“17 But since we were torn away from you, brothers, for a short time, in person not in heart, we endeavored the more eagerly and with great desire to see you face to face, 18 because we wanted to come to you—I, Paul, again and again—but Satan hindered us. 19 For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you? 20 For you are our glory and joy. 3 Therefore when we could bear it no longer, we were willing to be left behind at Athens alone, 2 and we sent Timothy, our brother and God’s coworker in the gospel of Christ, to establish and exhort you in your faith, 3 that no one be moved by these afflictions. For you yourselves know that we are destined for this. 4 For when we were with you, we kept telling you beforehand that we were to suffer affliction, just as it has come to pass, and just as you know. 5 For this reason, when I could bear it no longer, I sent to learn about your faith, for fear that somehow the tempter had tempted you and our labor would be in vain.” (1 Thess 2:17-3:5 ESV)

To project strength, it is a rather discerning objective insofar as we discern a totem pole or set of echelons of trustworthiness in a peer: who, after all, can we lean on? Are we stark and proactive to say yes to this one and no to that? Or do we try and carry each and every burden by ourselves?

To project strength, it meets the rather scurrying or furtive cadenced walk down city block wherein, not that we are Denied nor Aped, but that we ratchet up a Fellowship by way of a Reminder: it isn’t merely outward Muscle that brings hope back home to the troops, rather Faith that Christ is upheld as Holy, in the brotherhood and sisterhood, in the silly would-be troops walking their dogs or hastening to a coffeeshop meetup.

To project strength is a gladsome Encounter of good cheer, because no one—not even in our unvarnished moments—is quite content if it is they themselves who are the end-all and be-all of Strength. Everyone loves a shoulder to embrace, an embrace to laugh over and mock up at times. Everyone gets the electricity in the air, of some Principle most Christ-like being held aloft by the crew and the community insofar as it is a successful one. The successful community, the times when despite total depravity and the harrowing ghost stories of each person’s secret tactics, game plan, usury and manipulation, society gets some things Right.

Does it? How can we say this to a cancer patient or bereaved family member? True, that to the hungry, those sleeping in alleys or warmer entranceways, kindness ministers its own gospel to them as it does to the careerist and workaholic: we are evolved to Meld with Spirit and become fully Human, emboldened, energized, winsome, electric and dutiful.

The stories that we bring home, however, do deal in total depravity and Original Sin: the unadorned fact of Urgent Need and Immediate Intervention. Christ intervened so we could without artifice or guile lean Totally onto Him. Without gameplan or elegance we could make the cut, nevermind the cumulative losses. To cut out the drink—whispers the devil, it ain’t so bad. To cut out the dating habits that are minus any intention of serious commitments. Etc. Indeed, to each their own, because to some of us, we see no sin in either scenario, both the social drinker and the casual dater. Rather, sin is in some parental need we can never fulfill. Sin is only sin if we believe it to be so, and if your drink is making you inept, lowering your place on the totem pole regarding Reliability, diminishing your echelon, then where are our heroes in the midst? Who will put aside Heaven and live Here and Now on earth?

What, after all, is the Total Depravity the reformers and scripturalists speak of? Is there after all is said and done, some totem pole of Deservedness? Are some more “saintly” than others? We have that fabled roommate who cusses everyone out, calls people bad names, hates on the fraternity and sorority. Are they less Important or less Beloved? Rather, is it not something to keep us sharp… and even in that justification is a patent attempt to save people through the goodness of their works. No, we do believe man and woman are saved by their Faith, not because their destructive words have some silver lining. But still! Are they saved? What, after all, is that strange morning when they mutter a “thank you”? Doesn’t that win the day, save the common Spirit, elevate the good will?

And too, our original sin that when someone gives of themselves, we take it for granted. We may take it for granted. Society somehow “works”… strangely. Through the accidental giftings of a saint, through the mysterious workings of Christ through a demon or devil-possessed. Through some Fact that He doesn’t have “all the answers” in some downpat form, rather all of us are muttering curses towards Holiness, all of us are willing to sit back and go lazy, all of us are convicted… of Original Sin… of Outright Contempt for what is holy, for a respectful relationship with parents or authority, etc. The goody-two-shoes is no exception: they too shall be lifted high only in order that they be humbled. No one can be pure Muscle as though possessed of the entire Equation of Victory. Our Muscle is that casual stroll down historic city lanes, it is the joy that Christ is upheld as Holy, by the Islamists and the Buddhists, by the Hindi and the Christians. By our gameday Willingness to be part—not “All” but part—of the outworkings of Good Things in this generation.

Back to the Intervening plea for a Holy aid to come forth where we are Broken and self-ruinous. To the drink or the heartbreak. To the porn or the strange strange ways that the more holy we become the quicker our eyes are to dart after what is illicit. That is, until we accept forgiveness for this fact; forgiveness… does it remove the fetish? Does it remove the verboten notion that entices? It makes the sin now boring, not elite nor exciting but dull, a dutiful Christ has slogged through the pigs’ troughs, boring work for one who was the Son of Man. And we, too, we slog and humble ourselves, finally not realizing even that we do it. We pray for one strange point of failure in our community. We obsess through one strange point of compromise in our mutual expression of Faith. We paternalize and maternalize one strange point of lossy failure to be a son, a daughter. It is actually quite Heightened, the Alert Level, because very few souls can ratchet up the echelons and heighten their totem pole placement, without falling away… God humbles the proud, God is too good for us—almost. God made Himself our level, not too good for us, so that we could Rise up as mini-Gods and angels, saints and sinners become One. He dared believe that yes, tomorrow has borne fruit, and the next tomorrow will bear more: nevermind that we pale in comparison to Christ, we will Get There, and that with our fishing nets filled with His catch. Of some spiritual bounty. Of some conversion from the pride or debauched drinking or drugging. Of some removal from the theological pursuit of Answers within the confines of socially “Dating”. Our answer is already known: it is Him. And then… no time to sit back and bask… we go boldly to the coffeeshop or the fellowship hour. Unafraid and imperfect.