2024-11-01 A Meditation on Proper Sufferings
“2 Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along with me. 2 I went up because of a revelation and set before them (though privately before those who seemed influential) the gospel that I proclaim among the Gentiles, in order to make sure I was not running or had not run in vain. 3 But even Titus, who was with me, was not forced to be circumcised, though he was a Greek. 4 Yet because of false brothers secretly brought in—who slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might bring us into slavery— 5 to them we did not yield in submission even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you.” (Gal 2:1-5 ESV)
The hazard lights are flashing. The Christian finds forgiveness—Grace—only if and when his or her hearers find it for themselves. All of us, we willingly Serve at the level we’ve been invited to serve in, not judging others even if those others seem to doubt us, to look for pessimistic affirmation of their own difficult effort to Judge others. As they judge, so they look to justify by using the notion of “Not Christian yet”; “Undiscipled”; “In flagrant error”.
Steering clear of the subculture, the alit Christian Witness therefore pours on the Love and receives at the hands of his or her interlocutors, that patent but fingerprinting uniqueness of a man’s, and woman’s love for their fellow or gal. All this not to take away from the winnowing clarion Outsider Call to Serve: we Serve a Gospel that resets our entire edifice of Good Works: the un- or under-acknowledged purity of fastings and celibacies and donations. We were not slow on the pickup, but a little too coached and quick to serve that End called Faithful.
Someone On High believed in us, believed life is part DNA—our skillset—and part imputation—how and what others say solemnly over us. When we are attributed as Christian, well then in this luminosity we indeed become more Christian. When we are attributed as Prophet, well then in this hazy glow we indeed become more Prophetic. So we serve a Lord accustomed to speaking things into existence, to making New with a space carved out for us, for us as sons and as daughters, to carry the mantel into a New Tomorrow.
Tomorrow being mightily wept over and prayed over, the sick realization that it shall be a severe test that comes upon us, but also the bedrock Faith that realizes it shall be a life-upon-life furtherance, we having Courage and Stamina to go the distance. If not already convicted as sinners, we should Today be convicted as to severity of Tomorrow’s judgment. We the all of us have reason to pause, reason to forgive, to band together in group hug and moist eyes: these shall be your load bearers. These sums of peoples shall be your Reliance. No one is thrown away: all lives matter. And the one whose life in the past was ruined beyond repair by sin, well this one has life and breath in them nonetheless, that Matters.
Therefore to the ramparts by way of steering clear of the subculture with its pandemic, epidemic Illness and frustration: we somehow do better the better we coach ourselves to talk only of surface things, not to confide, not to quite allow full-on fellowship: because it takes courage thus to invest in the fellowship: we do in fact do better, to confide, to trust, to conglomerate, but only insofar as Tomorrow’s Resurrection will finally be ours: wearier for the travel, but scrappy and fighting nonetheless.
Thus our doctrine is strange and New, one of Grace and gladsome tidings on the face, a smile on the cheeks and so much of Holy Scripture in cahoots with us to speak the startling good news. We have not trusted too much in the wiley Enemy. We have done well by way of our deepest hopes and dreams being on display. We have dared our hearers and friends to Emerge, on the side of Justice, on the side of New Beginnings, on the side of Fidelity most healthsome.
Our doctrine is Here and Now something we go quietly into the night around, not sure whether to grin or to frown; not sure if our evidential testimony used the right evidences or not; yet sure of this: instead of affirming our judgment of others with the test: “Are they discipled? Are they free of sin?”, the proper test is “Do they know the Gospel?” And here and now, those singled out for special treatment, to these we only address that fine query: “Do you know Jesus?”. Nevermind imitating Him purely and solely, just mindful of knowing His Gospel. Therefore we may sin by our laidback composure, when a fighting perilous brinksmanship must be our gig. We must Challenge and with hawkish carefulness testify to the “Greetings in the Name of the Lord”. “How was your week?” Well, let me tell you a story about a wandering Jew from Nazareth…
Only we do both, allowing the off kilter line of questioning, but inwardly braced for those judgments and persecutions. Of such as some of these here today present God will make prophets and sages, martyrs and soldiers. God will help us in that severity due to afflict our life’s story. God will be risen and riled up around Helping all those who call on the Name. And then to our pleasantries and the ironical faux-peace when indeed this—Tomorrow—is a time of readiness, a time of Service and of plainly seen war.