2022-12-21 A Meditation on Transience

“Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.” (Php 3:17–21 ESV)

Precious hours, fleeting context. The Christian context, as Encountered and Discovered, is temporary in this transient world. The Christian by word and sacrament is pointed to a heavenly dwelling place, far surpassing any qualms or pain or difficulty in this life, where they will meet the Lord face to face (Re 22:4; Ps 11:7). Where they will learn that their deeds done in haste, in secret, unobserved, are all accounted unto them as righteousness.

But above all the precious hours are hours of faith. Faith undoes many sins and regrets, resentments and difficulties. People languish, for the simple fact of couching things in terms of this life; they plead for salvation today, and though it seem to delay, in fact the Lord has sovereign control over each souls’ fate. The Lord makes experiences seem fitting, where before we griped. The Lord somehow overindulges us spiritually-speaking, because we on our own account are not sufficiently bold to point out the hardships we’ve endured. So we are indulged, gifted, precious sinners now saved, a great heavenly host welcoming us to eternity, while this life does its best to channel our affections back towards it.

That is, this life wants our allegiance, and cries foul when we have career that fulfills, or responsibility that upbuilds, or faith that discerns, crying out “Abba, Father!”, that resolves this hour to sally onward. We are sallying forward, together, individually, a mighty host moving mighty impediments. We are already seen in the best possible light by God the Father, who has a hard time not imputing to us His own qualities of person. His holiness infects us, and in the Son He showed willingness to go the distance with us.

Perhaps we weren’t clean of a recent encounter with a peer of the opposite sex (and let us be bold as to say this could just be conversation, a date over coffee, etc.), or perhaps we had indulged in some illicit viewing. Perhaps we were recently beckoned back by sponsor or friend, who knew us in the A.A. meeting, and saw us do things that they knew we’d later regret. Things that would make us question life itself, for “I always mess up!”. In all these, we are no longer quite as holy as the Lord Jesus would like; perhaps He should hide from us, retreat to His prayer closet. But He goes all in, His fast and holiness sufficient to be expended upon impoverished, frustrated, us. He is of the mind that immediately one is healed, by faith, not by climbing the penitent’s staircase unto a holy altar.