Fireworks on the Charles (a Lectionary reflection by Steve Orr)

I've watched fireworks from a lot of different locations; among them, my own backyard (at a considerable distance), the 50th floor of the Prudential building (up close, at eye level), a farm team baseball field in Midland, Texas (very loud), the boardwalk at Boston Community Boating "down by the banks of the river Charles." Each had its own caché, it's own pluses and minuses. But it was that last one that I most recall these days.

The date was July 4, 2002. We were sitting in chairs on the boardwalk. It was a very special night. Firstly, we were there because we had purchased tickets from BCB to help fund their program to teach the youth of Boston to sail. The fundraiser was important because BCB will not turn away any child who wants to learn, even if they lack the ability to pay. Those two chairs and the small box dinners that came with them were pretty costly. But we were more than happy to pay the price. It was for a great cause, and it could be argued there were no better seats for what was to come.

In addition to front row seats for one of the (if not THE) best firework displays in the country, we were just a few yards from the Hatch Shell on the Esplanade. From there, The Boston Pops would provide patriotic musical accompaniment to the colorful explosions, including pairing the riotous 1812 Overture with the visually stunning fireworks finale.

But something else made it more special than usual. It was the first celebration of Independence Day since the horrific events of 9/11. As a nation, we needed to send a message to the world, a message that clearly communicated our determination to continue living our lives. And what better way to do that than to celebrate the anniversary of our Declaration of Independence out in the open, with bright fireworks and loud music.

Yes, armed soldiers stood on the decks of gunships plying up and down the Charles River that night; more than a little unnerving to see as they cruised by just a few feet off the boardwalk, but also strangely comforting as the celebration rose in intensity.

We needed to be, unmistakably, seen and heard. By everyone. So, all across the nation that night, we were bright, colorful, sparkly, and, oh so loud. I can't imagine anyone, anywhere, did not receive THAT declaration.

All of this came to mind when I read the Matthew selection from this week's Lectionary scriptures. Now, I KNOW I can't write a Lectionary reflection about one of Katy Perry's song. I get that. Too much controversy. But if I COULD write such a reflection, I know which song I would choose. And I bet YOU can guess that song without TOO much difficulty [a clue is cleverly secreted somewhere in the title of this reflection].

The bottom line: People need to be able to identify us, without having to turn over a bushel in order to check the strength and quality of our light.

We need to be obvious. We need to be, unmistakably, the people of God

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http://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu

READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany (February 9, 2014)

Isaiah 58:1-9a (9b-12)
Psalm 112:1-9 (10)
1 Corinthians 2:1-12 (13-16)
Matthew 5:13-20

"You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:14-16 NRSV)

“Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:14-16 MSG)

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I hope you can join us for Lectionary Breakfast, Friday morning. We gather at 8:00, enjoy colorful and tasty food, bright and sometimes raucous conversation, and the pleasure of each other's company.

Bushels checked at the door 😇

Enjoy the week!
Steve

Should I Stay or Should I Go? (a Lectionary reflection by Steve Orr)

Way back in 1981 when The Clash first released "Should I Stay or Should I Go?" it was ... well, maybe not greeted with yawns, exactly, but let's say it was ahead of its time. A decade had to pass before the audience caught up with the music. In 1991, the band garnered it's only Number One single with the song. Eventually, Rolling Stone ranked it as 228 on "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time." Later, VH1 ranked it as 42nd on its list of "100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs."

I was not listening to popular music back in 1981; too busy being a young husband and father. I suppose it's possible I heard the song in 1991 when it got more air play, but I don't recall becoming a fan of The Clash, so probably not. Somewhere along the way, though, it registered; maybe only that one piece of the chorus that repeated often throughout the lyrics, but it stuck.

Recently, I heard that one line from the song resurrected in a hotel commercial. Perhaps you've seen them; people are trying to decide whether to attend a wedding or class reunion, or whether to invest in traveling to see clients in person. They always sing "Should I stay or should I go?" before deciding. (Not that anyone's asking, but we like the bridesmaids the best)

"Should I stay or should I go" is not just a catchy lyric married to a catchy tune. It also gets at the heart of many pending decisions. It's certainly central to the passage in this week's Lectionary scripture from Luke. When I hear people discussing this passage, I find most get snagged on whether they are allowed to have possessions AND be disciples of Jesus. Taken out of context like that, I think they are missing the main, and far more important, point of what Jesus says to the large crowd of followers.

Jesus was a popular guy. As he went about preaching and teaching, more and more people began to follow him. This was not least because many believed he had come from God to throw off Israel's oppressor, Rome, and restore Israel to its former glory. That, as Jesus well knew, was not a good reason to follow Him. He knew what was coming; hard times for his followers. He needed them to be ready, to have already made the tough decisions in advance of those hard times. And so he asked:

Have you counted the cost?

That's the real message of this passage. When the time comes, can you separate yourself from all that is dear to you if that is what is required? You need to decide that, now, well before the moment when the choice must be made.

Should you stay or should you go?

Depends.

If you've already made your informed choice to follow Jesus, then "stay" the course. If you're still trying to decide ---or more likely, only just now realizing the seriousness of a choice you made some time ago--- let me encourage you to "go" with Jesus.

Just so you've counted the costs before you go any further.

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If you would like to read a reflection that goes with this week's Jeremiah passage, click on the top Spiritual Reflection listed to the right, "Pain Heals. Chicks dig scars. Glory up lasts forever." Or, if I can get this link to go live, you can try clicking on this:


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READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
Proper 18 (23) (September 4, 2016)


Jeremiah 18:1-11
Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18
Deuteronomy 30:15-20
Psalm 1
Philemon 1:1-21
Luke 14:25-33
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Will you be at Lectionary Breakfast Friday morning? If you're a fan of The Clash and you're humming "Should I Stay or Should I Go?" right now, choose "go." We still meet at the Waco "Egg and I" restaurant at 8:00 for an hour that is different from most. We eat, we read scripture, we kick it around, and, quite often, we laugh. You'd like it.

Enjoy the week!
Steve

Starry, Starry Night (a Lectionary reflection by Steve Orr)

I think Vincent Van Gogh would understand.

He planned on a career in ministry, like his Calvinist father and others in the family. He even was a missionary for a short time. Sadly for Van Gogh, but to the enrichment of many, none of his ministry attempts worked out. In life, he was considered a madman and a failure. He couldn't keep a job. For the final few years of his life, he lived on a small allowance from his brother. On the positive side, though, the 2100 pieces of art he produced included 860 oil paintings.

So why is it I think he would understand? Because he had to face blank canvases.

Sometimes you find yourself facing a blank. If writing, that may be a blank page. If painting, that may be a blank canvas. Or, for most of us, it just may be that spot we sometimes come to where we just don't know what to do next. Whether you call it writers block, or painters block (or whatever painters call it), or just decision block, it comes down to the same thing ... not making a commitment.

You didn't expect that, did you?

You thought I was going to say "fear" or "confusion," or something about lacking confidence; maybe make an appeal to a muse. True, there are always challenges to be faced, but the root problem is one of commitment. I love what Van Gogh said about it:

"Many painters are afraid in front of the blank canvas, but the blank canvas is afraid of the real, passionate painter who dares and who has broken the spell of “you can’t” once and for all. Life itself, too, is forever turning an infinitely vacant, dispiriting blank side towards man on which nothing appears, any more than it does on a blank canvas. But no matter how vacant and vain, how dead life may appear to be, the man of faith, of energy, of warmth, who knows something, will not be put off so easily."

I chose to write about Van Gogh, today, because, faced with a blank canvas ... he started painting. He believed action was better than inaction, that it would lead him, eventually, to the painting he wanted to produce. And I chose Van Gogh because, despite all of his successes and failures, despite his rejection of formal religion, and despite his mental illness, he continued to consider Jesus central to his life.

That was a commitment he never relinquished.

When you read this week's Lectionary scriptures, you will find they have common threads running through them: being true to God, being humble, giving to the needy ("...the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind."), consoling the imprisioned, doing good at every opportunity.

In his art, Van Gogh faced down the blanks he encountered by taking action. We can do the same with our faith walks. We don't have to wait for inspiration to strike us, for a visitation from some muse, or even an ideal meteorological condition; we can just start. Someday, we will look back and see a path where we had only seen a blank when we first walked it.

There is much to do. So, slap some paint on that canvas and get going.
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READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
Proper 17 (22) (August 28, 2016)



Jeremiah 2:4-13
Psalm 81:1, 10-16
Proverbs 25:6-7
Psalm 112
Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16
Luke 14:1, 7-14
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Join us for great food, interesting discussions, and a time in the scriptures. Lectionary Breakfast meets Friday mornings at 8:00 at the Waco "Egg and I" restaurant. We wrap up around 9:00.

Blessings,
Steve

Shake It Off (a Lectionary reflection by Steve Orr)

Duckwater.

That's the word we came up with when we were kids. It was our shorthand for those times when our peers were calling us names or otherwise "putting us down." What we meant whenever we said that to someone, our coded message if you will, was: "let it roll off your back like water off a duck."

Some things are just not worthy of our emotional investment. We deny them power over us by treating them as something that has about as much sticking power as water sliding off a duck. To quote from a recent movie, sometimes you just need to, "Let it go." As a current pop star might put it: just shake it off.

Pick your mechanism. Choose the idiom that works for you. However we do it, we need to, somehow, separate what is not important from what is. In fact, if we haven't done so, yet, we need to start emphasizing what is truly important in every aspect of our existence. And, at some point, we need to give zero time to those matters which are really only distractions from what actually matters.

In this week's Lectionary selection from the book of Hebrews, the writer talks about the time when God will shake off the created realm so that all that remains is the eternal.

As we prepare for that time, we need to keep moving ourselves away from what is only temporary and toward what is everlasting; to behold the only things that truly matter, and to shed what only seems, and only momentarily, consequential.

Duckwater.
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READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
Proper 16 (21) (August 21, 2016

Jeremiah 1:4-10
Psalm 71:1-6
Isaiah 58:9b-14
Psalm 103:1-8
Hebrews 12:18-29
Luke 13:10-17
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We would love for you to join us Friday morning for Lectionary Breakfast. We meet at 8:00 at the Waco "Egg and I" restaurant for an hour of scripture, discussion, tasty food, and lasting sustenance.

Blessings!
Steve

Expecting Justice? (a Lectionary reflection by Steve Orr)

We went to his office expecting Justice.

That was not a crazy thing to think, under the circumstances. My classmate and I had an interesting situation, but not a new one. These kinds of things happen from time to time, even to the best of people. Mistakes can be, and are, made. We're all human.

The situation: on the midterm exam, we both had answered the same question the same way. But, on my paper the answer was marked as correct. While on my classmate's paper, the same answer was marked as incorrect. To our thinking, the professor need only fix the mark on my classmate's paper and then adjust his overall midterm grade.

That is not how it went.

At first, once we had provided him the two exams and explained the problem, he just looked at us. At us, not at the exams. That silent stare of his lasted long enough to begin to feel uncomfortable. Then, still not looking at the exams, he said to us, "I don't change grades. You know this. I have stated this on several occasions. In fact, I make that announcement before every exam." [To be fair, what he always told us was, "I don't negotiate grades." I guess we were naive, but this didn't seem, at least to us, to fall under the term, "negotiate." This was an error, made either by him or by his grader. All we were asking was for a simple correction.]

There's no need to drag this out. Everything we said that afternoon was for nought. He was firm in his stance, and he never changed my classmate's grade. It was a profoundly disappointing experience, on many levels. He was an excellent Professor, the kind who makes the learning process come alive. To find he had this bizarrely obstinate side to him was a shock. We felt that we had been let down by someone we had, up until that moment, respected.

A strong social bond had been broken.

This experience came back to me as I read through this week's Lectionary scriptures. Most of this week's selections deal with God's shock and disappointment to discover His people had broken covenant, had broken the contract, if you will.

What contract, you ask?

Throughout history, God has repeatedly asked His people to provide justice for the weak, equal treatment for all, help for those in need, to speak God's word faithfully, for leaders (whether religious leaders or otherwise) to not mislead the flocks they shepherded. This list goes on and on. A reductionist might choose "equity" as the word that sums it up. However, I think we do ourselves a disservice to reduce it down.

We are not asked to merely ensure equity exists. We are asked to actively seek it and provide it. It is not enough to just check to see if people are being treated as they should be. God asks us to do something about it. Each of us.

In the Isaiah passage, God is deeply disappointed because "he expected Justice, but saw bloodshed; righteousness, but heard a cry!" When you expect Justice, as did my classmate all those years ago, the disappointment is deep and lasting when you receive the opposite.

You could say, "Oh, it's just a grade, not something significant." But I would suggest it all depends on whether you're on the receiving end or not. Think of it this way: if it was so disappointing for "just a grade," how awful it must be for someone who expects fair treatment ---from the courts, from the marketplace, from the church, from neighbors, from the halls of government--- and finds the opposite, or at best, indifference.

Now you know how God feels about it.

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READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
Proper 15 (20) (August 14, 2016)
First reading and Psalm
Isaiah 5:1-7
Psalm 80:1-2, 8-19
Alternate First reading and Psalm
Jeremiah 23:23-29
Psalm 82
Second reading
Hebrews 11:29-12:2
Gospel
Luke 12:49-56
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Join us if you can Friday morning at the Waco "Egg and I" restaurant. Lectionary Breakfast starts at 8:00 and goes for about an hour. We spend our time looking into the mind of God by reading scripture' we visit, discuss, and, yes, laugh.

Enjoy the week!
Steve

To Be or Not To Be (a Lectionary reflection by Steve Orr)

Someone once said, "We are constantly walking out of this life" (If you know who, please let me know. I like to cite with the proper attribution).

I understood this to be something akin to "seize the day," an exhortation to focus fully on what good can be done today and to act accordingly. This, I believe, is an encouragement to not waste time mourning yesterday's lost opportunities, nor, aside from planning to correct them, to dwell on our past poor behaviors.

The same is to be said of the future. Too much thought on it robs us of the time to act in the present. After all, there is only today. To paraphrase scripture: enough bad can occur today; no need to drag it from the past or borrow it from the future.

If we are, in fact, constantly walking out of this life, then we better do some good while we can. I recently read a friend's public apology to someone my friend had wronged. It was impressive, both in its courage and in its honesty. It was a carpe diem kind of thing to do.

But why, you may ask, does this matter? It matters because our citizenship is in heaven and each day we are moving closer to going home.

As I read through this week's Lectionary scripture selections, I noticed that all of them focus on our destination and how we are to live, here, until we arrive there. They say things like, “Learn to do good. Seek justice. Punish those who hurt others. Help the orphans. Stand up for the rights of widows.” (‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭1:17‬ ‭NCV‬‬, http://bible.com/105/isa.1.17.ncv)

Hebrews 11, that great treatise on faith, tells us we are going to a country unlike any on this planet, one prepared by God for those whose faith serves as the actual substance of their hopes and the evidence of what they cannot, as yet, perceive.

And until we arrive in that place prepared for us by God, we must be courageous like my friend, always willing to be humbled if that's what it takes to act as we should while we are still here.

"For every person who makes fun of your beliefs, there is another who needs your compassion.

For every person who lashes out at you for your beliefs, there is another who needs comforting.

For every person who threatens your job, social position, or voice in the public square because of your beliefs, there is another who needs you to stand with them.

For every person who places your very life in danger because of your beliefs, there is another for whom you must intercede. Stand in that gap.

Every time someone treats you like you're the scum of the Earth, thank them. Then be better. Rise above."

We must strive to rise above our circumstances, to fully "be," every time. For we are constantly walking out of this life.

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READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
Proper 14 (19) (August 7, 2016)
First reading and Psalm
Isaiah 1:1, 10-20
Psalm 50:1-8, 22-23
Alternate First reading and Psalm
Genesis 15:1-6
Psalm 33:12-22
Second reading
Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16
Gospel
Luke 12:32-40

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I hope you can join us, Friday morning, at Lectionary Breakfast. If not, then I hope you can join with others, elsewhere to share some time in the scriptures. We're still meeting at 8:00 at the Waco "Egg and I" restaurant for a fun and provocative hour.

Blessings,
Steve
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Hamlet cuff links at: http://www.awceramics.co.uk/bespoke/bwgt_gallery.htm

My Precious! (a Lectionary reflection by Steve Orr)

If you've ever walked along a beach, you've likely seen a flock of seagulls fighting over food. Not only do they chase after even the tiniest morsel, the entire flock of them squawk in a ululating cacophony as, together, they hurry across the sand. It's loud. It's raucous.

And you have the distinct impression they are all shouting something at each other.

If you've seen the DisneyPixar movie, Finding Nemo, you may know what those seagulls are shouting: "Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine!" I recall laughing loudly during the scene where the seagulls chased a crab, all of them shouting "Mine!" repeatedly as they raced toward what they anticipated to be a tasty treat. I don't doubt for a minute that that is exactly what real seagulls are signaling to each other as they honk and run.

I thought of that scene while reading this week's Lectionary selection from Luke 12. Someone in the crowd shouts out to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” (‭‭Luke‬ ‭12:13‬ ‭NIV‬‬, http://bible.com/111/luk.12.13.niv). You're left to decide for yourself about the "shouter." Has he been cheated out of what is rightfully his? Is it that he believes it only "fair" that his brother share with him? Or does he know full well he is due nothing, and wants it anyway?

There are a lot of problems with demanding that Jesus intervene. The first is that the man may see Jesus as just another scribe (Lawyer) who should adjudicate disputes about property. Kind of makes you wonder if he had been listening to what Jesus had been saying. The best scenario, and it's not pretty, is that the man recognizes the power and authority of Jesus, and wants to use Jesus as a wedge or leverage in a family dispute.

Think about that one for a while.

In any case, in his response to the man, Jesus elevates the issue to what really matters, and it's not who owns what in this life. In the parable that follows, Jesus makes it clear that our focus in this short life should be on our relationship with God, not on the level of abundance or scarcity we are experiencing at any given moment.

I am reminded of scenes in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Ring trilogy where Gollum, hobbits, fairies, Wizards, and men all fight over a ring that belongs to none of them. Gollum is the only one who calls the ring, "My precious," but all of the others act as if that were true for them, as well. They want to possess it so badly, few of them can see the danger lurking beneath that shiny surface.

Is it OK to have things? Sure. Just don't let them rule you. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6:21‬ ‭NIV, ‬‬http://bible.com/111/mat.6.21.niv)

Store up your treasures in God. Nothing and no one is more precious.

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READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
Proper 13 (18) (July 31, 2016)
http://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu

Hosea 11:1-11
Psalm 107:1-9, 43
Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14; 2:18-23
Psalm 49:1-12
Colossians 3:1-11
Luke 12:13-21
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Will you be in the Waco area Friday morning? Join us for Lectionary Breakfast at the "Egg and I" restaurant at 8:00. We spend that hour eating, fellowshipping, and storing up treasures in Heaven. It's an hour like no other.

Blessings,
Steve

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