2022-12-29 A Meditation on Words of Encouragement

“After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent a message to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, say it.”” (Ac 13:15 ESV)

Healing occurs corporally—in the body—and in the bystander, the observer. So it behooves to have confidence—these are vows taken—to share with others our own place as it currently rambles on. Our own pain. Our own healing word in season. For those words, we believe because of prophecy, may be just as salient to our neighbor in the faith. So we cease trying to put together the “perfect” picture of the faith walk. We cease to blame ourselves when our words seem weaker than what befits the Lord’s armies. We know to save and cherish all that comes across our purview, and all that flies forth from our pen or our tongue.

Yet not all feel they have this gift. Many have gone years not feeling “right” about speaking up, though early encouraged to do so. There is a strange gift called “audience” and called “personal recognisance” wherein we, because of imagining concretely regarding the minds and souls of these listeners, and because of personal in-touchedness, recognisance, do begin to shake out a meaningful word in season.

For in strange ways we suffer for the sins of others. In strange ways others give of themselves when it comes to our own sins on display. People are incorporated and involved with each other. Fighting words come full circle, recruiting an audience eager to be part, if not of our perfection, then of our own healing. People do long to serve.

Then there is the day and the hour when first we realized we were at war. No longer clear sailing, rolling fields of amber, healthsome pastures, but a foe whom we cannot mitigate to a lesser contender. This foe makes us pray to God Above, because she or he is unstoppable. This foe is just as intelligent, just as artisanal, just as revered, as the best in our own ranks. And sometimes more so.

We have the Gospel, which teaches strange things, such as the power in having a losing stance. While an enemy jostles for the upper hand, we pick a fight on eternal matters, one that will get us shouted down, but that does have a Resurrection come tomorrow. It may not be in our own lives, but rather in those whom the Lord blesses via our sacrifice. It may not be exactly as we foresaw it, but it has a Heavenly logic indisputable and refreshing. Salutary outcomes, peace-loving gestures, loving charisma, charismatic leaders whom we naturally drop all calculations around, and follow. We follow, because all life’s questions are answered in this person’s magnetism. We could care less, now having found her or him, about our prior concerns with not “rocking the boat”, with “law and order”, with political machinery. Yes, we could care less even about “good” deeds like feeding the poor or healing the sick. That is because all of these are in the comet’s tail, the aurora, of Jesus faith. First we have the Christ, and with Him all manner of personal calm, satiety, appropriateness, belonging. And then like to a magnet is drawn so much by way of good intention, law, order, service, aiding the poor. But it is the peculiar claim of the Christ that most important is not our legislation of good deeds, but our own recognisance and belonging, in a heavenly family.