Strong is the New Spiritual (a brief Lectionary reflection by Steve Orr)

I guess you would call it a church youth gathering. It was night and there was a small bonfire; really small, more for seeing than for warmth. There were well over a hundred of us there. We were young, excited, and joyful to just be in the same place with so many others who shared our beliefs. Tomorrow there would be papers due, classes to attend, laundry to wash; but tonight was to be a break from all of that.

You can't really have that much youth and joy without some noise. Young people chat and laugh. And we were doing both in the minutes before the official start of the program. Finally, the young man who had invited us all, a peer, stood and sought our attention.

Put it down to youth: we didn't immediately quiet down. So, with a pained look on his face, he called out loudly, his voice full with scolding, "All right, now. Let's get spiritual!"

Uh. Oh.

I was young, so there was a lot I didn't know at that point in my life. But I knew one thing for certain: THAT was not right. Whatever it was HE meant by "spiritual" could not be the correct understanding. I stood up and walked away. And I was not alone.

Decades have rolled by while I have sought to understand just what spiritual REALLY means. And I think I may now have some better understanding than just "not what he said."

Recently, I've been reading a Facebook page and related website called "Strong is the New Skinny" (http://www.strongisnewskinny.blogspot.com/2012_09_01_archive.html). Despite being aimed mostly at young women, I find I can relate to a lot of of the philosophy underpinning it. The messages include a lot of straight talk about body image, encouragement, positive self-worth, and finishing (not "first," but rather "what you start"). Apologies if I get this wrong; to me it can be summed up like this: if you have the choice, strong is better than weak, and it is worth your time and energy to pursue strength.

And that brings me to one of this week's Lectionary passages. In Nehemiah, chapter 8, there are a lot of people experiencing the shock of discovering they are far weaker than they had ever realized. Here are people who have been away; away from Jerusalem and away from God. As they listen to Ezra read from the Torah, as their spiritual leaders explain the meaning of what they are hearing (some for the first time . . . it has been a very long time since God's word has been read aloud in Jerusalem), they begin to weep. They weep for their condition and they weep for the realization of what has been lost and now may be restored.

"So they read from the book, from the law of God, with interpretation. They gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading. And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, "This day is holy to the LORD your God; do not mourn or weep." For all the people wept when they heard the words of the law." (Nehemiah 8:8-9 NRSV)

But that's not the end of it. Because, as any trainer can tell you, it's not enough to just stop doing something that you should stop doing. You need to START doing something else, replace the negative with a positive something. And that is what their leaders do; they tell the people to replace their sadness with joy.

"Then he said to them, "Go your way, eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions of them to those for whom nothing is prepared, for this day is holy to our LORD; and do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength." (Nehemiah 8:10 NRSV)

So now, based on this peek into the lives of God's people at one of their weakest points, I think I have the other side of the answer. I have long known the negative side: "spiritual" has nothing to do with what unhappy people think is acceptable behavior. Now I know the positive side: spiritual is being strong in The Lord. And that is achieved by having joy in The Lord.

Strong is the new spiritual.

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http://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu
READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK

Third Sunday after the Epiphany (January 27, 2013)
Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10
Psalm 19
1 Corinthians 12:12-31a
Luke 4:14-21

We're still having fun at "THE EGG AND I" for Lectionary breakfast! Join us at 8:00 Friday morning if you're in Waco. The restaurant is located in a shopping center at the corner of New Road and Franklin (just behind Outback).

The heaviest thing you'll have to lift is your fork. And no push-ups required :-)

Enjoy!
Steve

A Little Epiphany Of My Own

(a reflection for Epiphany by Steve Orr)

What I'm trying to figure out is what brought about the change. I know there was a change, but when and why are not clear. Somehow, though, it seems to be tied in with the Magi.

You all know the story, I think, from Matthew 2: the Magi (wise men) show up and throw fear into the whole of Jerusalem with all their talk about the birth of the King of the Jews (Messiah). Everyone's interested to know who and where this new King is, especially the CURRENT King, Herod.

There's another, more subtle concern here, as well. Rome rules much of the known world, including Israel. The idea that the long desired Messiah may actually have arrived is both exciting and frightening. And one big question on the minds of those in leadership? What actions would Rome take if their puppet king were replaced with an ACTUAL king, one chosen by God?

The word is that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. King Herod decides he may need to take some action, but he can't afford to look weak, so he secretly asks the Magi to report back after they check out Bethlehem.

I love this next part.

But not for the reasons you may think.

"They (the Magi), having heard the king, went their way; and behold, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, until it came and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. They came into the house and saw the young child with Mary, his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Opening their treasures, they offered to him gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh." (Matthew 2:9-11 WEB)

Did you see it?

When the Magi arrived in Bethlehem, they followed the star to where it stopped, and they went "into the house" to encounter Mary and Jesus.

Wait. What happened to the stable?

At some point, someone made a decision to move Jesus, Joseph, and Mary out of the barn and into the house! I can't help but wonder why. The birth-night invasion of rowdy shepherds? All the subsequent talk in the village? Or did decency assert itself and someone finally realize what a petty (ugly?) thing it was to force a new mother and baby to stay in a cave with the animals?

I don't suppose we'll ever know. All we really know is that at some point after Jesus was born--days? weeks?--wise men came on pilgrimage from the east based on what they saw in the heavens and they worshiped Jesus in Bethlehem.

In a house.

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http://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu
READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
Epiphany of the Lord (January 6, 2013)

Isaiah 60:1-6
Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14
Ephesians 3:1-12
Matthew 2:1-12

Wedding Planning

(a Lectionary reflection by Steve Orr)

I freely admit I come from a time when girls gave considerable thought to their weddings, starting at about the age of three.

Boys? Not so much.

While I had thought (and prayed)ti a great deal about the woman I would marry, I had thought very little about what came next. Oh, I had worked out some employment so we would be able to eat and have a place to live. But I had not given even one thought to our wedding.

And suddenly, I found my bride-to-be wanted us to write our own wedding vows. A lot must be said in praise of her patience with me during those sessions. For me, it was a strange time. I was dumbstruck; and immediately developed writer's block. Each time we finalized something, she introduced something else for us to decide upon. It was very difficult for me, but I think doubly so for her.

Our struggle was partly due to the fact that she understood just how important that day was to be; while I was much more focused on the days, weeks, months, and (hopefully) years to follow. Still, she kept us moving forward in an effort to jointly craft one of the most important days in our lives.

Then, as we neared the end of our planning, she asked a question I COULD answer on the first try: "Have you given any thought to the scripture you want to have inscribed in my ring?" Now, I admit I had given no forethought to this; I hadn't known that was something people did. But as soon as she voiced the question, I knew the scripture. And you do, too (and why), if you've been reading these reflections for a while.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths." (Proverbs 3:5, 6 NKJV)

I could not think of better words I would want her to reflect on when thinking of me. She knew how important those words were to me, and agreed they were perfect. When I asked which she wanted to inscribe on the inside of my ring, she quoted from Philippians, chapter 1. In that moment, I got it. I finally understood why she had been working so hard to include me in all of the plans for our wedding day. This was how she saw US.

"I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ."(Philippians 1:3-6 ESV)


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READINGS FOR THIS WEEK
http://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu

Second Sunday of Advent (December 9, 2012)
Malachi 3:1-4
Luke 1:68-79
Philippians 1:3-11
Luke 3:1-6

We're extending our tryout of "THE EGG AND I" for Lectionary Breakfast. Join us at 8:00 Friday morning if you're in Waco. The food is excellent(!), and we have a separate room in which to meet. [The restaurant is located in a shopping center at the corner of New Road and Franklin, just behind Outback.]

Got an idea for a Lex Break meeting place? Suggestions welcome! Either write me or just bring it up at Lectionary Breakfast. Requirements: good food, table configurations that allow us to be together, and the ability to hear each other :-)

Enjoy the week!

Steve

P.S. If you want to know more about why Proverbs 3:5-6 was the perfect choice for my Bride's ring inscription, read "A Two-Edged Sword" elsewhere on this blog.

The Fifth Widow

The Fifth Widow
(A brief Lectionary reflection by Steve Orr)

Looking back at that title, I now realize it sounds like one of those "cozy" murder mysteries from the UK with one of Agatha Christie's characters tracking down the connection between the first four widows to prevent the untimely death of the fifth; or maybe one of Steve Berry's globe-hopping adventure romps where the "the fifth widow" turns out to be something Napoleon had hidden away and that nefarious people are willing to kill for.

Sorry. No. Nothing that dramatic. But hang with me. There IS something to see here.

There are five widows in this week's Lectionary selections. Can that be coincidence? It seems highly unlikely that such a confluence of widows could be accidental. I think someone is trying to focus our thoughts.

We start with Naomi and Ruth, two widows barely getting by on the seasonal work Ruth can get "gleaning" (the law allowed the poor to gather any grain missed by the harvesters). Times are tough for the two widows; plus there's a spirit of lawlessness about that even moving back to Israel could not spare them from. Rape is a serious concern. So an aging Naomi comes up with a daring plan to ensure her daughter-in-law Ruth is protected and provided for. As I keep stating, Ruth, at only four chapters, is one of the shortest books in the Bible. You should read it.

And then there is the widow of Zarephath in 1st Kings. She has almost nothing. In fact, it is so close to nothing she expects to use the last of it to make her final meal in this life. Here is another woman who, like Ruth, was a Gentile and thus had no right to claim anything under God's laws. And once again, God does something contrarian: because this widow agreed to use the last of her resources to serve God's prophet, she was rewarded with enough food to last her family the entirety of the drought. There is more to this story and it is worth your time to read about what comes next.

The fourth widow is in the Mark passage. Her generosity leads to her being immortalized in scripture. Right after Jesus warns the crowd to beware the Scribes who "devour widows' houses," he observes a widow place two coins in the temple treasury, far less than amounts given by others that day, but they were all she had. And as Jesus points out, there is nothing greater than ALL. Like the widow of Zarephath, she trusts God with her resources.

These four widows have something in common. They are all needy. It was a common state in those days: widows, orphans, the disabled; they were all dependent on God's people honoring God's commands to care for the needy. Something that is often in very short supply among God's people FOR God's people.

And that brings us to the fifth widow. She's in Psalm 146. In a way, even though no name is given, she is the most important of the five. That's because she is every widow. She is OUR widow. The psalm (and the other passages) makes it plain that God intends good for the widow (and the orphan, the blind, the oppressed, the stranger, the hungry, the prisoner . . . all those "bowed down" by the circumstances of their lives . . . regardless of how they got that way . . . regardless whether they are counted among the "chosen" or not). Should we treat them any differently than does God? No. There are reasons God wants us to follow His example in this regard. And I bet you can think of them with a little effort.

In any case, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." (James 1:27 NIV)

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READINGS FOR THIS WEEK
http://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu

Proper 27 (32) (November 11, 2012)
Ruth 3:1-5; 4:13-17
Psalm 127
1 Kings 17:8-16
Psalm 146
Hebrews 9:24-28
Mark 12:38-44

THE EGG AND I: we're giving it a try out this coming Friday (11-16-2012). Join us there (corner of New Road and Franklin, behind Outback) if you can, at 8:00 a.m.

Enjoy the week!
Steve

Blended Families (a brief Lectionary reflection by Steve Orr)

The first time I saw the phrase "blended family" in print I was a little confused by it. As I read the article, though, I quickly understood what they meant: two existing families that attempt the very challenging process of melding into a new one. I admire those who attempt it and am in awe of those who succeed.

But, before the context of the article made plain their meaning of "blended family," I initially thought: "Isn't that redundant? What other kind of families would there be?"

All families come with a unique family culture. Families that live right next door to each other are as different as apples and oranges. And families from different parts of the country or the globe are as different as mountains and oceans. So, anytime two people from different families decide to form one of their own, it is an attempt to blend those different family cultures into one household.

It's a blended family we see in this week's Lectionary selection from the book of Ruth. A Jewish family moves to Moab because of a drought in Israel. Their sons then marry local women, and, as often happens in families, these three women become widows. Naomi, the mother-in-law, decides to return home to Israel, presumably because the law of God requires Israelites to help widows . . . Or maybe she's just lonely for home.

People often quote from this part of the story. You hear it at weddings in the songs, in the vows. And many laud Ruth, rightly so, for being the kind of person who would declare to Naomi: “Don’t entreat me to leave you, and to return from following after you, for where you go, I will go; and where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God; (Ruth 1:16 WEB). It gives me a thrill every time I read that passage.

But let's don't miss something momentous here: Ruth said those words, but she said them to her MOTHER-IN-LAW. Let's face it, even in the best of situations, relations between a person and his/her in-laws can be challenging. It's an extraordinary declaration in any circumstance, but even more so between in-laws.

And what does that tell us about Naomi? Here is a woman who lived out the spirit of the commandment to "love your neighbor as yourself." She clearly understood it as applying to "those who are nearby." Something to think about. How wonderful it would be to have someone declare the same of us.

And where did this declaration lead? What eventually happened to this blended family?

It's a short book :-)

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READINGS FOR THIS WEEK
http://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu

Proper 26 (31) (November 4, 2012)
Ruth 1:1-18
Psalm 146
Deuteronomy 6:1-9
Psalm 119:1-8
Hebrews 9:11-14
Mark 12:28-34

Join us Friday if you can. We're still meeting at Cafe Cappuccino (downtown Waco on 6th, near the Courthouse) at 8:00 a.m. We eat a delicious breakfast (cooked when you order) and then we try to figure out how to apply these scripture passages to our actual lives.

Join us. We're neighborly ;-)

Enjoy the week!
Steve

Hush! (A brief Lectionary reflection by Steve Orr)

My first 40-hour a week job was at the Citizens Bank & Trust Company in my hometown of Paducah, Kentucky. The bank was, at ten stories, the tallest building in town; it was located at 4th and Broadway, just four blocks from the riverfront and right in the heart of downtown. How I came to have that job can wait until another time. It is its own story. Like most office jobs in those days, I wore a coat and tie each time I reported to work. If you would like some help picturing this, Google "Images" for the 1960's or maybe watch an episode of "Mad Men" (before you finish exploring, make sure you check out telephones).

My first position was in the Bookkeeping Department. Mostly we filed checks (actual pieces of paper signed by the account owner and already used to pay for something) and answered customer inquiries over the telephone. Actually a pretty nice job. But the timing was, well, interesting. CB&T had just converted from sending customer account statement at month end, only, to a "continuous" approach (which meant a pro rata portion of account statements were mailed out each working day of the month). The short of it is that our customers were VERY confused for a couple months . . . and the phones rang "off the hook." There was just one hitch: we had one more phone in Bookkeeping than there were Bookkeepers to answer them.

So, yes, we were sometimes faced with the dilemma of the extra phone ringing when everyone was already fielding a customer call. And on those occasions, one of the Bookkeepers, a nice woman named Dorcas, would place her hand over the "mouthpiece" of the telephone "handset" she was holding (so the customer would not hear) and call out "Hush!"

The ringing telephone would stop ringing. Every time.

We were all in awe of Dorcas. She was the only person I ever met who could, successfully, tell a telephone to be quiet.

In this week's Lectionary selections there is an interesting story about a blind man who would NOT be hushed. In the Mark 10 passage we find Jesus on his way out of Jericho when he hears someone calling his name. Picture it: Jesus and his entourage have finished up a round of spreading the good news. Their group probably includes several important locals, pressing for just a few more comments, asking some last minute questions, seeking one last audience with the man who, they thought, might become their king.

And here's the blind beggar, someone almost certainly to be overlooked in such a situation. The crowd is big enough, and noisy enough, that Bartimaeus has to shout in hopes of getting Jesus' attention. And what does he get for his efforts? "Many sternly ordered him to be quiet."

Not to be deterred, he calls out to Jesus even more loudly!

I doubt you will be surprised to learn that Jesus ignored those who were trying to prevent the blind man from "bothering" him. Instead, Jesus not only invited the man to approach, but when the man said his desire was to have his sight restored, Jesus granted that request.

So, if you find there are people telling you, for any reason, that you can't talk to God; if there are voices sternly ordering you to be quiet when you need to have a conversation with God, whether those voices are surrounding you or are inside your own head: shout them down!

If you want to talk to God, then talk to God. Don't let anyone hush you up.

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READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
http://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu

Proper 25 (30) (October 28, 2012)
Job 42:1-6, 10-17
Psalm 34:1-8, (19-22)
Jeremiah 31:7-9
Psalm 126
Hebrews 7:23-28
Mark 10:46-52

Join us if you can on Friday morning. As is our practice, we will be at Cafe Cappuccino (downtown Waco, on 6th near the Courthouse) at 8:00 to discuss this week's scripture passages and to scarf down some great food.

None of us is very good at being hushed up, so the discussion is pretty lively :-)

Enjoy the week!

Steve

The Ring and The Book

The Ring and the Book
(a brief Lectionary reflection by Steve Orr)

"So, let him wait God’s instant men call years;
Meantime hold hard by truth and his great soul,
Do out the duty! Through such souls alone
God stooping shows sufficient of His light
For us i’ the dark to rise by.
And I rise."

The first time I read these lines---on a stained glass window at Baylor University's Armstrong Browning Library---I felt a frisson of thrill run through me. It still hits me that way. Nothing would make me happier than if, someday, these words could truthfully be said of me. To live a life worthy of such words is definitely something I desire.

Here's the story behind the words.

After the death of his beloved, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Robert Browning wrote those lines as part of "The Ring and the Book," which, though written in verse, is actually a novel based in fact. Shakespeare would have loved this: Pompilia, a young Italian noblewoman, flees her much older, abusive husband to travel to Rome with a priest; her husband later accuses Pompilia of committing adultery with the priest; subsequently, Pompilia is mortally wounded and her parents murdered; Pompilia dies and her husband is found guilty of these crimes. Long before Truman Capote's "In Cold Blood," Robert Browning wrote a true crime novel.

The words on the window are Pompilia's, who, while dying, speaks of her spiritual advisor, a man much in contrast to the husband, a man of God, a man falsely accused. She praises this young Pastor for preparing her to "rise" to Heaven by allowing God to shine through him, and she encourages him to continue doing as he did with her until his own time comes to "rise."

On another level, I know these are Robert Browning's words. And I suspect this is what he imagines Elizabeth might say to him in the wake of her death, encouraging him to continue "fighting the good fight" until he can join her in due time.

These are my thoughts as I read this week's Lectionary selections; particularly the Genesis, Mark, and Job passages. But more than these, even, I see in the Hebrews passage such a man as could be described by the words on that window.

And I rise.

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READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
http://lectionary.library.vanderbilt

Proper 22 (27) (October 7, 2012)
Job 1:1, 2:1-10
Psalm 26
Genesis 2:18-24
Psalm 8
Hebrews 1:1-4, 2:5-12
Mark 10:2-16

Can you join us Friday morning? We'll be at Cafe Cappuccino at 8:00 (downtown Waco, on 6th near the Courthouse). We would love to have you with us for some great food and some of that illumination we all seek.

Enjoy the week!
Steve