Giants in the Earth (a Steve Orr Lectionary reflection)

Even though I grew up surrounded by them, I was 21 years old before I actually saw my first giant.

I grew up on the Ohio River, an hour north of where it disappears into the Mississippi. Talk of the giants was common. Most of us had heard the tales: they were buried in the large earthen “Indian mounds” common in our area. By all estimates, these folk averaged eight, nine feet; even taller in some cases. Books, newspaper articles —and rare photos— attested to their existence.

While early explorers reported meeting giants in the Americas as late as the 1500’s, considerable archeological “evidence” suggested large tribes of giants lived in America from about 5600 BC to around 400 AD. Burial sites scattered all across the country have yielded giant skulls, extra large femurs, etc. For some, though, the real treasure troves lay in and near the Ohio River Valley where full skeletons were found. They were proportionally larger humans ... giants, in other words.

It’s possible none of it is true. I never actually saw one of those skeletons. It was all stories, books, and articles. Like the reference to giants in Genesis 6:4, it was all old news. Sure, the Israelites fought them from time to time, and we all know the David and Goliath story. But how many have actually encountered a real giant?

I was sitting in church when I happened to look back at one of the doors. There, bending deep because even his shoulders were to high up to fit under the lintel topping the opening, was my giant. After he squeezed through, he straightened up ... and up ... and up some more.

I know what 6’6” looks like, even 7 foot. I’ve seen a lot of extra-tall people in my life, most of them basketball players. They are almost all of a certain body type; elongated arms and legs, long torso. But this fellow was something else, altogether. He was proportional in every way ... except he was at least 8’ feet tall!

I couldn’t take my eyes off him ... nor could anyone else. He just stood there for a bit, looking around the room. There was no way he was going to fit into one of our seats. Eventually, someone found him a wide bench, and he sat there, against the back wall, most of the service. At some point, though, once we were deep into worship, he slipped out. He was gone when next I looked. I never saw him, again. But seeing someone of that stature left a life-long impression.

I write about giants, this week, because our scriptures are about the stature of God’s “chosen.” The 1st Samuel passage concludes with a comment that the boy Samuel continued “to grow both in stature and in favor with the LORD and with the people.” The Luke passage notes, similarly, that the boy Jesus “...increased in wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God and with people” (Luke‬ ‭2:52‬ ‭NET‬‬).

Those parallels are not accidental.

The two boys got bigger, physically. That’s not surprising. But they also grew in other ways ... ways that drew the explicit approval of both God and people. Still, you might think these verses have no direct application to you. After all, one is about a future prophet and the other is about the Messiah.

There is a connection, though: Samuel and Jesus were God’s chosen ... as are we.

Our physical stature takes care of itself. If we’re not already physical giants, it’s unlikely we ever will be. However, as God’s chosen, we are to seek an increasing spiritual stature. The Colossians passage tells us how.

As God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.

Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful.

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Master those, and you, too, can be a giant.

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PHOTO (Robert Wadlow, 8’ 9” tall, stands next to his 5’ 11” father): http://www.sideshowworld.com/41-GG/121-Robert/Wadlow.html

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READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
First Sunday after Christmas Day (December 30, 2018)
https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu//

1 Samuel 2:18-20, 26
Psalm 148
Colossians 3:12-17
Luke 2:41-52
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Join us Friday morning for DaySpring’s Lectionary Breakfast. The hour starts at 8:00 and just tickets along: prayer, scripture, discussion, laughter. Good food, too.

Happy New Year!
Steve

The End of the Story (a Lectionary reflection by Steve Orr)

A while back, a young man got very excited about something he believed would revolutionize the work he did. That's not unusual, especially for young people. In this case, the "something" was a new level of computer animation. This young animator was so excited about this new animation idea he pitched it to his manager as something the company should do.

He was fired.

The reason? His boss told him it was because he was “screwing around with crazy ideas instead of doing his job.” End of story. Or so we might assume.

But IS that really the end of the story? People get fired every day, sometimes justly and sometimes otherwise. For the person freshly terminated from the working world, it certainly FEELS like it's the end. Still, as those of us who have been around a while have learned, what seems like the end of a person's story is really the beginning of another chapter.

In the case of our young animator, though disappointed in his company's response to his recommendation for change, he was not done. He went looking for more receptive ears . . . and he found them.

In the person of Steve Jobs.

Soon, he was at the center of that revolution in animation. And before long, he was a producer with such hits under his belt as Toy Story and Finding Nemo. They say that one man's trash is another man's treasure. In this case, it was Disney's trash that became Pixar's treasure.

But even THAT isn't the end of the story. When Disney later acquired Pixar, that former employee returned to Disney and became head of Disney’s animation.

In this week's Lectionary selections, we get to see a couple chapters in the story of King Saul and (future King) David. There were some dark times; scary situations with adversaries, rejection by the King. There were even worse times ahead, but God's story for David had many more chapters to go. Still, despite how bad things got, David maintained his confidence in God. And, as we are privileged to know since we can read David's entire story in scripture, God honored David's faith.

Our lives come in seasons and our stories are told in chapters. Be patient. Allow the time for God's plan to unfold. You never know what is just around the corner.
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READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
http://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/
Proper 7 (12) (June 21, 2015)

1 Samuel 17:(1a, 4-11, 19-23), 32-49
Psalm 9:9-20
or
1 Samuel 17:57-18:5, 18:10-16
Psalm 133
Job 38:1-11
Psalm 107:1-3, 23-32
2 Corinthians 6:1-13
Mark 4:35-41
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We have such a nice time each Friday morning at our Lectionary Breakfast gathering. If you're in the area, join us for a great start to your weekend. The food is tasty and the fellowship cannot be matched. We still meet at 8:00 at the Waco "Egg and I" restaurant, corner of New Road and Franklin, in the center near Outback.

Enjoy the week!
Steve