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.
___________________________________

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
___________________________________

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

Thank You, Todd Rundgren (a Lectionary reflection by Steve Orr)

The behind the scenes tour of Atlanta's CNN was fascinating; seeing how the "news" gets made. The highlight was the few minutes we spent on the Headline News set during the LIVE broadcast of "Morning Express with Robin Meade." We sat quietly at a table just out of camera range. All about us, people were active at work stations doing, I supposed, something in support of that broadcast. I spent most of the time looking back and forth between the live actors and the monitors posted in the work stations.

And that's when I saw it.

Scrawled in someone's large script on a white board section of one of the work stations was the name: Todd Rundgren. Do you know him? Todd has been continuously making music since the early 1970's. Probably best known in recent years for his catchy tune, Bang the Drum All Day ("I don't wanna work! I just wanna bang on the drum all day!"), seeing his name on that board immediately brought to mind one of his lesser known (but actually better) tunes, Mighty Love.

In that latter song---a great, thumping, toe-tapping piece of music---Todd and crew contrast lesser love (in this case, what the Greeks referred to as “Eros”; romantic love) with a lasting, mighty love. The song recounts how the lesser love does not last, even though deeply sworn and strongly intended, because, as the song says, “that’s the way love goes.”

But what kind of love IS "a mighty love"?

With events like the Genesis flood firmly planted in the histories of almost all peoples, and the record of the Red Sea drowning Pharaoh’s army, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that later Biblical writers came to use phrases like “mighty waters,” “many waters,” “great waters,” and “deep waters” as a kind of metaphor for serious trouble.We see them using that phrase in the Psalms and the prophecies on a regular basis; even in the Song of Solomon. It always refers to big trouble, overwhelming trouble, the kind of trouble you really can’t get out of by yourself, the kind of trouble that just might be the end of you. Mighty waters.

But there is a countering force to mighty waters.

Now, as some of you are old enough to recall, Todd Rundgren is not known as a “Christian” singer; you won’t find his music listed on any of the “Christian top 40.” But, as with some other “secular” performers ---like The Pretenders on “I’ll Stand By You,” Anne Murray on “You Needed Me,” Josh Grogan on “You Raise Me Up,” and Carole King on “Way Over Yonder”--- he sometimes strays into deeply spiritual territory … if only we have the “ears to hear.” And I think we can put on our spiritual ears and hear that Todd Rundgren’s “mighty love” is actually what the Greeks called “Agape,” an unconditional love, one that always acts in our best interest, one that lasts; or, as one of my professors put it: “love, in spite of.”

God's love.

As the Psalm 29 selection in this week's Lectionary indicates: God is the master of the mighty waters. Since God is love, His mighty love Is greater than any troubles that come our way, even those "floods" that threaten to, and sometimes do, overwhelm us.

Mighty Waters?

Mighty Love.

_____________________________________

READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
Trinity Sunday (May 31, 2015)
Isaiah 6:1-8
Psalm 29
Romans 8:12-17
John 3:1-17

Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth (May 31, 2015)
1 Samuel 2:1-10
Psalm 113
Romans 12:9-16b
Luke 1:39-57
_____________________________________

There have been a LOT of "mighty waters" lately. Some of them ACTUAL waters. Don't endanger yourself, but if you can get out, join us Friday morning for Lectionary Breakfast. We'll gather at the Waco "Egg and I" restaurant from 8:00 to 9:00. There will be plenty of food, scripture, laughter, and love. Come.

Enjoy the week!
Steve

photo from imgkid.com

Mighty Waters, Mighty Love

MIGHTY WATERS, MIGHTY LOVE

By Steve Orr

Scripture is full of stories and references to “Mighty Waters.” There are the obvious ones, like the crossing of the Red Sea in during the Exodus from Egypt, Jonah being tossed into the sea before being swallowed by a great fish, and Jesus coming to the disciples during the terrible storm on the Sea of Galilee. And, of course, the granddaddy of them all, THE FLOOD that God used to wipe out all but those sealed in Noah’s ark.

With events like the Genesis flood firmly planted in the histories of almost all peoples, and the record of the Red Sea drowning Pharaoh’s army, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that later Biblical writers came to use phrases like “mighty waters,” “many waters,” “great waters,” and “deep waters” as a kind of metaphor for serious trouble. We see them using that phrase in the Psalms and the prophecies on a regular basis; even in the Song of Solomon. And it always refers to big trouble, overwhelming trouble, the kind of trouble you really can’t get out of by yourself, the kind of trouble that just might be the end of you. Mighty waters.

But there is a countering force to mighty waters. In the song, “Mighty Love,” a great, thumping, toe-tapping piece of music, Todd Rundgren and his group contrast lesser love (in this case, what the Greeks referred to as “Eros”; romantic love) with a lasting, mighty love. The song recounts how the lesser love does not last, even though deeply sworn and strongly intended, because, as the song says, “that’s the way love goes.”

Now, as some of you are old enough to recall, Todd Rundgren is not known as a “Christian” singer; you won’t find his music listed on any of the “Christian top 40.” But, as with other “secular” performers like The Pretenders in “I’ll Stand By You,” Anne Murray in “You Needed Me,” Josh Grogan in “You Raise Me Up,” and Carole King in “Way Over Yonder,” he sometimes strays into deeply spiritual territory … if only we have the “ears to hear.” And I think we can put on our spiritual ears and hear that Todd Rundgren’s “mighty love” is actually what the Greeks called “Agape,” an unconditional love, one that always acts in our best interest, one that lasts; or, as one of my professors put it: “love, in spite of.”

Still, the mere existence of such a “mighty love” is not really enough, is it? There must be someone on the other side of that equation, someone who not only cares about us, but who has the power to act on our behalf in even the direst circumstances; not just love, but a mighty love. And, praise God, there is such a rescuer; there is a deliverer, someone to save us from being overcome by the overwhelming. In Psalms 32:6, David says about God, “Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you while you may be found; surely when the mighty waters rise, they will not reach him. You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.” Now that is a clear picture of Godly protection and deliverance; an example of God’s mighty love in action.

But a caution here; I’m not saying you won’t ever get wet. Remember the language of the parable Jesus told about building your house; “when the storm comes” you want to be sure your spiritual house is on solid ground, not shifting sands. There is a storm coming in each of our lives; perhaps even multiple storms, but there is also deliverance if we are willing to recognize it and accept it. In 2 Samuel 22:17-19a, David praises God saying, “He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters. He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me. They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the Lord was my support. He brought me out to a spacious place…” Not just protection, but also rescue. Whether we blindly led ourselves into such danger, or are being tested and tried, God can, like in the story of Jonah, exercise His mighty love to bring us through the experience and back to the place where we can choose to do his will in relative safety.

As it says in the book of James, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” No, being near to God is not a safe place in the same way we usually want to think of safety, because we don’t worship a “safe” God. He is powerful beyond our ability to understand, and he is jealous in his strong love for us. It is not “safe” in the sense that there will be no challenges, no trials; rather it is the kind of safety that comes with being next to the most powerful being there is. Do you have “ears to hear” this? No other power or force can overcome God’s mighty love for us. As it says in the Song of Solomon, “Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot wash it away.”

I think the take-away points are these: God’s “mighty love” cannot be successfully assaulted by “mighty waters.” Scripture says “the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it.” He has told us he loves us, and his servants have written of how he draws us out of “deep waters” because of that love. So, when all appears to be lost, when you can see no way out, when things are at their darkest, don’t waste time and energy with other responses; call upon God to exercise His mighty love and rescue you. There is only one truly good place to be; as near to God as possible.