The Deep Blue Sea (a Lectionary reflection by Steve Orr)

We were miles out, and no matter which direction I turned, there was no land to be seen. I recall thinking, this shouldn't bother me . . . But it did.

I was born and raised in west Kentucky. Water was a big part of my life. Our town sat at the confluence of two long, navigable rivers; the Ohio and the Tennessee. We played down by the river; I learned to water-ski on that boisterous confluence; I first operated a small motorboat there. Plus, a short 20 miles southeast of us was one of America's great inland playgrounds, Kentucky Lake and Lake Barclay, with their 265 square miles of parkland: The Land Between The Lakes. I learned to swim in those lakes; boated on them, water-skied on them, camped on them.

But, at 20 years of age, I had never been "at sea." No matter what body of water, I had always been able to see land. Now, here we were, well out into the Gulf of Mexico, and there was nothing to see but water in every direction.

I confess, I didn't much care for it.

But, I didn't want to be rude. Our family friends had offered to take me out for a day of fishing and "picnicking." Every other part of that day was nice. Our onboard repast of cheese, fruit, sandwiches, and soft drinks was delicious. The company ---a retired grocer and his wife--- were warm, gentle, and fun. They were living a life-long dream: retire to Florida, buy a boat, fish in the gulf. This day, now a regular weekend experience for them, was their definition of perfect.

So, I swallowed my nervousness and incipient claustrophobia, tamped them down deep inside, and, catching some of their joy, plastered a genuine smile on my face.

Still.

The day moved along. Probably quickly for them; definitely slowly for me. We fished. We caught some. I was not surprised to discover, despite the lively movement of the boat, that I was not seasick. After all, I grew up on the water. Just not this water. And always, not stopping for a minute, was the question pinging around in my head, When will this be over?

The storm rose up early in the afternoon.

The grocer had gone below for a short, post-picnic nap. The grocer's wife and I pulled in the fishing lines ---Did I mention that neither she nor I knew how to operate the boat?--- Never taking my eyes off the mounting waves, I asked, with as much insouciance as I could muster, if we should wake her husband. She thought not; he had earned his rest. For her part, she seemed completely unaffected by the increased rocking of the boat, the tiny little whitecaps forming on the peaks of the choppy waves, and the darkening clouds rolling in from . . . Well, I had no idea which direction.

We sat. She chatted. I watched. The wind had become quite brisk before I heard the welcome sound of the hatch opening. The grocer emerged looking well rested. He looked up (the sky was growing darker). He looked out (the waves were growing higher). His eyes fell on the stored fishing gear. Then, as calm as you please, he said, "We should probably head back in." He was not concerned. He knew what to do.

I recall thinking, He's got this.

And that's when I finally relaxed. Oh, our return trip was bouncy, and windy, but I enjoyed it. Partly, because I knew we were headed ashore, but, mostly, because I was confident in his confidence. He was the master of the boat. He understood the relationship of the craft to the water. He knew how to take that vessel through the weather and on into the safety of the port.

Sometimes our lives take on similar dimensions. We find ourselves in a place where the "mighty waters" of life threaten; we're tossed about by the wind and the waves. But, no matter how far out we are, no matter how deep, we can take comfort. This week's Lectionary selection from Psalms 93 says: “The ocean depths raise their voice, O Lord; they raise their voice and roar. The Lord rules supreme in heaven, greater than the roar of the ocean, more powerful than the waves of the sea.” (Psalm‬ ‭93:3-4‬ ‭GNT‬‬)

The Lord is not disturbed by the high winds, the mounting waves, the darkening clouds. No matter the storms that arise on our journey through this life, we can have confidence in His confidence.

He's got this.
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READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
http://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/

Reign of Christ - Proper 29 (34) (November 22, 2015)
First reading and Psalm
2 Samuel 23:1-7
Psalm 132:1-12, (13-18)
Alternate First reading and Psalm
Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14
Psalm 93
Second reading
Revelation 1:4b-8
Gospel
John 18:33-37
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Will you be in Waco Friday morning? Join us for Lectionary Breakfast at the "Egg and I" restaurant from 8:00 to 9:00 for an hour like no other. The scriptures are fascinating, the food is tasty, and our fellow travelers are just the best. ☺️

Enjoy the week!
Steve

What If You Could Walk On Water? (a Lectionary reflection by Steve Orr)

Long before Harry Potter captured our collective attention, there was another little boy with amazing abilities. Orson Scott Card's story of Alvin Miller (SEVENTH SON) is set in early 19th century America. But not an America like we learned in school. When the story begins, the year 1776 is a few decades in the past, and it holds no special meaning for the folks living in the European colonies.

There is no great nation of united states. The revolution never happened. But that's not even close to the strangest part of the story.

In the story, some people are born with a "knack," a special ability that allows each of them, in a limited way, to perform some supernatural feat; start a fire with their minds, find underground water, tie an unbreakable knot, command metal to shape itself, etc. Since the 1600's, England has been "transporting" these undesirables to the "new world." Better there than near the Royals. France and Spain, seeing the wisdom of this, follow suit. When our story opens, many generations later, almost all of the people occupying the new world have "knacks."

And then there's Alvin Miller.

Where almost everyone else has only one knack, and a very few have two or more (such as Benjamin Franklin, America's greatest wizard), young Alvin has them all. And that's not a good thing. Think of Clark Kent as a seven year old boy growing up in Smallville, Kansas while possessing the abilities of a Super man and I think you will get the picture. A bit unnerving.

But even more that that, we christians are uncomfortable with people, even fictional people, having abilities that cannot be explained by science. We're OK with teens being bitten by radioactive spiders, but many of us start to squirm if their powers might be from a magical source. Alvin's certainly seem to be in that latter category. But, setting that to one side for the moment, I want to focus in on one of Alvin's particular knacks.

He can walk on water.

And that brings me to this week's Lectionary selections, specifically the scripture from John 6. This the "Jesus walking on water" story that is also told in Matthew 14 and Mark 6. But there are a few differences in the three versions. Matthew is the only version in which Peter steps out of the boat and then Jesus gets into the boat. Neither John nor Mark mention Peter; Mark ends with Jesus getting into the boat. But it is Mark, alone, that contains, at least for me, the most remarkable statement.

What if you could walk on water? What would you do? I can only know how I would answer, but I can tell you what I think most people would do if they could walk on water.

Walk on water.

If I could walk on water, that's what I would do. And I can tell you something else, I'm pretty sure I would enjoy it, immensely. And, given the option, I would do it often. So, while it may at first seem shocking to discover the bombshell in the Mark version, I think I can understand it. There in the Mark narrative is this: "At about four o’clock in the morning, Jesus came toward them, walking on the sea. He intended to go right by them.” (Mark‬ ‭6:48‬ ‭MSG‬‬)

Wait. What? He intended to go right by them?!

Yep. There it is. Jesus was not walking on the water in order to rescue his disciples. And he had no intention of joining them. Only after they saw him and became so frightened OF HIM (thinking He was a ghost) did Jesus have compassion on them and walk toward the boat so He could calm them.

So, what, you may ask, was the original plan? Was Jesus just on a 4:00 a.m. stroll across the sea? Maybe taking the most direct route to the other side?

Well, what would you do if you could walk on water?

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READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
http://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/

Proper 12 (17) (July 26, 2015)
2 Samuel 11:1-15
Psalm 14
2 Kings 4:42-44
Psalm 145:10-18
Ephesians 3:14-21
John 6:1-21

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P.S. The story of Alvin Miller as he grows from child to adult, and the struggles he goes through to understand and control his abilities is fascinating. Card is such a good storyteller, and his characters, especially young Alvin, are so well written we readers find ourselves caring a great deal about them. They are the kind of books that are very hard to put down. They're like reading Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn, only with powers. So, if you enjoy alternate history, and are not put off by a bit of magic, I heartily recommend these to you. [A big thank you to my friend, Karen Powell who, despite my protestations ("I don't read stuff like this."), continued to insist I should.]
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Join us Friday morning for more great times at Lectionary Breakfast. At 8:00, we start reading the menus and and just visiting together; by 8:15-ish, we've placed our orders and are looking at the scriptures. Then, more fun than should be allowed ensues. To be honest, we aren't always able to pry ourselves out of there by 9:00, but it's close. The folks at Waco's "Egg and I" restaurant seem to understand.

Join us. It puts a spring in your step.

Enjoy the week!
Steve

Walking Dead

Walking Dead (a brief Lectionary Reflection by Steve Orr)

Having had empty tombs on my mind of late, I am reminded of something that occurred my senior year in high school.  That spring two friends and I went on a camping trip...  

It was no longer full dark, but the sun had yet to rise as we set out that Monday morning in a small skiff.  We launched from where our main street, Broadway, met the water ... right at the confluence of the Ohio and Tennessee rivers.

Our little boat sat very low in the water; laden with the three of us, plus the food, clothing, and camping gear we were going to need that week.  We motored away from the concrete apron, slipped between Owens Island and the shore, and soon ducked south onto the Tennessee River.  Along about noon that first day, we locked through the Dam into Kentucky Lake, an enormous reservoir stretching southward through western Kentucky and onward into western Tennessee.  

These reflections are supposed to be brief; so, instead of burdening you with our day-by-day itinerary, let me just say that it was every boy's dream trip.  We spent the week camping, boating, fishing, exploring, swapping tales around campfires ... all of it pegged to a two position clock: sunrise, sunset.  Very Tom and Huck.

Our second day we decided to explore one of the islands that dotted the lake.  We packed up our gear and headed out to what the map said was Cherokee Island.  We found a narrow stretch of beach on one side, grounded our boat, and did a little reconnaissance.  A short walk from the beach we found a wide spot in a circle of trees that would serve quite well as a campsite.  We anchored the boat to a tree near the water and hauled our gear inland.  We had the camp set up and the evening meal sputtering in the frying pan in short order.  Night closed in quickly.

After the meal, Bruce (our Boy Scout) announced he had to respond to "nature's call."  He grabbed a flashlight and trotted off into the dark.  As we cleaned up, we listened to the sounds of his retreating steps.  Suddenly there was a loud "thump" followed by the sound of Bruce yelling "wo-oh-oh!"  We each grabbed lights and ran in the direction we had seen him go.  We saw there was a path and followed it.  As we rounded a curve we pulled up short before a large, oddly shaped rock.  We could hear Bruce mumbling something from the other side of the rock.  So, stepping off the path and walking around the rock, we found Bruce lying on his back, his head tilted back, looking up at the rock.  On it was carved the name "Goheen" (the word he kept mumbling over and over).

Then the world did that strange little 90 degree turn it sometimes does, and all of a sudden we realized the "rock" was actually a gravestone, that Bruce had flipped over it as he rounded the curve, and that he was at that point lying on a grave!  Bob and I realized this at the same time, but he also had the presence of mind to shine his light around.  What we saw was shocking.  We were surrounded by a collection of gravestones, vaults, and concrete sarcophagi; all in a seriously deteriorated state.  The stones were tilted in various directions, the vaults were broken open, and the sarcophagi lids appeared to have been tossed aside.

As you might expect, we three got little sleep that night.  

The next afternoon (we got a late start, having found we were able to get some sleep once the sun rose), we packed up and left the island behind as we headed to the Ranger Station with a LOT of questions.  

We learned that the islands in the lake had all been hilltop cemeteries prior to the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) damming up the river to create the lake; that while the TVA paid for the relocation of bodies, many families abandoned the gravestones, vaults, etc., because they could not personally afford to have them moved.  The result was what we experienced ... empty graves, empty vaults, empty tombs.

There is something especially unnerving about empty tombs.  Even when you are not standing right by them, you know they are out there ... empty.  You can't help but wonder where the occupant went.  And you can't really relax until you get that question answered.

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READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
Second Sunday of Easter (May 1, 2011)
Acts 2:14a, 22-32
Psalm 16
1 Peter 1:3-9
John 20:19-31

If you are in Waco Friday morning, join the crew for breakfast and discussion at 8:00 a.m. at Cafe Cappuccino (downtown on 6, near the Courthouse).

Enjoy!
Steve