“3 And as he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, 4 “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?” 5 And Jesus began to say to them, “See that no one leads you astray. 6 Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray. 7 And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. This must take place, but the end is not yet. 8 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. These are but the beginning of the birth pains. 9 “But be on your guard. For they will deliver you over to councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them. 10 And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations. 11 And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. 12 And brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death. 13 And you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” (Mark 13:3-13 ESV)
Good to the last drop, the human spirit then faces bleary-eyed Continuation, the fact we are asked for our all… and then for a little more. The strange shadowland that follows, this we approach with an unheard of Strength, some Willpower of the spirit and some Herculean continuation of the soul.
Not according to plan. Not, it can even seem, with friends and family in lockstep. Our Cause, this is no longer bandied about or jostled but Received as fact and given, our Sincerity of faith, Sincerity of Nation, Sincerity of confession being at the ready and Able for the day.
More, the little gestures throughout the day… it can seem a corner finally is being turned, but also there is much room for error and, this is the pained Stance of the made-over man or woman, that All is on the Line: any one misstep can reverberate and have repercussions. Because we lost sight: must keep our eyes on the prize, of the Upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Therefore the amped interlocutor, this counters the blase and enfeebled constituent. Amped, the voices around us are gladsome and at the ready: to meld, to form structure and support, to give gladsome pat on the back. If only one at a time, fits through said eye of the needle: from this family, one, and this other, two. We do our best to elevate those whom we love, but also Christ counsels us as Pastors in Residence, to meet people on their terms and where they are, with pastoral sensitivity rather than works-based plans for each other.
More, the ideas fomenting… these are generously Imbued with care for near and dear, for loved ones and esteemed colleagues, but too they are General, and our vision for the younger generation perhaps, is if not immediately elided, is relevant to an unknown third party observer. Someone “out there”.
The Christian soldier, then, faces the shadowlands not glib or overly assured, but with a Patient Respect that God gives the good graces in the hour of need. It will not be “Obvious” or “Easy” but such is any regrettable corner-turned unto outright and visible War. By that hour’s arrival we are besotten and exhausted, perhaps. We are putting flesh to the grindstone, nonetheless. We are not so aware of a pan-observatory view any longer, but just trying to put one foot in front of the other here. Still, our Cause shall be Moral and Decisive, couched in Ethics and broadly-aware Decision-Making. Our heroes of the faith, these shall be Honored, and our little ones Encouraged. Because God is for us, urgently making and remaking the Gestalt, urgently overtaking that laggard spirit, urgently addressing the winners of some strange Test of character undertaken: we give our All, and then some more. We give everything, then stand shocked as all the cards seem to fall wrong, but still we labor on because of innate hypnotic Trance and Purpose. Even if not we ourselves shall be accounted the victors. Even if the prize is hidden from view for a time. Even if we will be floating on wings and a prayer, through the meadowlands of Casual Inference and Simple, Secular Thoughts. Unholy thoughts, these come all the more in times of trials, perhaps, but with dastardly Conviction we announce only that the more reassured we are by the temptations, that we are on a Good Course.