2023-02-08 A Meditation on Worldview

“We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we in disrepute.” (1 Co 4:10 ESV)

Jesus’ worldview consisted of a marginalized Judaism up against an encroaching Roman Empire. His nation’s security consisted of a forward victory. It was a victory of deep heart work, intelligent but informed by an up-to-then unspoken passion; it led to His Cross, and the message therein that from this day forward we shall be under authority that transcends death and dying.

So much is summarized by saying follow Jesus. Follow Him to the clear-eyed sightlines around Pharisee religion. Follow Him to the healing instinct around lepers, the blind, the lame, and the possessed. Follow Him, as He dies a lonesome death, having ministered to thousands but now in a cold hour wondering if He has anybody.

His worldview is retrofitted and adjusted in each generation, as each faces a criminal-at-times priesthood, the hubris of professional religion, but the hope in the average pew-sitter, the heroic deeds of the called, equipped, and inspired. Such is the project of humanistic, if not just nationalistic, importance. Human security, in place, fought over with non-material spiritual weapons. Brought to life by the underground yet flashpoint visible work of legions, of professional religionists, of those versed in thought work, of soldiers under a proud banner, of any and all comers who see the elderly and the infirm and the youth doing a merry dance, and themselves feel the call to be professional, called, equipped. To do justice on a humanistic and tangible front, to the deeper realms of Christian thought. To do justice to the flipside of those age-old fears: religion is just weakness; religion is just my mom’s big thing; religion is just for the last generation.

For our Christianity does beckon with hope, lack of cynicism, the joyous participant in this National Undertaking thanking Father in Heaven that we are counted worthy of suffering for the sake of the gospel. That we are intelligence and prophet, in a realm that does believe in all this biblically-attested-to format as something to purpose ourselves with today. So we have brainstems and submission diagrams. We have a proud flag called our no-nonsense, not kept quiet about, personal faith. Yes, we can be sneaky but also fully honest: this religion I profess, is indeed the deepest secret about me. So no worries about the encounter with someone representing some other friendly or adverse entity: we can sit down together; we can dialog; we can plead for a heart change in each of these who draw near. For the things of secret work are tempting; we are tempted to make undercover operation and underground crowd into our matter-of-fact point of boast and pride. But no, we are boasting in Christ. We are boasting in a religion retrofitted to a time of national tectonic ridgeline up against national tectonic ridgeline. Our religion decides Jesus coming again may not be as triumphant as He first foresaw, Him the army head and potentate coming down from the sky. Maybe that will come to pass one day, just as one day long ago David was king and military might. But we see birth pains and saints, apostles of new teachers, of teachers proud of their calling and knowledgeable about today’s nationalistic and humanistic battle lines, call them Law and Gospel; call them sincerity and hubris; call them healing and painful gasp. All this we transition over unto prayer; all this we hold lightly while deeply petitioning the Holy Spirit for all whom we love, and for continuation of our lifestyle.