No one offered us potato peel pie. And I never saw a sign for a literary society. Still, our visit to the Isle of Guernsey was delightful.
Many only know of this picturesque island from 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 can happily recommend the actual island, too!
As the only place in the British Isles occupied by the Germans in World War II, Guernsey was untouched by enemy bombs. While there is much I could share with you about their wartime experiences, I’m going to focus, instead, on one little piece of our own 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 darker shop, I had to pause a few seconds for my eyes to adjust. Soon, I saw before me two casually dressed, older ladies, each sporting a front-mounted fanny pack. 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.”
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 hope did not disappointment that day.
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 learned 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 many 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 tiny 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. That stems from what Jesus says in this week’s scripture from the Gospel of John. He 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, many have 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. It’s right there in black and white (or red, in some Bibles).
Of course, today, we christians know better.
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. Then, we should pray for discernment, enlightenment, and wisdom before we speak.
Confusion abounds in the absence of the Spirit.
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GRAPHIC CREDIT and a very early review of Stoker’s novel:
A great modern review of the novel, Dracula):
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ZOOM ONLY THIS FRIDAY** - DaySpring’s Lectionary Breakfast will not meet in person this Friday. Apologies to everyone who prefers an in-person gathering. We plan to resume next week. In the meantime, please join us on Zoom at 8:00 for our usual hour of fellowship, discussion, and laughter. BYOBB
Blessings,
Steve
**Contact me for the Zoom link
NOTE: Zoom allows you to mute the camera if you don’t wish to be seen and to mute the microphone if you don’t wish to speak.
SCRIPTURES FOR SUNDAY & THE COMING WEEK
Find them here: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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