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

A Satin Pillow in the Armory (a Lectionary reflection by Steve Orr)

My mother slept on a satin pillow.

Mama was one of six children born to a stay-at-home mother and a father who worked for the Illinois Central Railroad. Grandaddy's paycheck didn't go very far, since he wasted a lot of it on drink and "riotous living" (to borrow from the King James).

The short of it: there was little money for the family. In the early years, they lived in one of the hovels that fronted on the train yard. Granddaddy could walk to work, but that's about all you could say in favor of the arrangement.

The arrival of the Great Depression did nothing to improve the situation.

Having grown up with little, my mother became motivated at a very young age to have something of her own, to gather enough resources to run her own life. And that meant having a paying job.

Mom went to work at age 11. She worked through the balance of her school years, and left high school one credit shy of graduation so she could work. That paycheck was important to her. It meant a kind of freedom, an independence, an assurance of not having to return to deprivation.

And that brings us to the satin pillow.

It was part of her regimen. Each working day, my mother rose from her bed to go do "battle" in a world run by men. Having started in a job only filled by women, she worked for years to improve her position in the company. Being savvy, she could see that management was the path upward.

In those days, for women, such jobs were rare.

But she persevered. A part of that was diligence, hard work, good work; but a big part of that, as anyone in management can tell you, is looking the part.

My mother had a standing, weekly appointment at the "Beauty Shop." It was more than just hair in those days. I think we might say "spa," today. In any case, this was where a significant part of her "look" was accomplished. Part of the way she maintained that look between appointments was to sleep on a satin pillow. Somehow, that pillow surface helped her maintain that all important coiffure from one Monday to the next.

My mother was focused. She had a plan. And she used everything at her disposal to pursue her objective . . . even going so far as to rest her head each night on a satin pillow.

But, here's the thing; though she achieved some successes in her career, she never believed she had "arrived," never came to a point where she felt it was time to "rest on her laurels." She continued to pursue her objective of ever improving accomplishment, continued moving in the direction of her goal.

In this week's Lectionary scriptures, Paul's letter to the Philippians sets the same example for us in the pursuit of our relationship with the Lord. We must press on. We must not assume we have "arrived." Sure, our "battle armor" differs from what my mother used to pursue her career. But, like her, we are to bring every bit of ourselves to the process.

We are expected to actively pursue spiritual maturity, pressing on until the day we are finally told, "Well done, good and faithful servant."

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READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
Fifth Sunday in Lent (March 13, 2016)
First reading
Isaiah 43:16-21
Psalm
Psalm 126
Second reading
Philippians 3:4b-14
Gospel
John 12:1-8
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Each week, we have an opportunity to visit with friends at Lectionary Breakfast. It's an hour that fills us with some of what we need so we can keep "pressing on" our spiritual journey. Join us Friday mornings at the Waco "Egg and I" restaurant. We start at 8:00. There's food, God's word, and fellowship well sprinkled with guffaws 😇

Enjoy your week!
Steve