2025-03-27 A Meditation on Early Ventures

“6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.” (Rom 5:6-11 ESV)

Any plain analysis, situational analysis, situational awareness, becomes rather than patient and objective, tracking forward, locked and loaded, action-reaction: the patient perch can never successfully “catch up” to the malfeasance.

What does this analysis procure? The devilish “introduction” to Christian Religion from those a little too precocious or familiar for said Religion to be their tamped down source of mystery and humility. That is, the unbelievers… they know little, on paper at least, in common parlance, at least, of Christ. And the believers overemphasize and mock until flushed in the face, the unspoken “claim” that such-and-so is a Christ event. Yet, also to the working man, working woman, this was a New Horizon, so please O Christian, let the plain Discovery play out!

Glimpsed for a moment, all hues and color of a warmer Environs, all these return—the gifts and the callings of God being irrevocable—to a morning of prayer by the one sensing Absence. Something pained or amiss, from which flow gladsome Tidings and warm Pronouncements. Because the warmth was but a passing inconsequent, something unable in itself to sustain. Yes, and many are aging well without yet having had such an experience: of “life on life’s terms” being unable to coax out a Testimony of fearlessness towards dying. We had to lose, in order to gain the world. We had to fail in order to “Die” with Him, and prove positive the assessment that sufficient for the day are the day’s gains and the day’s troubles. We are, after all, contrite, and in this contrition, we are Coping and Magnificently Equipped, to meet Man, Woman, where said man or woman actually resides.

That is, to take up the sword of the gospel and the shield of faith, is to hasten to an unfolding others ebb and flow and go with the tides around. Our unfolding is finally Managed, we are Certain of this cut, this nip and tuck, this assessment and line in the sand, being Correct. And on that Prophetic utterance: “Here, not there”; “Feel the outpourings of this suture, O soldier”; on this prophetic utterance we lance forth on a Principle and an unseen Bedrock. We see all life begin to revolve around said Utterance, said Prophesy: the sleepwalking masses suddenly gladsome and greeting with glad songs of faith. The cynic says, these masses are unaware! They are no victory, but rather a dead mass. But to the faithful, the dreamy and the sleepwalker are of one Sort: the sort that begins to murmur and awaken. Only this: that we do not wait for their “permission” to dance forth; we do not try to come to “an agreement” on this course of action, if feeling our own Mandate indeed. If feeling said Mandate, we seek out our fellows in this Call. And like Christ, we see the sleepwalking unaware Masses as needful of a Divine Intervention, somehow made without personally corralling people in cynical and irreverent fashion unto the human condition and Man’s rights.

Like Christ, the sacrifice pleads from a forlorn Hill, to be a suture and lesion made In Time. A cauterized wound, a heft that rudely, almost, claims all authority now being given, starting with that authority over Death herself, over Life herself, over Judgment herself. Judgment… see yours within the lens of Christ’s punishing ride to His Cross. Gladly venture forth, now, Soldier of a calmed and spirit-led Demeanor. Knowing second chances. Knowing an end to the shame and pained self-awareness. Knowing a conclusion to the Absence now filled by God’s hand folded into our hand, in loving greeting.