A Satin Pillow in the Armory (a Lectionary reflection by Steve Orr)

My mother slept on a satin pillow.

Mama was one of six children born to a stay-at-home mother and a father who worked for the Illinois Central Railroad. Grandaddy's paycheck didn't go very far, since he wasted a lot of it on drink and "riotous living" (to borrow from the King James).

The short of it: there was little money for the family. In the early years, they lived in one of the hovels that fronted on the train yard. Granddaddy could walk to work, but that's about all you could say in favor of the arrangement.

The arrival of the Great Depression did nothing to improve the situation.

Having grown up with little, my mother became motivated at a very young age to have something of her own, to gather enough resources to run her own life. And that meant having a paying job.

Mom went to work at age 11. She worked through the balance of her school years, and left high school one credit shy of graduation so she could work. That paycheck was important to her. It meant a kind of freedom, an independence, an assurance of not having to return to deprivation.

And that brings us to the satin pillow.

It was part of her regimen. Each working day, my mother rose from her bed to go do "battle" in a world run by men. Having started in a job only filled by women, she worked for years to improve her position in the company. Being savvy, she could see that management was the path upward.

In those days, for women, such jobs were rare.

But she persevered. A part of that was diligence, hard work, good work; but a big part of that, as anyone in management can tell you, is looking the part.

My mother had a standing, weekly appointment at the "Beauty Shop." It was more than just hair in those days. I think we might say "spa," today. In any case, this was where a significant part of her "look" was accomplished. Part of the way she maintained that look between appointments was to sleep on a satin pillow. Somehow, that pillow surface helped her maintain that all important coiffure from one Monday to the next.

My mother was focused. She had a plan. And she used everything at her disposal to pursue her objective . . . even going so far as to rest her head each night on a satin pillow.

But, here's the thing; though she achieved some successes in her career, she never believed she had "arrived," never came to a point where she felt it was time to "rest on her laurels." She continued to pursue her objective of ever improving accomplishment, continued moving in the direction of her goal.

In this week's Lectionary scriptures, Paul's letter to the Philippians sets the same example for us in the pursuit of our relationship with the Lord. We must press on. We must not assume we have "arrived." Sure, our "battle armor" differs from what my mother used to pursue her career. But, like her, we are to bring every bit of ourselves to the process.

We are expected to actively pursue spiritual maturity, pressing on until the day we are finally told, "Well done, good and faithful servant."

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READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
Fifth Sunday in Lent (March 13, 2016)
First reading
Isaiah 43:16-21
Psalm
Psalm 126
Second reading
Philippians 3:4b-14
Gospel
John 12:1-8
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Each week, we have an opportunity to visit with friends at Lectionary Breakfast. It's an hour that fills us with some of what we need so we can keep "pressing on" our spiritual journey. Join us Friday mornings at the Waco "Egg and I" restaurant. We start at 8:00. There's food, God's word, and fellowship well sprinkled with guffaws 😇

Enjoy your week!
Steve

Triple Crown (a Lectionary reflection by Steve Orr)

There are thousands of horse races every year, all across the planet. And while several countries have Triple Crown competitions, it is the U.S. Triple Crown that the world follows in the media. Many of us recently thrilled at American Pharaoh's win at the Belmont Stakes. Having already won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness, the Belmont win made American Pharaoh the 12th Triple Crown winner in U.S. history, and ended a 37 year drought.

It's a competitive sport; and Thoroughbred Racing, though a smaller subset, is the most competitive part of that sport. Riders and horses train intensely for a period of years. Before the Derby, several horses are considered favorites. But when the Preakness is run, the Derby winner is the most favored horse in the race. The other riders know they must outperform the Derby winner if they are going to take the Preakness. And should the same horse win both the Derby and the Preakness, the competition for the Belmont is intensified by magnitudes.

Like all competitors, the owners, trainers, and jockeys understand that, regardless of the horse's physical abilities, they must win the mental competitions before the physical ones. For sake of discussion, let's call those mental competitions "races."

RACE ONE - Recognizing that there is a greater performance level: I like that Robert Browning quote for this "...a man's reach should exceed his grasp, or what's a heaven for?" The competitor must understand there is a gap between where s/he is and the greater performance level.

RACE TWO - Recognizing that there is a challenge to seek that greater performance level: Simply knowing there is a greater performance level isn't enough to bring about a win. The competitor must desire it and work toward it. They must accept the challenge.

RACE THREE - Recognizing there is a means to accept that challenge & bridge the gap through instruction and preparation: In short, it's a process and you have to start somewhere. Why not start with an instructor/trainer who is best qualified to lead you where you need to be in order to win? This is where the real work begins.

But wouldn't it all seem a bit absurd if people raced alongside those horses? Strange as that sounds, God calls us to do just that. This week's Lectionary selection from Mark 4 has within it a reference to a challenge in place between humans and God: how some people can understand enough of God's ways to rise above, to bridge the gap between God and humans, to be able to be imitators of God in their dealings with other humans.

Responding to Jeremiah's complaints that good things keep happening to bad people, God says, "If you have raced with men on foot, and they have wearied you, how will you compete with horses?" (Jeremiah 12:5 English Standard Version) God uses a proverbial expression to help Jeremiah understand that his complaining reflects spiritually immaturity. There is more, much more, that God needs from Jeremiah. He really is calling for the young prophet to step up to a higher level, to "compete with the horses." But if he can't handle the day-to-day, then how will he handle larger truths? It's RACE ONE.

Jesus raised the very same concept when he asked "If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?" (‭John‬ ‭3‬:‭12‬ NKJV). Jesus is tossing down the gauntlet, issuing the challenge to seek the higher things. They need to accept the challenge to be more than they are. RACE TWO.

Finally, in this week's selection (Mark 4:33-34), we see that Jesus spent much of his ministry speaking in parables, and only in parables, to most of his audiences. Why? Because it's what "they were able to hear..." BUT, to those He had challenged, to those whom He expected to strive for that greater spiritual maturity, his disciples, "he explained everything in private."

We are called to be more, to know more, to do more; but we are not expected to just arrive there. Nor are we expected to strive toward that alone. Just as did Jesus' disciples, we have an instructor who will explain to us so that we may, in turn, help others to understand. RACE THREE.

The race is on. Are you in it?
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READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
http://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/

Proper 6 (11) (June 14, 2015)
1 Samuel 15:34 - 16:13
Psalm 20
Ezekiel 17:22-24
Psalm 92:1-4, 12-15
2 Corinthians 5:6-10, (11-13), 14-17
Mark 4:26-34
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Eric is away this week, so the mice will play! :-) Please join our Lectionary Breakfast group Friday morning at 8:00. We're still at the Waco "Egg and I" restaurant and it's still the best hour of the day.

Enjoy the week!
Steve