“12 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed. 2 You know that when you were pagans you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led. 3 Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit. 4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills. One Body with Many Members 12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.” (1 Cor 12:1-13 ESV)

The people in our midst, though we may not look alike, nor dress alike… friendship is a mystery. Count it a mystery of religious proportions, that amidst the clarion Call to soldier forth, we do so in company, making do, a bit of some brand of largely winsome Judgment having given us our fellow travelers, brothers and sisters in arms.

To adhere, then, to what Call is constantly though with trepidation, affirmed within the soldier’s heart space, is to stare down the inimical sharpshooter, the rooftops myriad and yet the Call more rampant, abundant Call, copious Call, to breathe in, breathe out, this is not after all our last day on earth and yet: it is for some, it is for us one day; it is our perennial Duty Affirmed, that we did it all after all without compromising Principles.

Were we to second guess ourselves during a time of rest, we might doubt or wonder: have I the mettle, the moral Courage, the gumption, to stick up for a Cause? For these are the hours when shuffling occurs, shiftings and community-wide reunions spell dashingly good danger to the serpentine crawling infiltrations, would-be infiltrations, were it not for Love, for Friendship, for eye-to-eye Recognition of a fellow or gal in the service of our faith.

And to the youngster, the one who questions: Aren’t we being judgmental? Who are we to exclude or grill or roast? As if! Had they read the missive, it would be plain: the opposite is true! As if! As if on the other hand, inimical presences were never a possibility—”But I sense a good Christian in so-and-so”: Good! Then at the least acknowledge we were the first to roll out the carpet, the first to offer to play dress up, the first to invite to the table, to make—plain and on display—their motives plain as day and in all things, extending the loving Olive Branch of fellowship because we do Believe: in a mixture of opinions, in foreign Inspiration, in alternate Viewpoints. Only then, having allied, we are hated as One Man, One Team, One Brother and Sisterhood.

Today’s mission is rejuvenating a mourning continent, transcontinental in the Faith, global and sharing in the right sense of the word: mourning that all such good faith efforts were bombed out of existence, yet Hopeful, that life still marches on, cities still stand, defense is still—though often invisibly, though with no credentials to point to—hard at work. Look, it is told us, at what heft and might came out around the last threat… only we are charged to be the Church, to lead with a stiff upper lip around the Need all mankind shares, for Assurance and Positive vibes, of moral certainty and Reasons to imitate our loving and dying Savior. Because the hour is ours to Own, going easier on our nerves but also Prepared: that death is a welcome eventuality, if and when it comes, because after all we were bored silly by the days marching on as they were. Only, that too we wish to “live long and prosper”, to “love” boldly and naturally, to see all our Tomorrows wedded to our Here and Now Effort: to preserve, to shape, to encourage, to Witness—yes, to Witness. What things God hath wrought. And all that in Fellowship. All that because our symbolism Matters. All that because we are in love with life, and wildly humored, amazingly cheered, living on a cusp of Tomorrow most jovial and gladsome. Take me, we wildly proclaim!