The Temptation of Odysseus (a Steve Orr scripture reflection)

If you haven't read The Odyssey or seen one of the films made about it, recently, then let me sum it up: Odysseus (also known as Ulysses) and his crew have been fighting in a terrible war. As they sail home, they have several adventures. One of those adventures involves some Sirens—human like sea creatures who sing a song which, legend held, seduces sailors to their death. 

Before meeting those bewitching females, Odysseus had everyone's ears sealed with wax. But he had himself—minus the earwax—tied securely to the ship’s mast. Then, even though Odysseus could hear the Sirens' song, he could not respond to it, despite having a great desire to do so. He was seduced, but his constraints kept him from succumbing to the Sirens' Song. It was a clever work-around. 

Perhaps you, too, have been tempted and hoped something would hold you back. if so, you will want to spend some time in this week’s scriptures. The theme running through them is temptation and what might happen when nothing and no one keeps you from giving in. 

The Genesis and Matthew selections allow us to contrast Satan‘s temptations of Eve and of Jesus. Satan tempted Eve with appetite, attraction, and hidden knowledge. Satan tempted Jesus with hunger, ego, and wealth/power. The temptations were similar, but definitely “tailored” to the person being tempted. And, as we know, there were decidedly different outcomes. 

 

The Romans passage describes those outcomes. Eve's fall led to Adam's fall (not that he put up much of a fight). By resisting Satan’s temptations, Jesus paved the way for our redemption. Jesus, in effect, "reversed the curse" resulting from Eve's (and Adam's) sin. We can now be reconciled to God because Jesus resisted Satan's temptations.

What we learn is this: The problem with temptation is not the temptation. 

 

Temptations are going to come our way. In that sense, neither Eve nor Jesus differs from us. Different people are tempted by different things. I think the real problem is summed up in Psalm 32: "Do not be like a horse or a mule, without understanding, whose temper must be curbed with bit and bridle, else it will not stay near you." In other words, we are expected to control ourselves, regardless of the temptation. 

But, as we all know, we are not always able to exert that level of control.

 

In the Hebrews passage, we learn that Jesus was tempted in every way we are, and yet, He didn't sin. That's what we should take away this week: not that we don’t sin, but that He didn’t. The things that tempt you—people, foods, gossip, ego, revenge, inappropriate sex, wealth, power, etc.—Jesus not only understands, but has withstood them.

 

Take your concern to Jesus. He knows what you’re going through. Whatever is tempting you, Jesus is the answer.

 

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PHOTO (Ulysses and the Sirens): 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulysses_and_the_Sirens_(Waterhouse)

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Join us Friday morning at DaySpring’s Lectionary Breakfast. Food, fellowship, scripture, prayer, the occasional "Eureka!" and some of the best laughter you could find anywhere. Now, that is a good kind of temptation! 

 

We start at 8:00 and begin the exodus around 9:00. We're in the back at Our Breakfast Place. Ask, if you don't see us.

 

Blessings,

Steve

 

 **Contact me for the Zoom link

NOTE: Zoom allows you to mute the camera and the microphone if you don’t wish to be seen or heard.

 

SCRIPTURES FOR SUNDAY AND THE COMING WEEK

Find them here:

https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/texts.php?id=24

 

Print them here:

https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/pdf//Ax_FirstSundayinLent.pdf

 

Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7

Psalm 32

Romans 5:12-19

Matthew 4:1-11

First Sunday of Lent (February 26, 2023)

 

Table of readings for Lent

https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/lections.php?year=A&season=Lent 

Even the Mighty Fall (a Steve Orr scripture reflection)

Nothing in this life lasts forever. 

Even the mighty fall. Whether it’s a corporation, a political leader or a superstar, there comes a day when they are no longer on the top of the heap. 

 

Do you recall when you first realized this? For me, it was in my teens. That’s when I read Shelley’s little poem about the fate of mighty Ozymandias.* 

Later in life I encountered the work of Jim Collins who made a career of exploring the rise of the mighty. He started tracking the life cycles of corporations with his groundbreaking bestseller Built to Last. He investigated why some companies (e.g. Disney or Procter & Gamble) continued at the top of their respective fields decade after decade, while comparable others came and went. Following this was a second bestseller, Good to Great. There he sought to know why some companies (e.g. Gillette or Walgreens) made that leap from “good enough” to true greatness while others did not. 

Finally, it seemed only appropriate Collins should turn his searchlight on How the Mighty Fall. The results of that research? Turns out that, like mountain climbing, there are only a few ways to the top. Alternately, there are all sorts of ways to reach the bottom, ways that are painful, bruising and—often—fatal. A "company can indeed look like the picture of health on the outside yet already be in decline, dangerously on the cusp of a huge fall..." 

 

In other words, the seeds of our destruction are usually sown long before the harvest. Are there ways to see that fall coming? Collins and crew found there are some usual stages through which the mighty descend on their way to the bottom. If brought to their attention, knowing these stages might allow them to reverse course before they are too far gone. The first three are particularly instructive:

 

Stage 1: Hubris Born of Success 

Stage 2: Undisciplined Pursuit of More 

Stage 3: Denial of Risk and Peril 

 

In the Old Testament, these three are all present in the nations that surrounded Israel and were constantly conspiring to bring about its downfall. But God sent warnings to those nations. God showed them their hubris, their unbridled appetite, and the risks they were incurring by conspiring against His will.

 

This week's scriptures, especially Psalm 2, tell of God's sovereignty and the authority He has conferred on His Anointed One (Jesus). God makes it clear, to those nations and to us: He is the authority and He has anointed His chosen. Kings, rulers, judges, and everyone else must recognize both His sovereignty and His anointed. 

 

Collins discovered how corporations can avoid an early decline by bringing wisdom into the equation. Likewise, everyone—both mighty and otherwise—can be wise by recognizing God’s sovereignty over our lives. 

A decline in position and power is part and parcel with living this life and, no matter what corporations do, is something every human faces. But how we navigate life, the quality of our experience as we ride it’s ups and downs, rests in our relationship with God. 

And that does last forever. 

 

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BONUS MATERIAL

*PHOTO (plus all the words to the Ozymandias poem and a funny take by humorist Ogden Nash): 

https://muddlet.wordpress.com/2018/01/07/ozymandias-ogdeniasis/

 

A very brief piece about the real Ozymandias (Ramses II of Exodus fame):

https://vahshatedil.wordpress.com/2010/03/24/ozymandias-…-two-versions-ii/

 

 

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Join us Friday morning for DaySpring’s Lectionary Breakfast. We will meet on Zoom** and at Our Breakfast Place at 8:00 to chew on and digest some scripture while chowing down on some great food.

 

Blessings,

Steve

**Contact me for the Zoom link

NOTE: Zoom allows you to mute the camera and the microphone if you don’t wish to be seen or heard.

SCRIPTURES FOR SUNDAY AND THE COMING WEEK

Find them here:

https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/texts.php?id=22

Print them here:

https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/pdf//Ax_TransfigurationSunday.pdf

Exodus 24:12-18

Psalm 2 or Psalm 99

2 Peter 1:16-21

Matthew 17:1-9

Transfiguration Sunday (February 19, 2023)

More Rocket Science (a Steve Orr scripture reflection)

He knew what he wanted to be—and it wasn’t this. 

 

At the start of Robert Heinlein’s science fiction novel, Starman Jones, young Max lives on a small farm in the Ozarks with his stepmother. Once a week, after finishing his chores, he makes his way down the hill a bit where he stretches out and waits. Soon, he hears the roar and sees the bright flame that lifts the weekly Moon Shuttle off the Earth and on its way to space. The light of that rocket flame is a beacon to Max Jones; the roar, a siren’s song. They call to something deep within him, a great desire unfulfilled by his daily life. 

 

But wanting something is not the same as achieving it.

 

Legend has it that NASA scientists considered two different methods of moving a rocket from the Earth to outer space: 

         Method 1 - "constant acceleration" meant a slow launch, increasing the speed a little more each second until breakthrough velocity was achieved. It would be easy on the Astronauts, but lacked the certainty of the other method. Plus, and this is key, constant acceleration was much slower to achieve Earth orbit. 

         Method 2 - “quick thrust" or “intense acceleration” meant a faster launch. This would be harder on the Astronauts. They would be subjected to several gravities of force "pressing" on them. This high “g-force” could, if endured too long, injure or kill them. 

 

NASA chose Method 2. 

 

That excessive G-force the Astronauts would have to endure during takeoff was one of the reasons our astronauts needed to possess the "right stuff," physical and mental attributes essential to their success. This exclusivity was necessary. Almost anyone could handle the takeoff using the gentler "constant acceleration" method. Only a few could handle the intensity of the other.

 

And that brings us to this week’s 1st Corinthians passage. The more influential Corinthians who were part of that church had the idea that only those with the "right stuff" (like them) could be a follower of Jesus. They believed their way was the only way. Paul's letter to the church confronts them with the truth: they are not the spiritually gifted Pneumatikoi ("Spirit People") they imagined themselves to be, far from it. 

 

They were so far from maturity, they were more like babies, only able to stomach the "milk" of Paul’s teachings. Their superiority complex and exclusivity were tearing apart the church at Corinth. Paul needed to remind them: God is the one who "gives the growth." 

 

Spiritual maturity comes about when we submit to the shaping of our creator. It doesn’t happen just because we say so. Max Jones didn’t become Starman Jones just by desiring it. The transformation from farmer to Starman took time. He went through a process, experienced several life challenges. These, eventually, shaped him for a job on a starship.

 

We must have faith that God has invested each of us with sufficient "right stuff" for our respective spiritual journeys. God will honor our constancy with a spiritual growth pace and trajectory that is right. 

 

God knows which launch method is best for each of us. 

 

_______________________

PHOTO: 

https://biblio.sg/book/starman-jones-heinlein-robert/d/644177082

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Join us Friday morning for DaySpring’s Lectionary Breakfast. We continue to meet at 8:00 at Our Breakfast Place and on Zoom.** The scriptures and the fellowship are great. 

 

No excessive G-force will be applied.

 

Enjoy the week!

Steve

 

**Contact me for the Zoom link

NOTE: Zoom allows you to mute the camera and the microphone if you don’t wish to be seen or heard.

 

SCRIPTURES FOR SUNDAY AND THE COMING WEEK

Find them here:

https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/texts.php?id=18

 

Print them here:

https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/pdf//Ax_SixthSundayafterEpiphany.pdf

 

Deuteronomy 30:15-20

Psalm 119:1-8

1 Corinthians 3:1-9

Matthew 5:21-37

Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany (February 12, 2023)

 

 

Maybe It Is Rocket Science (a Steve Orr scripture reflection)

That rocket engine was loud!

 

I clearly remember the first time I heard—and vibrated to—a SpaceX rocket engine test. Those rocket engine tests are fairly common for those of us living near the small central Texas town of McGregor. SpaceX has a very active operation there. The deep-throated roar of those engines has been known to shake pictures off walls, objects off shelves, and nappers off couches. 

 

The first time it happened, there was one question on the mind of every person: What is happening?! After it kept happening, though, our adrenaline levels eventually stopped being "Emergency!" Soon, we downgraded our reaction to "Oh, that again." It was still loud, and it still shook houses. But nothing bad followed all that noise; nothing momentous occurred. 

 

The excitement had waned. 

 

We settled down.  

 

We got used to it.

 

That's the situation confronted by the prophet Isaiah in this week's scriptures. God had been active in the lives of the Jewish people for centuries. God had previously presented as a giant pillar of fire or a great whirlwind (think: tornado or hurricane). Sometimes God appeared with such a roar that ordinary people were afraid to approach. 

 

God could be blindingly bright, thunderously loud. 

 

Eventually, though, people came to take God for granted. Oh, they still did the religious things. They fasted, made sacrifices, participated in worship. And, in their minds, that was enough. 

 

In truth, they had moved past the excitement of following God's commandments for living. They quarreled and fought with each other. They let the hungry go hungry. They denied justice to those who were falsely imprisoned. They were supposed to bring the homeless into their own homes, to free the oppressed, and to be caring for their relatives—but, no. 

 

No time for any of that stuff; too busy being busy. 

 

And all the time they were wondering where God had gotten to. Because they no longer did as God asked, God told Isaiah to "Shout out, do not hold back! Lift up your voice like a trumpet! Announce to my people their rebellion." Apparently, nothing else was going to get their attention. They could no longer hear the roar, no longer see the light.

 

What about us? Are we deaf to that roar, blind to that light?

 

_________________________

PHOTO (SpaceX rocket engine testing in McGregor, TX):

https://parabolicarc.com/2016/05/11/mcgregor-spacex-rocket-testing-rules/

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As we continue to move through the Epiphany season, I hope you can join us Friday morning at DaySpring’s Lectionary Breakfast. Fat Tuesday will be upon us before you know it, and then Ash Wednesday and Lent. Next thing you know, we'll be celebrating Easter. 

 

Take some time to fellowship with us at Our Breakfast Place and on Zoom.** We start at 8:00 and mosey along around 9:00. We eat, we laugh, we pray, and we spend some quality time in God's word.

 

Hearing the roar. Seeing the light. 

 

Blessings,

Steve

 

**Contact me for the Zoom link

NOTE: Zoom allows you to mute the camera and the microphone if you don’t wish to be seen or heard.

SCRIPTURES FOR SUNDAY AND THE COMING WEEK

Find them here:

https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/texts.php?id=17

 

 Print them here:

https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/pdf//Ax_FifthSundayafterEpiphany.pdf

 

Isaiah 58:1-9a (9b-12)

Psalm 112:1-9 (10)

1 Corinthians 2:1-12 (13-16)

Matthew 5:13-20

Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany (February 5, 2023)

Juggling Balls That Don’t Bounce (a Steve Orr scripture reflection)

The first thing I was told when learning to juggle: Be sure to start with balls that don’t bounce.

 

Apparently, that's how real jugglers start out. Long before they juggle complicated things like pins or chainsaws, they must first learn the craft. They start small, with two or three balls. And, preferably, those “balls” are actually small stuffed bags that don't bounce away when they—inevitably—fall to the ground. 

 

Most people can learn to juggle three small, same-sized objects. Of course, success is not automatic—it takes practice. 

 

But it's not complicated.

 

The complicated stuff comes later—much later. Jugglers must first become really good at getting those three relatively small things to do as they should. In short: Don't have too many balls in the air. The more complicated routines must wait until after mastering the beginner level.

In a way, this week's selection from the prophet Micah is also about juggling. He asks the reader to consider how someone shows proper respect to God. Are special, and increasingly difficult, sacrifices required to impress God? What kind of sacrifice would be big enough, dangerous enough, meaningful enough to cancel out a person's sin?

Micah already knows and quickly reveals the answer. It is surprisingly simple: Do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God.

See? Not complicated.

Sure, there are people—a few—who are called to do more complicated things in life. But that's not most of us. The challenge before most of us God-followers is this: to begin with a few, relatively simple actions, and to not skip the beginner level.

 

Do you have too many balls in the air?

 

For most of us, God is only asking this: Keep just those three balls circling. That is, to consistently act justly, be merciful, and walk humbly in God's presence, all at the same time. 

You may find, as have I, that there's plenty of challenge in that.

 

_________________________

PHOTO: 

https://www.amazon.com/ArtCreativity-Juggling-Beginners-Durable-Multi-Colored/dp/B07CRS18CY/ref=sr_1_1?crid=24TZZYG4SU56B&keywords=art+creativity+juggling+balls&qid=1674591769&s=books&sprefix=Art+creativity+juggling+balls%2Cstripbooks%2C167&sr=1-1-catcorr

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I hope you can join us Friday morning at DaySpring’s Lectionary Breakfast. We're still at Our Breakfast Place (and on Zoom**) reading scripture, praying, eating, and laughing from 8:00 to 9:00. Usually we're in a room at the back of the building. If you're not sure, ask.

 

Blessings,

Steve

 

**Contact me for the Zoom link

NOTE: Zoom allows you to mute the camera and the microphone if you don’t wish to be seen or heard.

SCRIPTURES FOR SUNDAY AND THE COMING WEEK

Find them here:

https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/texts.php?id=16

 

 

Print them here:

https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/pdf//Ax_FourthSundayafterEpiphany.pdf

 

Micah 6:1-8

Psalm 15

1 Corinthians 1:18-31

Matthew 5:1-12

Fourth Sunday After the Epiphany (January 29, 2023)

Lost in the Darkness (a Steve Orr scripture reflection)

"The world had teeth and it could bite you with them anytime it wanted."

—The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon

That quote is from one of my favorite novels. I highly recommend it to anyone who has children, or who loves baseball, or who loves Stand By Me or Shawshank Redemption (all by the same author), or who loves an excellently written suspense tale.

 

Or who loves God.

Early in the novel, nine-year-old Trisha becomes lost. A wrong turn takes her into the wilderness surrounding the Appalachian Trail where it crosses the Maine-New Hampshire border. Disoriented, she wanders farther and farther away from civilization—and into danger. Despite her best efforts, she is just not capable of making it on her own.

 

And that's where Tom Gordon comes into the story. A “closer” for the Boston Red Sox, Gordon was often brought to the pitcher’s mound near the end of a tight ballgame to ensure victory. Trisha loves Tom Gordon and the Red Sox.

 

Faced with mosquitos, loneliness, wasps, hunger, fear, illness, hallucinations—and even grizzlier threats—Trisha depends on her love of Gordon to lift her spirits. Imagining what he would do is all that keeps her going.

 

Trisha is lost. But even though there seems no possibility of rescue, she is not abandoned. Someone is looking for her. Similarly, the people in this week's Isaiah and Matthew selections live in deepening darkness, the very shadow of death. Everything is bad. There seems no possibility of rescue. 

 

But then, they see a great light.  

 

Sometimes, we get lost. We find ourselves in deep darkness. It could be darkness from the culture that surrounds us, or it could be a darkness we carry with us. But we don’t have to stay lost in the darkness. Instead, like the people in this week’s scriptures, we need to be looking for a light to lead us. We are not abandoned. 

 

We can rise from our deep darkness. We just need to follow that dawning light, the DaySpring—Jesus.

 

 

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PHOTO (Appalachian Trail Conservancy): 

https://appalachiantrail.org/trailway-news/

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Will you be in Waco Friday morning? DaySpring’s Lectionary Breakfast group meets at 8:00 at Our Breakfast Place and on Zoom.** We would love for you to join us for some illumination as we enjoy great food, scriptures, and each other. 

 

Blessings,

Steve

 

**Contact me for the Zoom link

NOTE: Zoom allows you to mute the camera and the microphone if you don’t wish to be seen or heard.

SCRIPTURES FOR SUNDAY AND THE COMING WEEK

Find them here:

https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/texts.php?id=15

 

Print them here:

https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/pdf//Ax_ThirdSundayafterEpiphany.pdf

 

Isaiah 9:1-4

Psalm 27:1, 4-9

1 Corinthians 1:10-18

Matthew 4:12-23

Third Sunday after the Epiphany (January 22, 2023)