“18 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them 3 and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, 6 but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. Temptations to Sin 7 “Woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes! 8 And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire. The Parable of the Lost Sheep 10 “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven. 12 What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? 13 And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. 14 So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish. If Your Brother Sins Against You 15 “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. 18 Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 19 Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”” (Mt 18:1–20 ESV)

As they bow out, one after another, as we bow out, the question remains: is Christ amongst us? Is He with us? We do well not to Deny Him, insofar as humility counsels us to beg off and laud or heap praise on Another, but the Human Spirit is not mocked, the Spirit does not Lie, each of us is stakeholder in Christ’s Plans on this earthly realm.

This terrestrial celestial Ball plays Host, and certain transits must have occurred before we honor a fellow with that Elusive Nomenclature: Professional. Professional Christian. Professional Prayer-Warrior. Professional at Blessing, Praying For, Forgiving. Yet each of us, newcomer or old salt, is stakeholder in Christ. And to ponder what it would mean, this Truth wherein we are His arms and feet, His heart and mind: are we such and so for All the Nation, All the World? Goodness, what a thought. Yet the Structures as put into Place, these Structures take Scientific Precocity to a New Level: that to laud our neighbor, is to unlock intertwined particles, at a distance: to laud our neighbor is to spread good Karma around the community and to distant unknown, untouched, entangled Communities. 

Healing: to ask for Rapprochement, to Bless and overlook satanic Charges of lust or greed, of concupiscence or ill pursuit, this Heals and this Remakes us: it is good for people to gather together. It is good, when a connection is made. No good deed is far from its inverse, the converse, the flipside: adulteries and neighings notwithstanding, sliding that volume control re the church’s tolerance of “all one in Christ”, “Neither male nor female in Christ”, “Do not neglect to meet together as some are in the habit of doing”: this is sublime, this is divine, this is full-on Amped Mode if at all possible. Not a church within a church. Not to reinvent the sacrament. But hearkening to that early life experience of adolescence: when we would dialog over the telephone for hours about nothing, but really, about everything. When every schoolday continued socially into the early evening. And now, old salts at Fellowship, we nonetheless Practice what we preach, to sin boldly, rather to put aside the neighings and adulteries, and to take a balderdash approach to sin: bring it on.

Bring on the infamy and the Hated lockstep endeared upon, engaged upon, manifested in the lives of His saints in the land. Bring on the Call to Heal, but do so in some Utterly Inspired, speaking in tongues, prophetic madness, and altar calls sublime. Not staid stoic churchgoing, but Rampant Ministry to the needful Saints.

Because truth be told, all are sinners. The Professional no less. We sin against our partners in crime, against our friends and spouses and families. We sin to break fast when it really would be a decent thing to skimp on a few snacktimes or meals themselves. We sin because of a strange surreal Calm that has descended: knowing this, that All Hounds of Hell are chomping at the bit and knocking at the door, yet where are we but staid, stoic, puttering about the house, taking a nap, sipping some espresso brew, jamming and almost—dare we say it—depressed. Only never quite Depressed, rather subdued and Prayerful: those hounds, we need not for them to be painted any more starkly or in stark contrast than they already are. Anything said and done: this is Sacrament and Coming Together. We act, we Do, then we reflect and daydream and Wonder: did I send that to the right person? How could I have botched that up? Oh dear, yet again the madness lingers. But we are not Mad, rather Efficacious and Endowed with Surreal Power. So much so that we can Listen to the Spirit—who does not Lie—and be calmed, reassured that He answers each and every urgent Question about Life: what is so-and-so thinking right now; how can I share some love with this-and-such outfit; where is the Fellowship, of Professional Christians, tending to the flame at this moment in time. Where the Experience around blessing an enemy or praying for one, for One who Fears the junction will be Hate or Rebuke or a list of Rules to abide by.

We who have this Direct Line to the Heavens, do well to work together, sharing an office virtual or otherwise even as our personal day’s work is distinct to us, self-employed, and yet Servant-Minded to the Mission, to the Ministry.