2025-01-17 A Meditation on Emergent

“25 At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; 26 yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. 27 All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. 28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”” (Matt 11:25-30 ESV)

Emerge. Emerge from the load bearing contemplation. Emerge from the spiritual warfare. Emerge, because after all it is a divine and capable thing, to carry on starkly into the night. Into the day, the daybreak having rested us and encouraged us, given us to the “I got this” mentality.

It did take some time, it was a matter of patient rest amidst alert labor. Soldiering variant of labor, to give and that stoically, strongly, majestically: it was us, after all, who were Tried and Emerged intact. We emerged stronger. We found the chutzpah to do the daybreak’s analysis, the new day’s investigation, the tomorrow’s engagement. We engage like no tomorrow, engage the Invites unto holy discourse. Engage the alert opportunities to Give, give to a Disciple, give to a Happenstance encounter, unplanned, lately agreed upon, Today played out, in the Fine loving affair between the parties: we are party spirit, unto one another. We are Able, Capable, to rise up On Point. Straight-shooting, right-minded, copacetic, of gladsome Ease most lenient. Latent ease, habitual ease, knowing an Enemy mocks: an enemy would have us all bent out of shape whilst they point and wag fingers saying “look at the alarmist!”. Look at the paranoid, at the imagination gone rogue, gone wild.

But no matter, Today’s vocalized Order and Readiness is ours to own, to take gladly that Rest, knowing of our men, our sisters, our brothers, our women on the front line who Watch. Who take their own rest as we then Watch. And to be for all people a Sign or a Parable: we see the next generation in a child, who has advanced so likeably and in becoming fashion, to be the Master of game, of arms, of things scarcely learned by now, yet indeed “a Child shall lead them”.

The soldier’s dayspring is tantamount to unparanoid Responsiveness, On Call readiness, reaction unto the Terror and the dislodging endeavors. They dislodge; they—you can hear it in their voices—they tell of a bah humbug mentality, of a mode minus principle, of a posh or polished Sinfulness. We hear in the newscast that so much can be discerned still, from the litany, from the diatribe, from the interviewee: see? The enemy cannot fake this stuff. The enemy cannot flatter our better Discernments and Judgments. We judge, not someone’s status as saved, but their alliance, their Invitation accepted, their party mentalism. They are part and parcel either of this way of things or of that way of things. And overnight, the watchtower has pray told, that we will all be One. We will all lay down our litanies and lawsuits, and be One. We will emerge untired and unabashed, uncompromised and not frantic. We had our rest. Or maybe we today take our rest. We venture forth calm and composed, even as the wildest alarm bells warn of dastardly things on the rise. Even as hearsay might frighten, might discourage, might ask for an earlier settlement or Surrender. We are not in a position to surrender. We are not, in light of the present distress, able to surrender. The matter is too high and categorical, too unprincipled or immoral. And our own morality: this is not a legalistic Stance we take, but a Lancing Forth cruciform Activity and Enactment. We actively honor the Crucified One. We actively Fight for Him who came not to bring peace but a sword… only that Peace may be the final allotment. Or, a peace on the dim horizon, after a mighty Judgment and Mountains falling on us, fires out of control, all these just the birth pangs. They say, be on point, be militant, see the coming War mentalism: but we refuse to be shocked or frightened; if there is contention, we will rise whole and purposed. If there is calm, we will alertly Watch and Fight. To earn the accolades. To win the peace. To remember the sacrifices.