s position, the German soldiers were shouting “Got Mittens!” Over and over Dad heard them shout “Got Mittens!” So many were shouting it, the rattle and thump-thump-thump of gunfire didn’t drown it out.

But, strange as he thought that was, it didn’t even come close to how strange Dad thought it was when he learned what they were really shouting.

He couldn’t exactly recall when he came into possession of the belt buckle; one of those early battles. He found it just lying on the battlefield, a ragged piece of webbed belt still clinging to one side. When he saw the swastika gripped in the Eagle’s talons, he knew for certain. It was German. Then, he saw something else. At first, he didn’t realize what he was looking at; he thought them just embossed symbols, part of the design.

But then he saw they were words.

There, stamped into the thin metal of the buckle, in a tight circle around the Eagle and Swastika, was “GOTT MIT UNS.”

It took a little bit; but slowly his mind worked it out. Dad felt his skin begin to crawl; some part of his brain already realizing. There on the belt buckle were the words he had been hearing as wave upon wave of Germans assailed their positions all throughout those early battles. “Gott Mit Uns! Gott Mit Uns! Gott Mit Uns!”

God with us.

It seems shockingly pretentious to believe God favored one side over the other in WWI. And yet ... God did favor one set of people over other people in many conflicts in the Old Testament. But, it is also no stretch to say that much changed along those lines with the death and resurrection of Jesus.

When the leaders of Israel confronted Peter and the Apostles in this week’s selection from the book of Acts, those leaders may well have believed God was on their side. In demanding that the Apostles stop sharing the good news, they may have believed God approved of their actions. But, as we know, many of Israel’s past leaders still believed they acted with God’s approval long after God had rejected them for failing to obey His commands.

That was the situation in Acts chapter 5. Even after three years of Jesus telling them, those leaders had not accepted the truth: God had rejected them. And, in the gentlest way possible, that’s what Peter and the Apostles communicated to them in responding: "We must obey God rather than any human authority.”

The message? God was not with them.

There will always be people who believe God favors their side in a conflict. For the most part, though, they will be wrong. Yes, God does favor some folk over others, even today. But, for those whom God favors, the conflicts are spiritual ones.

Peter and the Apostles did not take up arms against those who had decided to be their enemies. They knew Jesus, whom prophecy called Immanuel; “God with us.” They knew the true battle was a spiritual one, and so they fought with spiritual weapons; truth, prayer, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. And with Immanuel on their side.

We must do the same. For we, too, can declare, “God with us.”

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PHOTO: https://m.imdb.com/title/tt7905466/?ref_=m_nv_sr_1

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Some portions of this reflection were taken from an October 2011 reflection entitled Got Mittens?

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READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
Second Sunday of Easter (April 28, 2019)
https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu//texts.php?id=134

Acts 5:27-32
Psalm 118:14-29 or Psalm 150
Revelation 1:4-8
John 20:19-31

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I hope you can join us Friday morning for DaySpring’s Lectionary Breakfast. In this season of Easter, it is a great way to continue our focus on that empty tomb and its meaning, today. We meet at 8:00 at the “Egg and I” for a wonderful hour of food, fellowship, and Bible discussion.

Blessings,
Steve

Peter and the Big Rocks Story (a Steve Orr Lectionary reflection)

They got the exact opposite of the correct answer.

Have you heard Stephen Covey’s “Big Rocks” story? It goes something like this: an expert on priorities makes a presentation to a “group of high-powered overachievers.” To illustrates his point, he slowly places large, fist-sized rocks into a “one-gallon, wide-mouthed mason jar.” When he can no longer fit anymore of the rocks in the jar, he asks, “Is the jar full?”

Their response is unanimous: everyone can see that no more of those rocks will fit. “Yes,” they call out.

The expert then lifts up a large pail and begins pouring pebbles into the jar, periodically shaking the jar so they will settle down into the spaces between the big rocks. when no more will fit, he again he asks, “Is the jar full?”

This time, they are less certain in their response. At this point, the expert brings forth another pail. From this, he pours sand into all the remaining spaces in the jar. He eventually comes to the point that no more sand will fit into the jar. Smiling, he again asks, “Is the jar full?”

Laughing now, the crowd roars back, “No!”

Still smiling, the expert then lifts up a large container of water and proceeds to pour it into the jar until no more will go in. It is now obvious to everyone that the jar is, finally, full. At this, the expert asks a different question, “What was the point of this illustration?”

One of the overachievers declares, “No matter how full your schedule, if you try really hard, you can always fit more into it!”

The expert replies, “No, that is not the point. The truth this illustration teaches us is: If you don’t put the big rocks in first, you’ll never get them in at all.”

In Covey’s story, the jar represents our life and all that goes into it. The big rocks represent what is most important in our lives —our faith, our education, our finances, time with our loved ones, teaching or mentoring others. They represent our main goals in life; those activities we care about the most; the critical ones; the life-changing ones. The pebbles, sand, and water represent all the other matters that fill our lives; the less important, the good, the bad, the anticipated, the unanticipated, the frivolous. Some, like the pebbles, are important; they’re just not anywhere near as important as the big rocks.

[You can read the full version of the Big Rocks story —from Covey’s wonderful book, First Things First— here: http://www.appleseeds.org/big-rocks_covey.htm]

With all that in mind, then, it should be no surprise Covey advocates for us to do all we can to identify the Big Rocks. We can’t prioritize them if we don’t know what they are. And so, as Easter is upon us, I point out two very big rocks in Peter’s speech from the book of Acts: “anyone” and “everyone.” They’re huge rocks, actually. And they are problematic. Instead of putting them in, first, as we should, we usually try to squeeze them in later ... without success.

We usually talk about the depth of the Easter story —its weight, timeliness, pain, sacrifice, prophetic fulfillment— spending little or no time talking about its breadth. Peter gets at the breadth.

In Acts 10:34-35, he says, “I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.” It’s definitely a Big Rock moment. Peter has just realized that God did not intend His blessings be restricted to the Jews; in fact, not restricted to any group. Any person, anywhere.

In Acts 10:43, Peter expands this already expansive realization to those who choose to follow Jesus: “All the prophets testify about him (Jesus) that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name." Everyone who believes in Jesus. Everywhere ... No race. No skin color. No gender. No national origin. No culture. No political affiliation. No physical characteristic. No church affiliation.

The qualifiers are simple: fear God and do what is right; believe in Jesus. The unlimited nature of Peter’s words in this speech is astounding. Definitely worth pondering.

Anyone. Everyone.

Big rocks ... some of the biggest.

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PHOTO (be sure to watch the video!): http://www.franthony.com/blog/big-rocks-first

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READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
Easter Sunday (April 21, 2019)
Resurrection of the Lord
https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/texts.php?id=132

Acts 10:34-43
Isaiah 65:17-25
Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24
1 Corinthians 15:19-26
John 20:1-18
Luke 24:1-12

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Easter is upon us. Join us Friday morning as we spend time in the Bible, reading and discussing the Easter story. Along with some great food from Waco’s “Egg and I” restaurant, we’ll enjoy prayer, fellowship, and a surprising amount of laughter (“What’s with all the laughter, Steve? Didn’t you get the ‘serious’ memo?”).

Blessings,
Steve

The Man With Three Ears! (a Steve Orr Lectionary reflection)

When I was a child, it was common for traveling circuses to set up at our local fairgrounds once or twice each year. There were always rides, games of “sport” where you inevitably lost money trying to get that Teddy Bear for your date, and ... the Sideshows.

When I was young, these sideshows occupied actual tents —canvas stretched high over wooden poles— but they were soon replaced by 18-wheelers with fold down platforms on one side. These makeshift stages served as advertising locations from which someone “hawked” whatever (or whomever) was concealed inside. They also provided a good barrier between the “show” and the “rubes” (us). Once we had forked over the price of admission, though, we were quickly ushered inside.

And what did we find there?

It might be a Bearded Lady, an even hairier Wolf Boy, a contortionist who could bend in unimaginable ways, a Strongman who could lift unbelievable weights, conjoined twins ... maybe even a woman who performed a “belly dance” (something not common in my part of the world). I even seem to recall a four-legged woman and a two-headed calf. Ours was a fairly conventional town, so, as strange as it may sound today, the teenaged me exchanged some of my money so I could experience some of these unusual attractions. I never did win that Teddy Bear, but I did see some real showstoppers.

I never saw a man with three ears, though.

To be upfront about it, I guess the number of ears depends on how you visualize the unfolding story. The scene in Luke Chapter 22: Jesus has been praying in the Garden of Gethsemane. When the crowd shows up to arrest Him, Peter (so says Matthew) cuts off the ear of a servant of the high priest. You have to read John to know the servant's name (Malchus), and you have to read Luke to find the overlooked miracle. After Peter cut the man’s right ear from the side of his face, Jesus said, "No more of this!" He then “touched his ear and healed him.” In my mind, that adds up the three ears. The left ear, the newly healed right side ear, and the one that Peter’s sword swept to the ground.

That miracle is unique, unless I am mistaken. I don't know of any other instance when Jesus either grew or reattached a part that had been removed from a person. However you count the ears, and however you picture this scene, one thing is certain, none of the people had seen such a thing, before. I am certain everyone just stopped and stared.

When Jesus healed the servant's ear, He performed his last miracle before the crucifixion. Also, even while being arrested, His concern was for an injured man. And He ensured that man was made whole before He allowed himself to be hauled off to "trial."

Pretty remarkable.

A three-eared man, though, is just one of the remarkable things in that Luke passage.

If we back up a few verses, we find what we pretty much universally call “The Last Supper.” This is where Jesus breaks the bread and declares it represents His body, and where he shares the wine, declaring it to represent His blood. I suppose you could also call it “The First Supper,” since it was the beginning of the millions of Communion “meals” that followed. From my perspective, though, I think it should be titled “The Feast of the New Covenant.”

Until Jesus took charge of it, Israelites had shared that Passover meal, annually, to commemorate their exodus from Egypt, to remember the night when Israelite families slaughtered a lamb and painted their doorposts with its blood —that blood being the only thing which would cause the Angel of Death to “pass over” their households that night. Jesus turned all of it on its head when he declared the wine was now “the new covenant in my blood.”

It was an astounding thing to say ... a real showstopper. I can’t help but think everyone just stopped and stared.

The covenant between God and God’s people had once been sealed by the blood of an actual lamb. From this moment forward, though, it was a covenant between God and all humankind ... and it was to be sealed with the blood of Jesus.

Not the last of anything. The beginning of the events and choices that eventually became “all things new.”

Remarkable, indeed.

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PHOTO: Steve Orr
Some portions of this reflection were drawn from a reflection published in April 2014 entitled Overlooked in All the Excitement.

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READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
Liturgy of the Palms (April 14, 2019)
https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu//texts.php?id=123

Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29
Luke 19:28-40
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Liturgy of the Passion (April 14, 2019)
https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu//texts.php?id=124

Isaiah 50:4-9a
Psalm 31:9-16
Philippians 2:5-11
Luke 22:14-23:56 or Luke 23:1-49
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We'll be feasting Friday morning at the Waco "Egg and I" restaurant, getting our hearts and minds prepared for Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and all that precedes Easter. Join us at 8:00 for Lectionary Breakfast if you are in the area. E&I has a great breakfast menu, and the spiritual food is the very best.

Swords will be checked at the door.

Enjoy the week!
Steve

Judas and the Inverted Pyramid (a Steve Orr Lectionary reflection)

He said what?! To whom?!

My sophomore year in high school brought a lot of changes. One of those changes, a positive one and one most important to me, was that I could take a class in journalism.

For one hour each day, five times each week, for about 40 weeks, I studied the fundamentals of Journalism. Throw in homework assignments and working on our award-winning school newspaper, I spent about 500 hours that school year immersed in journalistic pursuits. Yes, I learned how to write a concise, complete, accurate, and readable news story. Beyond the writing, though, I also learned how to do the research and investigatory work necessary to produce the elements of those stories. As Mrs. Cooper taught us: conveying what you want to convey is one thing; knowing whether it is accurate is something else entirely.

For the writing part, we learned to apply the Inverted Pyramid; the organization of information so that the most important facts appeared first in the story, with subsequent paragraphs containing information of lesser importance. Employing the Inverted Pyramid style, the first paragraph of a news story should contain (or, at least reference) the main who, what, when, where, and why (and/or how) fact-set.

If I were reporting on the events described in this week’s selection from the Gospel of John, the first paragraph would go something like this.

Last night in Bethany, at the home of Lazarus, Martha, and Mary, one of Jesus’s followers, Judas, criticized Mary for anointing Jesus’ feet with a pound of expensive perfume. Judas questioned why the fragrance was not, instead, sold for 300 denarii and the proceeds distributed among the poor.

That’s not a bad opening paragraph. The main actors are all named. The main event, the foot-washing, is referenced. And a possible conflict is identified. It’s enough to make the reader wonder what happened next.

In an exclusive to this paper, another follower, John, described the events. John indicated he and other followers were invited to join Jesus for dinner at the Bethany household. [You my recall this home from a story we reported not long ago. It is the same location where Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead!] During dinner, while Jesus visited with Lazarus, Mary brought in the jar of ointment, lavished its contents on the feet of Jesus and then proceeded to wipe it off with her hair!

This works perfectly in an inverted pyramid story. The second paragraph provides the background for the first part of the first paragraph. The third paragraph will address the conflict between Jesus and Judas.

As the scent of the expensive perfume filled the house, Judas was heard to say, “Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?" The reader might think this question was not aimed at anyone in particular; more of a rhetorical question than one seeking an answer. However, John tells us Jesus responded to Judas, telling him, “Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me."

The good reporter uses the last paragraph to bring the story to a close ... or to as much of a close as can be engineered with the facts at hand.

There has been speculation as to not only what Jesus meant by the comment to Judas that he would “always have the poor” with him, but also why he directed the comment to Judas. Jesus is known to periodically pause and direct side comments to His followers. However, in this case, it is clear His remarks were made directly in response to Judas. There seems to be a brewing conflict between these two, one that bears watching. The reader can depend on our reporters to remain vigilant, and to bring you the news of whatever develops.

That would be the end of a news story. The facts were presented and unknowns were identified. Mrs. Cooper would instruct us to move over to the Opinion Page if we wanted to write anything else about those events. Let’s do that and see what might have been printed there.

Sharp words were exchanged last night at a home in Bethany. The well known preacher, Jesus, took to task one of his followers for criticizing the actions of their host (see related story on Page 1). It seems one Judas expressed dismay that a pound(!) of perfume was applied to the feet of Jesus by Mary, sister to Martha and Lazarus (see “Life After Resurrection” Page 8, for more on this mystery man). While it may seem bizarre to anoint someone’s feet with perfume (and then wipe it off with her hair), in our view, Mary was perfectly within her rights to do so. Her home, her perfume. However, this Judas opined that the perfume was expensive and could have been sold for 300 denarii(!). Further, he thought that value could have been more useful in the hands of the poor than on the feet of Jesus. It is hard to argue with the need of the poor, but ....

This Judas kept the common purse of Jesus and his followers and no doubt had money on his mind ... perhaps too much. We have it on good authority that this Judas said what he said “not because he cared about the poor.” Our source further accused Judas of being a thief, claiming that he “used to steal” from their common purse. Well, that puts a whole new light on his complaints about the poor! In our opinion, this Judas cares nothing about the needs of the poor, but only about his own pockets. It seems his master has caught him out as well, sending this parting shot his way: “Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me."

Sounds to us like Jesus was not really commenting on the poor, at all. That, by using ‘the poor” as a metaphor, He was telling Judas that he could steal from the purse at any time, but that there would not be another occasion when Mary could express her feelings about Jesus. As for our newspaper, it is our hope the authorities will take note of this man and his love of money. For, as we all know, it is the love of money that is the root of all evil.

It might be interesting to read what this fictional newspaper would write about subsequent events. And what opinion pieces might grace its Opinion Page. But that’s it for now.

At least we now know who said what to whom.

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GRAPHIC (a great link to lessons for writers and wanna-be-writers): https://writerswrite.co.za/why-you-need-the-inverted-pyramid-when-you-write/inverted-pyramid-in-comprehensive-form/

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READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
Fifth Sunday in Lent (April 7, 2019)
https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu//texts.php?id=122

Isaiah 43:16-21
Psalm 126
Philippians 3:4b-14
John 12:1-8

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One Friday closer to Easter! Join us for DaySpring’s Lectionary Breakfast at the Waco “Egg and I” restaurant. We start at 8:00am, packing an hour with good news, good food, good fellowship, good discussion, and a belly laugh or two. You should join us.

Blessings,
Steve