2025-03-18 A Meditation on Time to Explain

“2 For you yourselves know, brothers, that our coming to you was not in vain. 2 But though we had already suffered and been shamefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we had boldness in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of much conflict. 3 For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive, 4 but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts. 5 For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness. 6 Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ. 7 But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. 8 So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.” (1 Thess 2:1-8 ESV)

Explanatory language is about gifting accomplice nature, gifting belonging, gifting understanding. It is grace. It is grace because the alternative is closed-ranks exclusion and fuss: you’re not good enough, you don’t belong, you are Judged.

It really is that simple, that the avenues for belonging are open a little bit longer. Meantime the counterargument states: Enough, enough with the weak faith; Enough with the lazy religion; Enough with the boring “Christianity”. Man and Woman in her or his element need sly demeanor, gamesmanship unto dog-eat-dogs finality, pluck and composure unto death’s day.

To have been Inducted into a warrior class, a pugnacious Body, an alert composite creation, is to diverge from the standard church circles, yet we pray, when this deed or that is “Grace” in the minds of some, that we not lose sight of “gentleness”. Christ’s gentleness towards the Child in His midst. Christ’s gentleness towards the witty but elementary, naive in the best sense of the word, inexperienced pundit of some brand of humor or self-identification Divine.

That is, well we do to experience that One Encounter immediately caves on all sides with Judgment and Persecutions. Our heroes, our Pantheon most sublime, is tainted; we walk all over those who led us, and we keep at frustrating arms length those we are enchanted by: enchanted, because they took an interest in silly little us. Enchanted because they Dared to reckon with our demons and worldview, our oddities and our strange alien Immigrant Status.

Minting a nimble storyline, a gracious Explanatory device, the crucifer, the Cross-bearing soldier, has seen his or her heroes lead, only to suffer and disperse, only to Die. This, on an intellectual level, spells a Curious and Eager response: such-and-so is the Gospel, is the ointment, is the preventing Intel: that to believe thus is to save one another and save a Body from damnation.

We are saved by Him who went away, disappeared, ascended to Heaven, after teaching us. Only this, that likewise He learnt us up in the way of Duty to those who sent us. We were sent with a Mandate. The soldier’s Mandate is to Recall and Bear Witness unto, those who sent her or him. And while we are dying an unfinished life, an unfulfilled Mission: we are faithful to the end in confidence that a Message is being conveyed by How We Die. Like the passing Pain, like the momentary eyes agape: so this was it, this time around. Loved ones, we believe nonetheless we will see again. Friendships will persist. Mission will be passed down the generations. That is Resurrection faith.

Nor do we flatter lightly, bandying about the good Name and letting it alight upon first this so-and-so and then on that come-who-may. It is no laughing matter, no jest, to point to someone and say “Christ”. Christ with us. Christ before us. Christ beside us. Yet in that gesture is a mystery, that all are in this Together: apostles like Peter and James and John and more, were all complicit in upbuilding of Jesus, we might say. He was not much, were it not for them and yet: He is all-powerful and all-knowing. So be it, for these footsoldiers who complete the cipher. So be it for these Deeds they bear witness to, and adoration towards the Author of.