2023-09-26 A Meditation on Emerging Near

“2 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Eph 2:1–10 ESV)

There is something taut to dwell near to, to emerge from the tense standoff with our conscientious, humane and gentler thoughts, intact: we dwell near to a dynamo, a taut cover to the drum, a tension productive and resilient: we have made it thus far, and are stronger for the wear. We are stronger for the inane or alternating outlays, at one time bold and at another time nervous, we fear to have offended and wonder when an apology is in order… but no matter! The matter is in God’s hands, and we, we are sent on the mandate of Another, called and set apart on the Authority of Peace man, Peace woman, who leads and charts that near-encounter course.

The course is near to the pluck and vibration of a call-response. We call, the Lord blesses and applies mighty power in faith, not in shows of what some would call strength, but in deep and amazing Care just for a soul to be saved, for a soul to see and hear something patient and eager to bless, for a soul to see their deeper fears translated to a pun or an invite.

So to fight is to find the taut blanket loosened and loud to our hidden self, our inner angels: today, if you hear His voice, choose whom ye shall follow (Josh 24:15). Today, the string vibrates and the uptight Law is become melodious; we protest of so many things we natively love, yet that are spoilt when turned to law: a father’s admonition or complaint, a mother’s impatience or doubt. A sibling’s crazy location elsewhere from where, all hands on deck, they “should” be. For we create grand plans and schemes, and though the observed aspect casts all to the ground as rubble, we also believe our visions and hopes may not be so far off after all. God has a brighter plan and avenue than our own. He honors what and whom He honors. He vies with and where He wishes to vie. He passes over whom and what He chooses to pass over.

Theology calls; man responds. Theology heightens and precipitates, good conscience, better testimony, high-minded reasoning, heart-felt love. Theology awakens in us an emergence from what-all rubble and manifestly hard-to-face degradation, labors, weariness, bleak brinkmanship with an illogical opponent; we have gone post-logic, murmuring “Good” and “Bless” to the inane comedic town-fair circus ride. We have learnt to cope with the Devil, hungry it is, and consider today’s words as fraught and occasion for tempted-but-not-conceding, tried-but-not-falling, misled-but-not-following brave heart and mind for the battle. It is “For real”: they want simple concessions, concessions that we are under guardianship for yet a future day, due to being still growing or worse, insane. These meet the opposing fighter in a standoff and one with so many silent observers, playful hidden responses on other playing fields without the connection being announced, frustration with some of our outlays, yet not a frustration voiced. We plead: be sincere! Long for mutual submission! Wish for progress, no longer afraid that progress will reveal impossible life problems. The grass is not always greener on the other side! Together we can acknowledge no solutions yet all solutions, in Christ, in prayer, in individual pluck and dwelling near to what is fraught or taut, ready to sing into melody, because the Law has been coped with.

Each of us has a spirit, and the broader picture incorporates times of mutual correction, occasional criticism, yet nothing to spoil what sometimes we fear: our first message and word should be from that spirit called Contrite. We hate to be on record as marching forth, though in fact now we are peace and joy in said march. We no longer worry to “get on record” always the reminder: I was lost but now am found; I rebelled, but now am citizen and family-member; I broke so much, yet now am mended. All these things push to a further and new horizon. Silent observers along with vocal observers show, wow, today some concession! Some coming-alongside, with a word of encouragement or of blessing. We must have done something right! And never to take said potential and malleable estate for granted, but stick to our game, to the quality outlay, insofar as we find ourselves moved by the Spirit. We were, after all, all along ready and willing to serve. We were, after all, all along ready and willing to submit. Yet we acknowledge a fear to submit to what might be a joke at our expense. We have more than enough experience making fools of ourselves. We know Man’s designs and caprice. We know Man’s impatience and comfortable laze. We know, and we race to the beachhead and to the drum, to the string that vibrates, our own busy-ness cause and call to Perform, despite the deadening “patience” of the great mass.