2023-03-15 A Meditation on Taking the Call
“For it is written in the Law of Moses, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain.” Is it for oxen that God is concerned? Does he not certainly speak for our sake? It was written for our sake, because the plowman should plow in hope and the thresher thresh in hope of sharing in the crop.” (1 Co 9:9–10 ESV)
Christian soldier on the phone, taking the call: is it in your heart to evangelize, to build up, to introduce to strange ways and stranger days?
To run with it when we’ve found a good thing is to recognize that the Gospel reaches us close to heart and hearth; we bank on the Christian words of yesterday, to carry us through the shoals of self doubt or pain or remorse this day. They are reliable to lean on.
Persistence is the name of the game when it comes to sharing the good news. To divest oneself of accumulated wisdom or comfort; to rediscover a self pained and searching; these things give sudden excitement even to the banal or plain. To the banal or plain reminders. To the banal or plain verbal techniques.
No rhetoricians, we speak from personal experience, personal need, personal request just that today’s Gospel go forth not hindered nor diminished to something plausible or quaint. It is implausible that God rose from the dead. It is implausible that Christ finds us in the areas of shame and disappointment, rather than in our proud offerings.
What we offer, what we bring to the table, this day we plead with Father and Son and Holy Spirit to allow us some measure of good works in which we might boast, but ““My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” (2 Co 12:9).
So, we walk a daring and fine line, one trodden by the saints and heroes of old, marked with the blood of the martyrs, gentle to the eyes and unreal to the capricious old self. The line is blossoming via miracle to give back to us the consequences of boasting, even if we lack anything to boast in except Christ. We are given back luminary corner or mild light to spell safety from the dogs of this world; somehow, we carry forth provisioned and sheltered.
We are walking on water. We are miraculously provisioned for. He knows better than we do, what we need to get through the day. Long since postponing any thought of coming in from the cold, of a homecoming, we save that for a day to come; for, we do not resent the labors, if done in the Kingdom: we love our work and our mission statement is to be those brave fighters of God’s Spirit.
We clutched, we uncovered, we held dearly and close to heart, our personal space and drive. Our coping mechanisms. We heard a Word for our ears specially-attuned, a confidence-builder and invite, in times of rest to rest composed and confident; in times of fight, to fight knowing a greater Hand above and discerning and leading, punctilious and worthy. For the victory belongs to our Father in heaven.
Along the way, making it to finish line by some fluke of physics or of nature, a fluke of thought or philosophy; for we were sore-pressed and caged up, hidden yet only just. Only just scraping by, thinking at times we were lost, but now courageous to let God do His mighty deed. We found in times of rest that we could accept His perfecting, remedying, Spirit that sends love even to ourselves, the Spirit who knows our heart and our soul in all its misfit and unattractive awkwardness. For here is our day, our race to the Cause, our recollection of just what joy and impetus we find circling about the task of sharing Good News.