“3 This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, 2 that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, 3 knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. 4 They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” 5 For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, 6 and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. 7 But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. 8 But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. 11 Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, 12 waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! 13 But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.” (2 Pet 3:1-13 ESV)

The call to serve, it meets each would-be junior recruit in a place Contested, our stern demeanor and refusal to make pleasantries, part of the “Plattsburgh” experience of readying for the cause. The elation of heavenly Service, what we take with us being no more than a handful of happenchance memories… all that a life coach prescribes and attempts to mollify or accumulate, these things pale in contrast to a few courageous, time-tested, simple Affects Christ gave to us. The solid fact, the sober fact, we are better off out of the rat-race for example: that we will find Heavensent contentness regardless.

The call to serve unmakes the devilish fools in each of us, and remakes the stern countenance towards silliness but firm embrace of joy. We, after all, have lost sisters and brothers; the news this morning is terrifying, and only is it even “legal” to mourn, “legal” to proclaim all-out war, “legal” to fuss a bit about the status quo.

Stern demeanor meets the boot camp of folks unforgetful, folks who lost a loved one, folks who game up, refusing to concede to the silliness factor. Refusing to brush it all under the rug. Refusing… all of us try to be “in touch” and “relevant”, but all of us tire and make concessions, to a spirit non-mournful, to a spirit self-mocking, to a spirit undignifying our slog. We need to dignify the Pain, the Loss, the Severity, but society hates a whistleblower.

Time was, when our affection made proper room for these same souls today bereaved. Time was, when our sense of who “fits” made room for the fellowship. But our Plattsburgh, our basic training of another generation’s War, forms enablers, handlers, doers, capacity-driven Agents. We are agents of the Father’s craft, and because we Honor those He sends, we Honor Him. The punctilious duty discharged, is a duty solemn and Advanced, ahead of our peers and ahead of those to whom we are sent. We indeed bow down and lower ourselves to be relevant to these dear wandering souls: we play no favorites for the beautiful or handsome in our midst, for the credentialed or Viable in our scan of the room. Each soul on this earth has some Capacity to bless, Capacity to integrate and enervate sin, Capacity to show the bright side of the day’s labors in their good cheer, or their Calm Disposition to do good. We are no longer “do-gooders”, either, only we accidentally start on this chain of a few Token Volunteerism duties around here, time to time.