James Bond and the Wisdom of Solomon (a Steve Orr scripture reflection)

When Ian Fleming delivered his first James Bond novel (Casino Royale) to his publishing house, they were, to say the least, reluctant to publish it. It was so different from anything that had yet been published. Plus, it seemed so ... well, unbelievable. In fact, if not for the intervention of Fleming’s brother, who had been published by the same house, we might never have had James Bond.

Today, when James Bond novels and movies are all about us, it seems strange to think someone balked at launching that character. Bond, or Agent 007 as he is often known, is the template for modern spies; certainly for Cold War spies. Without Bond, would we have Jason Bourne? The whole genre of spy fiction might not exist.

So, what was the problem?

The problem lay in the genius of the thing (as is often the fact). Fleming, a former British Naval Intelligence Officer (i.e., spy) created a fictional character as an amalgam of actual spies; other clandestine operatives he knew and worked with, as well as himself. He then told tales reflecting actual spy missions.

There had never been anything quite like it.

Today, we have a special appreciation for that kind of verisimilitude. Today, when a former “operative” writes a book about spy stuff, publishers are all over it. And it’s all because of that original publisher’s experience with that first James Bond novel. The initial print run of that hardback sold out in less than a month. A second printing that same month also sold out that same month! Next, a third printing of 8,000 hardback copies quickly sold out. And by then, they understood what they had: a gold mine.

This —valuing the words of those with experience— is the mindset we need to bring to Wisdom.

Wisdom calls to anyone who will hear her. She offers to share her benefits with anyone and everyone. They are open to all. We need only seek her.

That’s the central message from this week’s selection from Proverbs chapter 8. But it’s not the only message we find there. After making her appeal, she does something we lovers of spy novels can appreciate: she shares her Bona Fides. Wisdom tells us she is the real deal, that she’s not some hack offering the “philosophy du jour” or just telling us what we want to hear.

So, what’s in her bio?

•The first of God’s creation, before the beginning of the earth
•When God established the heavens, she was there
•During creation, she was next to God, serving as a master craftsman and director of the work
•God delighted in her
•She delighted in God’s inhabited world and the human race

Why seek Wisdom? Why trust in her to be our guide? Because she was there when it all began. She had a role in creation; knows, first hand, what was intended; knows the purpose within the design.

If you can’t trust a resume like that, who can you trust?

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PHOTO (and more about that first edition of Casino Royale): https://www.thebookbond.com/2012/03/collectible-casino-royale-hardcovers.html?m=1

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READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
Trinity Sunday (June 16, 2019)
https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu//texts.php?id=262

Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31
Psalm 8
Romans 5:1-5
John 16:12-15
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Once again, DaySpring’s Lectionary Breakfast is meeting Friday morning at our local “Egg and I” restaurant. We start at 8:00; the hour includes great fellowship, good food, Bible study, and a “robust exchange of ideas.”

Join us!
Steve

A Separate Peace (a Lectionary reflection by Steve Orr)

There was this book; A Separate Peace. We read it in the ninth grade. There's a lot I don't recall about the book, but that's not due to memory lapse: I just didn't get it, even then. The story took place in the U.S. during World War II. I seem to recall some guy fell out of a tree and broke his leg, and the main character was named Finny (maybe).

That's about it.

I'm certain, because I remember the concerned look on my teacher's face, that I was supposed to get a lot more out of it than that. I'm pretty sure we were supposed to be profoundly affected by it.

That was not my experience. I just didn't find anything about the book to like. Everyone seemed kind of mean. Or at least that's how I remember it. For whatever reason, I never connected with it.

But I do recall one important thing.

The title had to do with treaties. It goes something like this: a group of allies agree to go to war together, as a unified force, or at least agree to all fight the same enemies. That's part of it. The other part is this: each country making up the allies also agrees to not make "a separate peace" with the enemy forces. In other words, "we're all in it together, and none of us quits until we all agree to quit."

A separate peace sounds like a nice thing, a way to walk away from the battle rather than face the terrible things that are assuredly coming; pain, separation, destruction, and death. But there is a problem with a separate peace that may not be readily apparent. If one of the allied countries decided to make a separate peace with the enemy forces, that would be a betrayal of the other countries in the allied forces. The original commitment made by the betraying country would now be without meaning, and they would likely never be trusted by their former allies, ever again.

That's what's happening in this week's Lectionary selection from Luke 4:1-13. Satan, in the middle of his multi-millennia war with God, has come to Jesus to entice Him into a separate peace. They both know that some hard times are ahead for Jesus; pain, separation, destruction, and death. Satan's "temptations" are all inducements for Jesus to abandon his allegiance to God. To step out of the war.

There are times and places for a separate peace. Truly, sometimes it is better to walk away from the war than to continue, even if we can't convince our allies to do so. But for the "war in heaven" that spilled over onto Earth, our oath of fealty must stand firm. Like Jesus, we must resist whatever draws us away from our commitment to God.

Now is not the time for a separate peace.
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READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
http://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/texts.php?id=118

Deuteronomy 26:1-11
Psalm 91: 1-2, 9-16
Romans 10:8b-13
Luke 4:1-14

Here's a link to all the readings for the season of Lent.
http://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/lections.php?year=C&season=Lent

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We enter the season of Lent preparing for some time of personal reflection. Where do we stand? With God? Are we faithful? Or have we sidelined ourselves from the conflict? Is there something of which we need to repent?

The next six weeks are especially significant in our journey with Jesus through this life. Spend the Friday mornings with us at Lectionary Breakfast. You'll be glad of the fellowship and time in the scriptures. We gather at 8:00 a.m. at the Waco "Egg and I" restaurant for an hour like no other.

Blessings,
Steve

The Shining (a Lectionary reflection by Steve Orr)

There was a lot of controversy surrounding Stephen King's The Shining.

Likely, though, it's not what you think. I mean, if you think the controversies were things like a young child being stalked by evil ghosts or being endangered by his own father, then you would be wrong. Somehow, as strange as that sounds, today, people managed to accept both those premises.

The first controversy had to do with the novel, itself. King's publisher lobbied long and hard for King to not even write the novel. After the success of Carrie and 'Salem's Lot, Doubleday was worried King would get typed as a horror writer. There's some irony for you. The Shining went on the be King's first hardback bestseller.

The second controversy was the title; people just didn't get it. People had heard of visions, as in the Bible, and they had heard of precognition, as in ESP, but "shining?" What was that? Did King just make that up? It wasn't until 11 years after The Shining was first published that King explained: he took the title from a John Lennon song, "Instant Karma!," where Lennon suggests we, like the moon, stars, and sun, "all shine on."

Of course, the big controversy was the Stanley Kubrick film. Generally considered one of the greatest horror films of all time, it nevertheless diverged significantly from King's novel. King was not shy about his disappointment. The irony, here, is that the movie likely drove book sales through the roof.

It seems that "shining" has always been a bit controversial . . . as we see in this week's Lectionary scriptures. When Moses came down from the mountaintop meeting with God, his face was positively glowing . . . really glowing. Let that sink in for a minute; try to picture it. Even in this day of CGI movies, seeing someone like that in real life would be disconcerting. Moses was so bright, the people were afraid; he had to wear a veil for quite some time, until the glow had faded away.

Then, in another of this week's passages, Jesus takes his inner circle up the mountain where He is transfigured and, He too, is left glowing after encountering God there. I wonder how long that glow lasted? Scriptures doesn't tell us, but one thing we know, they didn't come down from the mountain until the next day.

Both "shinings" reappear in the II Corinthians passage, where Paul writes:

“With that kind of hope to excite us, nothing holds us back. Unlike Moses, we have nothing to hide. Everything is out in the open with us. He wore a veil so the children of Israel wouldn’t notice that the glory was fading away—and they didn’t notice. They didn’t notice it then and they don’t notice it now, don’t notice that there’s nothing left behind that veil. Even today when the proclamations of that old, bankrupt government are read out, they can’t see through it. Only Christ can get rid of the veil so they can see for themselves that there’s nothing there.

Whenever, though, they turn to face God as Moses did, God removes the veil and there they are—face-to-face! They suddenly recognize that God is a living, personal presence, not a piece of chiseled stone. And when God is personally present, a living Spirit, that old, constricting legislation is recognized as obsolete. We’re free of it! All of us! Nothing between us and God, our faces shining with the brightness of his face. And so we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him.”
‭‭(2 Corinthians‬ ‭3:12-18‬ ‭MSG‬‬
http://bible.com/97/2co.3.12-18.msg)

We should have no fear of the shining, the real shining. It's God's light pouring through.
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READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
Transfiguration Sunday (February 7, 2016)
Last Sunday before Lent
First reading
Exodus 34:29-35
Psalm
Psalm 99
Second reading
2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2
Gospel
Luke 9:28-36, (37-43a)

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Not all of us are morning people, bright and shining when we first face the day. That's what breakfast is for. Join us for Lectionary Breakfast Friday morning at 8:00. We gather for a great hour of relaxed fellowship and scripture at the Waco "Egg and I" restaurant.

Enjoy the week!
Steve