2024-05-31 A Meditation on Purpose-Driven Faith

“15 Because I was sure of this, bI wanted to come to you first, so that you might have ca second dexperience of grace. 16 I wanted to visit you eon my way to Macedonia, and to come back to you from Macedonia and have you send me on my way to Judea. 17 Was I vacillating when I wanted to do this? Do I make my plans faccording to the flesh, ready to say “Yes, yes” and “No, no” at the same time? 18 As surely as gGod is faithful, hour word to you has not been Yes and No. 19 For ithe Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you, jSilvanus and Timothy and I, was not Yes and No, but kin him it is always Yes. 20 For lall the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our mAmen to God for his glory. 21 And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and nhas anointed us, 22 and who has also oput his seal on us and pgiven us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.4” (2 Cor 1:15-23 ESV)

Emerging purpose-driven, some of the best literature on the consecrated life revolves around the Building Blocks: you’ve gone the wilderness route; you’ve learnt that each opening word must reflect contrition and peace; you’ve learned humility. Yet all these… the best in our midst are honored because of a sublime Character-Trait: namely, not to presume nor to dictate orders, but rather to Honor a crucified King.

And then the purpose-driven: the manhandling and enveloping plan vis-a-vis what few things the soldier dares to call his or her own. This goes here… and that, over there. Here is my state of relationship with so-and-so. What all it means to us, us community-driven neighbors here, is that such-and-such good deeds must revolve about, must begin here.

For, the good deeds we Christians dare say begin precisely when Another is honored, when a Crucified King is lauded: we have seen farther, perchance, but only because we stand on His shoulders. And precisely then, the gamesmanship ups the ante: good deeds are still a temptation to rest upon; we prefer that strange affinity, our known and perhaps even beloved personality, that yes—it has some goodness wrapped up in its day’s routine—yes, it evokes some notion of “character”… but, no, the boast is in ransacking the pride, obliterating the comfort and insensitive ease, ruining the lackadaisacal. So, are we those whom a one who peruses will retain some inspiration to “shape up”, to “metaphysically analyze the subconscious”, to “pick up a few more accolades”? All and more are possible, for we long indeed to be known as Character-driven, Ungainly—if by that is meant angularity and Presence in any situation—and Unapologetically Christian.

Yet we quit the rat race around our so-called Character, if instead we may be Caring, Sensitive, Listening, Tough-but-kind. The soldier then begins out of necessity, to adjudicate and be purpose-driven: you… do such-and-such; over there hey… do so-and-more; in this corner… be blest. The soldier is initially faulted for lacking in decision-making and giving of orders… but only this state because of his or her dutiful allegiance to the Primary Character trait, called Cross. Called Listening. Called self-abnegation, removal from the equation, aware and awaiting a special moment. So we begin to see Blessedness in unlikely garb, the child at the helm can indeed be honored as part of some Mystery; just as we honor parents who on a judicial block we might critique or question. We honor. We delight in the patient peace lent our way, the peace to Grow, to find such Purpose-Drive, to invent manifold Good Works through and in.

Therefore it is a wise soldier who is hip to the fact of absolute absence of reason or overarching perch to observe from: people are crazy, and the congregation no less. The front-and-center thoughts of a woman or man in the pews are not, “Let me attain to higher levels of holiness”, but rather, I’ve this or that bone to pick… I’ve this or that pleasure zone to tickly… I’ve this or that fright to avoid and avere from. That is, the new believer hears things in the Scriptures that are right there plain-as-day yet are not seen, not realized, by the rank-and-file.

We are called therefore to allow External Spirit to shape us, via that submission so similar to honoring of parents and elders. We are to pray in that same External Spirit who Intervenes, knowing our own lot in life is ransacked and made plainly poor by Satan. So in all this we are conquerors through Him who loved us. We dare take the apologetic route, the sorries in season, the hope that the Crime—rather than ignored—is a case for Forgiveness. For all the world to see.