Are You An Outlander Fan? (a Steve Orr scripture reflection)

Outlander fans know all about Claire Randall and her exile among people nothing like her ... an exile from which she may never return.

It’s fiction, so none of us fans have a problem accepting that Claire has fallen through time to 18th Century Scotland. Surrounded by Highlanders, and stuck with her clearly British accent, she finds she is branded as a Sassenach, a term used by locals to label outlanders: that is, anyone who is from "away."

She's not one of them and they remind her of it every single day.

Are you an outlander? Do you ever feel like you've been exiled from all that brings you comfort? Do you sometimes find yourself surrounded by folks who seem to all know each other, to have established relationships; to be a tribe, almost ... but not one to which you can belong?

That's so uncomfortable, so filled with rejection it can become unbearable. All of us have had this kind experience, to some degree. At school or on the playground, at work, in the neighborhood, in our towns ... even at church. We don't seem to know the lingo, and, even if we want to assimilate, no one seems interested in helping us. We feel different, and truly, we are different; every aspect of our daily interactions and environment underscores just how different we are.

What are we supposed to do? Keep a stiff upper lip? Remain calm and carry on? Complain about it?

Claire Randall doesn't know if she will ever return to the modern world. Her long-game is to do just that; but until that's possible, she works at finding a way to fit in. As a way to be useful, Claire brings to bear her intelligence and her nursing experience (a "healer" in the parlance of that time). She doesn't ever truly fit in, but she finds ways to actively benefit those who surround her.

God’s guidance to the exiled Israelites in this week's Lectionary, can benefit us, as well. They were outlanders in every sense; language, culture, societal position. God’s message through Jeremiah was about how to act while their exile remained in place. What a treasure! At last they knew what God expected of them while they were being outlanders; true strangers in a strange land.

Get married, have children. Encourage your children to marry and have children. Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat the produce. In other words, settle in. Of most importance, though: “Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare."

When circumstance (or other people) make us sassenachs and outlanders, we must not let that immobilize us. We must keep living as best we can; growing, flourishing ... settle in and bloom where we’re planted.

And most importantly, we must seek the best for those among whom we are the sassenachs and outlanders. Even going so far as to pray to God for their well-being. Their welfare is our welfare.

That's loving your neighbor as yourself.


________________________
PHOTO - https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/film-tv/a12454737/outlander-season-3-episode-3-review/

A different version of this reflection appeared in October 2016 as Sassenachs and Outlanders.

_________________________

READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
Proper 23 (28) (October 13, 2019)
HTTPS://LECTIONARY.LIBRARY.VANDERBILT.EDU//TEXTS.PHP?ID=283

Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7
Psalm 66:1-12
2 Kings 5:1-3, 7-15c
Psalm 111
2 Timothy 2:8-15
Luke 17:11-19
_________________________


This Friday morning would be a great time for you to join us at Dayspring’s Lectionary Breakfast. We start at 8:00, sharing our mealtime at Our Breakfast Place (formerly the Waco "Egg and I" restauran). We continue with scripture, discussion, and some of the best fellowship anywhere. We're supposed to leave at 9:00, and some do, but some stay longer.

It's that good.

Blessings,
Steve

The Poem Mother Teresa Didn't Write (a Lectionary reflection by Steve Orr)

It's been floating around the Internet.

You may have seen the poem, "Anyway," on a social media site or, perhaps, as a poster on someone's wall. The poem is usually attributed to Mother Teresa.

It's sprinkled with thoughts like:


If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish motives.
BE KIND ANYWAY
If you are honest and sincere, people may deceive you.
BE HONEST AND SINCERE ANYWAY
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow.
DO GOOD ANYWAY

It is a thought-provoking poem, filled with lovely ideas. The only problem is, Mother Teresa didn't write it.

In 1968, 19-year old Kent Keith, a Harvard sophomore, wrote the first draft of "Anyway: The Paradoxical Commandments," as part of a book for student leaders. There were ten of those "commandments," all of which were intended to reflect the teachings of Jesus. If you compare it to the poem, you will immediately recognize that, with the exception of the final two lines, they are identical.

The confusion comes about because Mother Theresa loved the Paradoxical Commandments, too; so much so, she had them blown up and hung them on the wall of Shishu Bhavan, the children's home in Calcutta. People saw them there and assumed the words were hers.

While most of us will agree, it is always important to know the true author, there are times when the importance and universality of the message may transcend the author, time, place, and original audience. That is the situation in this week's Lectionary scriptures; and because of that, you should read them all.

In Leviticus, God instructs the Israelites on how to treat people with respect, and He ends with "Love you neighbors as yourselves." In Matthew, Jesus, shockingly, tells his Disciples that they need to love the very people they would ordinarily choose to NOT love. In the selection from Psalm 119, the Psalmist begs God for the kind of understanding needed to "turn my heart to your decrees." Paul tells the Corinthians to avoid becoming worldly-wise, to instead become God's fool, and he ends with, "So then, no more boasting about human leaders! All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Peter or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God.”

We need to treat these scriptures the way Mother Teresa treated Dr. Keith's poem. She knew someone else wrote those words, but she so desired to do them herself, she hung them up on the wall, anyway.

All of this week's Lectionary selections were written down at different times, by different people, for different people.

We need to follow them, anyway.

_________________________

READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
Seventh Sunday after the Epiphany (February 19, 2017)
http://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/lections.php?year=A&season=Epiphany

Leviticus 19:1-2, 9-18
Psalm 119:33-40
1 Corinthians 3:10-11, 16-23
Matthew 5:38-48
________________________

I hope you can join us Friday morning at Lectionary Breakfast at the Waco "Egg and I" restaurant. We meet at 8:00 and wrap thing up around 9:00. Come if you can. We're reading the words of others, but we are learning to do them, anyway.

Blessings,
Steve

_________________________

NOTES
1. Dr. Keith's take on the Mother Teresa connection makes fascinating reading: http://www.kentmkeith.com/mother_teresa.html

2. Dr. Keith's book is still in print; you can buy it at Amazon and many national retail outlets.

3. The photo is from http://quotespictures.net/17609/it-was-never-between-you-and-them-anyway-mother-teresa

4. Bible quotes are from the NIV.

Sassenachs and Outlanders (a Lectionary reflection by Steve Orr)

Exiled to a place from which she may never return.

That's what happens to Claire Randall, a WWII battlefield nurse. After she returns home from the war, having experienced all those horrors, she has an even more harrowing experience: she falls through time. That's the premise of Diana Gabaldon's runaway bestseller, Outlander. Claire is marooned in the highlands of 18th century Scotland, a place from which she may never return. That, alone, would be disturbing. Then, due to her British accent, she is immediately dubbed a sassenach, a term used by Highlanders to label outlanders, anyone who is from "away."

In other words, she's not one of them and they remind her of it every single day.

Are you an outlander? Do you ever feel like you've been exiled from all that brings you comfort? Do you sometimes find yourself surrounded by folks who seem to all know each other, to have established relationships ... to be a tribe, almost; but not one to which you can belong?

That's such an uncomfortable environment, so filled with rejection it becomes almost unbearable. All of us have had this kind experience, to some degree. At school or on the playground, at work, in the neighborhood, in our towns ... even at church. We don't seem to know the lingo, and, even if we want to assimilate, no one seems interested in helping us. We feel different, and truly, we are different; every aspect of our daily interactions and environment underscoring just how different we are.

What are we supposed to do? Just keep a stiff upper lip? Remain calm and carry on? Complain about it?

Claire Randall doesn't know if she will ever return to the modern world. Her long-game is to do just that; but until that's possible, she works at finding a way to fit in. As a way to be useful, Claire brings to bear her intelligence and her nursing experience (a "healer" in the parlance of that time). She doesn't ever truly fit in, but she finds ways to actively benefit those who surround her.

In this week's Lectionary, we find God has sent the Israelites into exile. They had been conquered and dragged off to Babylon, a people not their own. They were outlanders in every sense; language, culture, societal position. They desperately needed some help ... and God sent help, in the form of a message through the prophet Jeremiah. Partly, it was to make sure they knew that the exile would not be permanent, that a day would eventually arrive on which Israelites living in Babylon would "return" to the country God had given their ancestors.

But perhaps more importantly, it was about letting them know how to act while their exile remained in place. What a treasure! At last they knew what God expected of them while they were being outlanders, true strangers in a strange land.

"Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare." (Jeremiah 29:4-7 NRSV)

And there's the guidance for us, as well. When circumstance (or other people) make us sassenachs and outlanders, we must not let that immobilize us. We are to continue our lives as best we can, to keep on living, to grow and flourish.

And just as importantly, we must seek the best for those among whom we are the sassenachs, the outlanders. Even going so far as to pray to God for their well-being.

Their welfare is our welfare. That is loving your neighbor as yourself.
_________________________

READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
Proper 23 (28) (October 9, 2016)
http://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/

First reading and Psalm
Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7
Psalm 66:1-12
Alternate First reading and Psalm
2 Kings 5:1-3, 7-15c
Psalm 111
Second reading
2 Timothy 2:8-15
Gospel
Luke 17:11-19
_________________________

This Friday morning would be a great time for you to join us at Lectionary Breakfast. We start at 8:00, sharing our mealtime at the Waco "Egg and I" restaurant. We continue with scripture, discussion, and some of the best fellowship anywhere. We're supposed to leave at 9:00, and some do, but some stay longer.

It's that good.

Blessings,
Steve

The Rise and Fall of Atticus Finch? (a Lectionary reflection by Steve Orr)

I borrowed this title from an event I attended recently. It was a showing of the film, "To Kill A Mockingbird," preceded by a talk. The event was hosted by the Dean of the Baylor Law School and the talk was presented by the Dean of Baylor's Honors College. Harper Lee's continually bestselling novel was published in 1960 and became an instant classic; same for the movie, released two years later. It is no stretch to say that one of the story's main themes, racial justice, fueled both book and ticket sales during the height of the civil rights movement.

In the movie, Gregory Peck portrays Atticus Finch: attorney, widower, and single father of two. Central to the story is that Finch does the unthinkable in Depression Era Alabama: he defends a black man accused of beating and sexually assaulting a white woman.

There is another aspect that bears exploring, though: the impact To Kill A Mockingbird has had on the law as a vocation. Many an attorney has pointed to Atticus Finch as the reason they chose to pursue a career in law. Many can quote long passages from the book/movie. In fact, as I learned from the pre-film talk, Atticus Finch is the number one movie hero of all time. Indiana Jones came in second. George Bailey is only ninth, and Superman is a distant 26th. [Per the American Film Institute http://www.afi.com/100years/handv.aspx]

As you might expect, there were quite a few attorneys and proto-attorneys with me in that audience. What drove most of them to that gathering is Go Set A Watchmen, Harper Lee's recently published novel. It takes place several years later, but includes characters from Mockingbird; most significantly, Atticus and now-grown daughter Jean Louise (Scout).

Perhaps you've heard; in Watchman, Atticus is not as heroic as he was in Mockingbird. In fact, without giving away anything that has not already been discussed in almost every forum, Jean Louise is shocked to learn her father is less the racial hero than she had remembered from her childhood. But is it truly a case of "rise and fall?"

Consider David: when asked to think of him, most of us quickly recall David-the-Psalmist, or David-the-shepherd, or David-the-giant-killer. Some might, upon reflection, mention David-the-King or maybe David-the-military-leader. But, for most of us, David-the-adulterer is not our go-to memory of him. David-the-failed-father doesn't pop up often, either. And, well, really, who wants to remember David-the-murderer?

We don't. But we should.

Here is the short of it: we're all human. And by virtue of that state, complex. None of us is afforded the luxury of remaining the same person throughout our life. We change. But we are still, to one degree or another, the people we have been. Yes, ideally, we mature as we accumulate life experiences; learning, hopefully, to be better people, to lessen our lesser natures and to increase our better parts.

Atticus is less than ideal to his grown daughter, but it is not likely he has devolved since he defended Tom Robinson in the 1930's: his racial prejudices had to have existed, then. The truth of it is this: in service to the law, Atticus stepped around the enculturated racial prejudice of his time and place to provide a vigorous defense of a black man. What he did, then, becomes even more noble when you view it through that lens. When he implores the jury, "In the name of God, do your duty!" he is asking them to join him in that nobility.

To borrow from Doctor Who, "We all change, when you think about it, we're all different people; all through our lives. And that's okay . . . so long as you remember all the people that you used to be." As is brought home so clearly in this week's Lectionary passage from James 2, we must love our neighbors as ourselves, regardless of our prejudices. When we think of David, and of the Atticus Finch's we know, and of each other, we must do so with a large serving of mercy. It helps if we keep in mind all of the people we have been in this life.

“If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. For he who said, “You shall not commit adultery,” also said, “You shall not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker. Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. (‭‭James‬ ‭2:8-13‬ ‭NIV‬‬. http://bible.com/111/jas.2.8-13.niv)

"Mercy triumphs over judgment.”

_________________________________

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

Proper 18 (23) (September 6, 2015)

Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9, 22-23
Psalm 125
Isaiah 35:4-7a
Psalm 146
James 2:1-10, (11-13), 14-17
Mark 7:24-37

_________________________________

The weather's changing! Mornings are a bit cooler, afternoons are only double digits. It's not yet fall, but the promise of it is here. I hope you can join us one of these cooler Friday mornings for Lectionary Breakfast. We still meet for about an hour at 8:00 in the group room of the Waco "Egg and I" restaurant. We spend our time enjoying each other's company, eating some great food, and finding ways we can apply the scriptures to our lives.

Enjoy the week!
Steve

Blended Families (a brief Lectionary reflection by Steve Orr)

The first time I saw the phrase "blended family" in print I was a little confused by it. As I read the article, though, I quickly understood what they meant: two existing families that attempt the very challenging process of melding into a new one. I admire those who attempt it and am in awe of those who succeed.

But, before the context of the article made plain their meaning of "blended family," I initially thought: "Isn't that redundant? What other kind of families would there be?"

All families come with a unique family culture. Families that live right next door to each other are as different as apples and oranges. And families from different parts of the country or the globe are as different as mountains and oceans. So, anytime two people from different families decide to form one of their own, it is an attempt to blend those different family cultures into one household.

It's a blended family we see in this week's Lectionary selection from the book of Ruth. A Jewish family moves to Moab because of a drought in Israel. Their sons then marry local women, and, as often happens in families, these three women become widows. Naomi, the mother-in-law, decides to return home to Israel, presumably because the law of God requires Israelites to help widows . . . Or maybe she's just lonely for home.

People often quote from this part of the story. You hear it at weddings in the songs, in the vows. And many laud Ruth, rightly so, for being the kind of person who would declare to Naomi: “Don’t entreat me to leave you, and to return from following after you, for where you go, I will go; and where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God; (Ruth 1:16 WEB). It gives me a thrill every time I read that passage.

But let's don't miss something momentous here: Ruth said those words, but she said them to her MOTHER-IN-LAW. Let's face it, even in the best of situations, relations between a person and his/her in-laws can be challenging. It's an extraordinary declaration in any circumstance, but even more so between in-laws.

And what does that tell us about Naomi? Here is a woman who lived out the spirit of the commandment to "love your neighbor as yourself." She clearly understood it as applying to "those who are nearby." Something to think about. How wonderful it would be to have someone declare the same of us.

And where did this declaration lead? What eventually happened to this blended family?

It's a short book :-)

###############################
READINGS FOR THIS WEEK
http://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu

Proper 26 (31) (November 4, 2012)
Ruth 1:1-18
Psalm 146
Deuteronomy 6:1-9
Psalm 119:1-8
Hebrews 9:11-14
Mark 12:28-34

Join us Friday if you can. We're still meeting at Cafe Cappuccino (downtown Waco on 6th, near the Courthouse) at 8:00 a.m. We eat a delicious breakfast (cooked when you order) and then we try to figure out how to apply these scripture passages to our actual lives.

Join us. We're neighborly ;-)

Enjoy the week!
Steve