Veneers (Bright Year: Day 69)

Trying to buy less but buy better. I now possess a few solid things. A few, at least.

A side effect of purchasing hefty things: realizing how many products out there are wrapped in a veneer. Mere skins. Only after getting used to the weight of fully metal kitchenware and solid oak construction does one become aware of how many things are lightweight, ornamental.

"Touch me and see." The resurrected Jesus, contrary to popular portrayal, was not not airy, but dense. He was solid to the core. And in revealing the substance of His kingdom, Jesus ripped the veneer off the worldly empires. When we meet the risen Christ, Karl Barth writes, falsehood "acquires a recognizable being and perceptible form” (Church Dogmatics IV/3, 371).

I suppose that's why serious disciples can be so annoying. They've experienced the real thing. Which means they're always rapping their knuckles on surfaces and picking at loose ends.