2024-04-17 A Meditation on the Brand

“12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Col 3:12-17 ESV)

Representing the brand, outwardly turned and eagerly formed, we encounter one another in a liberated domain, a free country of the spirit, a gladsome exchange. For, with eyes heavenward, the plan for the hour is in great care to be divested and liberated to think and to serve.

False compliments, cagey negotiations, spiritual temptations: the war we fight is not with flesh and blood alone but with daring antagonism unto our Spirit, repentance being our chief asset, our bank, our wealth. We have repented; it was mystery and guile to some, a lark and an embarrassment, something to hate; but out of it came a spiritual inspiration, third eye, a Place and Representation for God Almighty through us to make sign and healing and work.

Frights come and go, bedrock vision finally due and produced as by-product of actual penitence or rather actual innocence. Innocent in the spirit, we are no longer the ones bearing our sins past. God has elevated our thought-sphere to a realm that dominates by Joy, that marches by Patience, that serves by Persistence. Afforded and assumed to be healthsome, we are managerial, masters, rife for production and efficient sensibilities. We are still in the good-ol’-machinery of a Name, apostolic or newly minted, name a comment on our service and our Christianity. Sent, we simply pray in simple terms to be free and awake, aware and coping, daring to leave so much on the shores that are behind us; we celebrate a Homecoming due, if not acted upon then treasured up.

To be free when strange onslaughts cloud the vision, when false concerns muddy the water, when the fellowship is not one cynical and wearily acknowledging that, yes, even such as these have tempted and fallen away, but no more to the Crew, the Cadre, the Cohort. This is mind meets mind, hands working together, pleasant or determined, punctilious or urgently-met; the needs and the duties and the simple leisure of a rest together, too, are of a value-added sort; the value is added by the Fellowship held Innocent of deeper sins.

Each generation has their devils and their bad habits. Each generation learns something: not to sit around debating Forgiveness, but to walk into the light as those Forgiven already, to seize the day and gladly to mention the One for whose sake we are Newborn. We are due. We are in season. We are the fashion and the contemporary souls still arranged for Service. Our service is despite all lugubrious regrets and backwaters. Our service is patiently prayed into, no time properly to be grateful that yes we are of sound mind and of clear vision, clearly seeing and thinking out of the box, out of the backchannels of sin. His Name is lauded because we His people have our reputation preceding us, preceding the partner in Holiness, preceding the humility and second chances.

So to be bare knuckled and brave, is to be reminded that each hour is precious and is gift, evocation of His own labors and His own creation spirit. We create, not coveting the more elusive or spiritual stations, but knowing Creation puts pedal to metal, puts all manner of good things into the air. The sickness, the manifest spiritual war: we know to label it as such, believing in the power of Word and Patient Prayer, fasting on some level, meticulous no more but dogged and determined to Fight the Evil in our midst, that attacks in precise counterpoint to any spiritual advancement unthanked for. We thank, in order to expect and to prepare for the depressive or cunning wild ride, lusts and temptations, hates and frustrations, self-destructive guises and would-be ruinous paths. We are innocent of evil and masters of Good. We follow this One who was pristine because of manifest forty-day temptations. Who had a good reputation preceding Him, because He was of trustworthy Spirit and reliable decent Presence. He could be bedrock and stalwart Friend, in our corner and by our side.