2024-06-13 A Meditation on Brief Times

“56 Thus says the Lord: “Keep justice, and do righteousness, for soon my salvation will come, and my righteousness be revealed. 2 Blessed is the man who does this, and the son of man who holds it fast, who keeps the Sabbath, not profaning it, and keeps his hand from doing any evil.”” (Is 56:1-2 ESV)

Say, a heavenward glance. A few modes of thanksgiving. A parable recollected and, not shied away from but entertained, given meaning in our own lives. For, it is all we can do to wear this cap called “average theological minded”. Average theologian. Around the camp, amateur theological mind. And with that mind, do we see an inner voice cultivated—or gifted?—in the instant bringing to mind an exemplar of Patient Listening: we listen to our neighbors, and begin to appreciate in sincerity, their disposition and comments on life.

But are we doing enough? All this amounts to, is we shy away from some intervening thoughts, some recollected Words of Christ, some “I got a few moments, here” hasty assemblages of what our faith in fact consists of.

Are we doing enough? The cap that is switcheroo’d in fact, is a bit like the person who “acclimates”, “gets used to”, both the alone times and the times in company: I can do fine with either, but it does involve a bit of a switch. The cap between each man’s, woman’s Call to be a theologian, is a cap quite different from the labors of the day: God has in fact inspired each of us to a bedrock, “get in the moment”, “get in the groove”, “just, get going!” mindset: “Go to Grand Central Station and take the first train; just do it!”

Such are the remedies to a ever-more-distant attempt to go in halfway only: we push things away from us when we give a half-hearted effort. To the peaceful offering. To the friend request. To those things that will never come to pass unless we just offend against or violate all things sanguine and all things grasped, it would seem, in perfection: take the first train! Go to Grand Central and grab that first lift outta here! Bold words, careful words.

Thus we are talked into a Vibe, talked into an Excited Outlook, a Perch and Demeanor so benign as to flatter our more shy aspects, to inform our more awkward hiding places, to illuminate our more timid soul. We all of us are beloved in that passing neighborly conversation, because our Good Advocate in the sky sees all those things… yet instead of dwelling self-righteous, we dwell Forgiven, aware also of being like a crying baby in swaddling clothes, or a headstrong youngster. So much is tolerated, that we learn to abide two simultaneous realities that coexist despite being the negation of each other. That we are pitiable, and that we are in rebellion on some level.

So we Grab that First Ride. We will lose a war in which we haven’t faced up to Manifest Thirst, the Hunger (Games? For the cinematically-minded) of life, which Hunger we in fool mode forget about and forget to put up a camouflage, make some political concessions, treat all comers as worthy of Respect, performed some “what-if’s?” and shared a few—even if personally disagreed upon—roads. Do the Draw. Do the Entertained Otherness. But don’t forget where and in what traveling style you find rest for your head at night.