2024-07-26 A Meditation on Meeting Up

“19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” (Heb 10:19-25 ESV)

Meeting on the basis of a faith statement is a call—from wildly divergent life experiences, but on one thing sure, that temptation and trial, malaise and scourge, afflict All—to be to one another that notion of Washing in the Blood of the Lamb.

We are to lean on one another, to accept one another’s imperfect Presence. Leaving behind and in the dust any and all false notion of self-contained, of perimeter of Perfection or Sinlessness, or “nothing doing” regarding that Pain of my life, that scourge, that ebb and flow of holiness met with sinfulness. All are in exalted trials or humble trials. All see that “other half” a half daily facing addiction or trial, facing life-or-death decisions only the wealthy or privileged have the luxury of indulging. All see that the sins of wealth and ease are no different: this one—we show mercy—is proud, that one neurotic, this third one addicted to the little deeds of intake or substance, the weary trials against charges of infidelity in conversation or secret thoughts.

Those weary trials therefore Wake Us Up to a brandishing of Faith’s Sword unto Inspired Tomorrow Reality, Tomorrow War, Tomorrow Emergence from the baptismal waters and the bloods we are washed in. The soldier simply has no time to fuss with perfection’s allure, and responds to the notional Washing, with bold Sallying Forth. With bold Acceptance of that Gift we in weaker or less merciful times, fuss over and say do not apply, and deny that we need: to make that honest confession in some situations, is tantamount to suicide.

Yet also where there is Christ, where there is that unexplainable Fact of people who do indeed avert their stroll away from the dealers and the pushers, who in fact are Reliant and Holy on some mystical level, who are all these things against all the tides of time and more honest—cynically-honest—assessments. Who do Create the healing environment and Nurture the safe space to let loose. Who therefore keep front and center that All This and More Christ forgives. All this and More, is His absence of the legalism and beginning of the together-ness. Washed in the blood of the Lamb, is a washing so far removed from anyone’s self-righteousness: Christ may have been perfect; our donors are far from it. They are those in whose stead we are washed because of absolute Imperfections. Because of utter Compromised personal boundaries and spheres of personal “responsibility”. Because it took someone honestly Intelligent to prove the lie to the claim all can strive and prove themselves “Christian”. We are those therefore called when we share that statement of Faith, to agree and find that Person in each of us, who is scaring up a storm of Mercy.