“17 Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. 2 And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.” 4 And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women. 5 But the Jews were jealous, and taking some wicked men of the rabble, they formed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd. 6 And when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also, 7 and Jason has received them, and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.” 8 And the people and the city authorities were disturbed when they heard these things. 9 And when they had taken money as security from Jason and the rest, they let them go.” (Ac 17:1–9 ESV)

The innovation of the Spirit means servant duties in the name of Love. The sense most bedrock of Enabling Power, of cultivated, loved upon, massaged outward-turned Life, is a sense gentle, aware of its own patient and deep breath, of strange ways the pieces don’t fit and yet they do. A sense of the strange ways in which Passion, Affection, Friendship, Attention sublime spells the kind of Tutelage, parenting-at-times, counselor of the Heart, that is firm and won’t Deny the recipient in front of the crowd. 

We held up the visage of One bearing in his or her own Flesh our own sins. We emerged a bit victorious over a sickly bedridden confused mess, to be Dreamt Upon, Voted In, Sent to the Stars and back.

That is, memories Recall and Recoil, when the old neighborhood calls you up; we were running well, what hindered us? We were expansive and living the dream, what startled us? We were self-contained and robotic, what Humanized Us? To enter again is to Recall and Recoil and See Anew that Goid is still loving on each soul, God is still a faithful Friend yet too an Alter-Ego, competitive alpha male or female, and all those things that in the genius of that hour long-ago, was washed under the rug, because we learned Not to compete, Not to ape and confuse one another, but a Firm handshake and Firm Confessional and Firm Body onto whom we might lean.

That we are Forgiven, too, this isn’t a sentiment easily brushed over or Lost. When the old neighborhood comes calling, we are Reminded: our present distress, it is weirdly unable to make choate out of the inchoate the Affections and submissions mutual and parts weirdly fitting together. Are we even Justified in fighting such a war? Are we named Sincere and Plaintive, or Insincere and Jesting? Did we accord New Friends that patience and no longer ill Recoiled Recompense and Relationship of Besties of a New Tomorrow?

The Christian Witness has voted with her and his feet, to replace the Scare Tactics and Ghostly Looming Nonsense, with Patient earshot listening: not how did so-and-so (truth told, I thought a friend) vote, but were they Germane to the Cause? And how many germane moments were Not Shared, because of Not Seeing Eye to Eye? Life is tragic, that twenty years elapse without sharing the bounty, or coming together in the Celebrations. We have our Mother’s Love to coach us through it all, that we of all people—if Christ be not raised—are most to be pitied.

To speak then to the Children is to Identify oneself with one’s Vote, and best friends are at loggerheads at least on paper. But these are bearing the heat of day, withstanding the barbs of an Enemy, and Certain to “trust us one more time”. Querulous at the lazier days, they inspire us to live each day For the Old Neighborhood. For the brothers and the sisters. For the family and the friends. These people for whom we would give the shirt off of our back, to these is the Revelation Made: our vote is Joy, is Amazement, is Mutual Upbuilding, no longer using each other as stepping stones (us the bucking broncos unable to be tamed), rather, the Father Figure loves on our Largesse and Expansive self-confidences. The Mother Figure monitors us because yet still we haven’t learnt the societal class language. But we are the miscreant Beloved, the street urchin Corralled In, the wandering soul Embraced and Invited In. Because of Christ. Because of His love for the Innocence in the heart of a Friend (much less sinister than our own hearts!).

Some preach the gospel vainly, not getting its manifestation in social customs and strange forms of, new forms of Love. To each their own, but the true Gospel heightens our Love for each other and makes of it New Formative Gestalt and Composition musical to the extreme. We are those suffering daily for the Scripture’s Cross and the Christ’s cohort of listening souls. It really isn’t “new forms of love” after all, but a Return to that bedside manner that Heals and that hopefully all have entertained at least once in their life of friendships and affection.