The Whole Armor of God

Ephesians 6:10-20

¹⁰Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. ¹¹Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. ¹²For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. ¹³Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. ¹⁴Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. ¹⁵As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. ¹⁶With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. ¹⁸Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints.

¹⁹Pray also for me, so that when I speak, a message may be given to me to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, ²⁰for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it boldly, as I must speak.

I've tended to stay away from preaching the Epistles, as I often feel I am not educated enough to really interpret them as well as I would like. However, at times I challenge myself to grow in my understanding of Scripture by researching, studying, praying over, and preaching on Scriptures I would otherwise avoid. This week is one of those times. My focus is on a fairly familiar passage from Ephesians, where the writer tells us to put on the whole armor of God. While many are familiar with the passage, I am not sure how much thought we give to the power of the passage. The war imagery gives us a stark picture of the dark reality of the times. On first reading the passage, my thought is that the church in Ephesus was preparing itself to wage war with the Romans, who were persecuting Christians at the time. However, the author clearly sates that the battle is not against flesh and blood, but against "spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places (vs. 12)." How was the church at Ephesus to fight dark spiritual forces? How are we to fight dark spiritual forces today?

We fight the forces by first recognizing how they are manifest, then by suiting up for battle. The manifestation of these forces is known to us in the form of those who act counter to the will of God. It is not the individual that we are fighting, as they are enslaved to the dark forces in the same manner that we are enslaved to God through Jesus Christ. This is very important to recognize. Our battle is not to conquer evil people, but to offer people hope and salvation. This is where the armor imagery comes to light. Consider the armor we wear:

·      The first piece of equipment we are told to put on is the belt, which stands for truth or righteousness. A Roman soldier in good standing was to wear his belt with the sword attached at all times. This was the sign that he was a soldier. The belt was not only meant to carry the sword, but also to show that the wearer was a soldier. If a soldier was insubordinate, he would be stripped of his status. Loss of the belt mean loss of status. For Christians, the belt represents truth. We live in the truth that Jesus is the Christ and we live according to that truth.

·      The next piece of the uniform is the breastplate. This defensive piece of equipment protects the vital organs of the Roman soldier.  For the Christian, the breastplate is righteousness. Being righteous protects us from the temptations of the dark spiritual forces.

·      Next comes the footware. The military sandals gave the warrior protection on the soles of his feet to keep him upright and able to fight. For the Christian, the sandal is the gospel; we stand firm on the gospel of Jesus Christ, and are strengthened through that gospel.

·      The next piece of equipment was the shield, a large, lightweight piece of metal that could easily protect the body during combat. For the Christian, the shield is faith. When we are uncertain and afraid, our faith gives us courage and hope.

·      Next comes the helmet, protecting our brains and our heads. For the Christian, the helmet is salvation. We cannot be killed spiritually; we have new life (salvation) in Jesus Christ.

Finally, the soldier is equipped with a sword, the only offensive weapon in the soldier's uniform. For Christians, the sword represents the Holy Spirit, or the word of God. Think about this--all the defensive pieces of armor God gives to us, and only one weapon for offence. God equips us with armor to identify and protect ourselves from head to toe. Yet, God only gives us one simple weapon for spreading the gospel. There is no mention of a dagger, of bow and arrow, of spears or javelins. We are not divided into infantry or cavalry. We have one simple role in the war on the spiritual forces of darkness--proclaim the gospel through our words and deeds. Live after the example of Christ, and we will overcome the forces of evil. God will take care of the rest.

Musings of a Methodist Minister: No Greater Love

Musings of a Methodist Minister: No Greater Love: Luke 22:14-23:56 14 When the hour came, he took his place at the table, and the apostles with him.  15 He said to them, “I have eagerly d...

Musings of a Methodist Minister: No Greater Love

Musings of a Methodist Minister: No Greater Love: Luke 22:14-23:56 14 When the hour came, he took his place at the table, and the apostles with him.  15 He said to them, “I have eagerly d...

No Greater Love

Luke 22:14-23:56

¹⁴When the hour came, he took his place at the table, and the apostles with him. ¹⁵He said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; ¹⁶for I tell you, I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” ¹⁷Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he said, “Take this and divide it among yourselves; ¹⁸for I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” ¹⁹Then he took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” ²⁰And he did the same with the cup after supper, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.

²¹But see, the one who betrays me is with me, and his hand is on the table. ²²For the Son of Man is going as it has been determined, but woe to that one by whom he is betrayed!” ²³Then they began to ask one another, which one of them it could be who would do this.

I am concluding a series of series of sermons about God using imperfect people to accomplish God's work.  As I consider all the imperfect people God used, none stands out more than Judas Iscariot.  Judas is a troubling figure in scripture.  He seems to be doomed for doing the will of God, which is quite troubling to me.  As a result, I've been studying the scriptures and legends around his role in Jesus' death and how God used him.

Only Matthew and Acts speak of Judas' death, and they do not agree with each other. Matthew tells that Judas hanged himself, while Acts tells that Judas fell and was disemboweled.  The Gospel of Judas, written in the first century A.D., tells that Judas was actually asked by Jesus to betray him as part of God's plan, while the Gospel of Barnabas, which was written much later, says that Judas was actually the one who was crucified, and Jesus ascended directly to Heaven.  These varying accounts bring to light the fact that people have been troubled from the beginning about God's use of Judas in the crucifixion narrative.

As I read the accounts of the betrayal of Jesus, I believe that Judas was forgiven of his sin. Judas went to the Chief Priests to offer to betray Jesus, and was paid thirty pieces of silver to do so. He then was with Jesus and the twelve at the Last Supper. This is key to my understanding of grace, the sacrament of Holy Communion, and the forgiveness of Judas. Jesus served all twelve disciples, including Judas, the bread of his body, and more significantly, the cup of the new covenant, which is forgiveness of sins not through blood sacrifice, but through belief in Jesus Christ. Jesus had to be betrayed. Jesus had to die at the hands of sinful people in order to offer redemption to sinful people. In fact, I believe that each of us, when we sin, share responsibility in the betrayal and death of Jesus Christ. We must, or we can not share in the gift of redemption through Jesus Christ.

I shared this theology with a colleague, who dismissed it based on the response of Jesus. Jesus said, "...woe to the one that one by whom he is betrayed (Luke 22:22), which my colleague interpreted as Jesus condemning Judas to Hell." I disagree, however. I believe the words of Jesus had more to do with his wrestling with his own humanity. We don't see the human side of Jesus often in Scripture.  Yet on the night of his betrayal and day of his crucifixion it is starkly obvious. Jesus condemns the very man he has just given the cup of salvation to. He asks God in the garden to remove the cup, if it is possible. He tells the disciples they will all fall away and deny them. He collapses under the weight of the cross he carries to Golgotha. He is the first of the three condemned men to die. Jesus' words to Judas were his human words spoken in the grief and despair of a man facing a cruel and torturous death. Yet even in this grief, Jesus offers his betrayer the cup of salvation. And if the sin of betraying Jesus Christ can be forgiven by Jesus Christ, how much more can our sins be forgiven?

So let us take heed of the words of Martin Luther:  "Be a sinner and let your sins be strong, but let your faith in Christ be stronger, and rejoice in Christ who is the victor over sin, death and the world."¹ Acknowledge that we are sinful, but through faith in Christ, our sins are forgiven.  Glory to God!

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1 Sin Strong: A Letter From Luther to Melanchthon Letter no. 99, 1 August 1521, From the Wartburg (Segment) Translated by Erika Bullmann Flores from: Dr. Martin Luther's Saemmtliche Schriften Dr, Johannes Georg Walch, Ed. (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, N.D.), Vol. 15,cols. 2585-2590.   Letter no. 99, 1 August 1521, From the Wartburg

Wrestling With God

Genesis 25:29-34

²⁹Once when Jacob was cooking a stew, Esau came in from the field, and he was famished. ³⁰Esau said to Jacob, “Let me eat some of that red stuff, for I am famished!” (Therefore he was called Edom.) ³¹Jacob said, “First sell me your birthright.” ³²Esau said, “I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?” ³³Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. ³⁴Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank, and rose and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.

Comedian Chris Farley had a skit on Saturday Night Live called, "The Chris Farley Show." In the skit, he would interview actors, but instead of asking them about upcoming movies, or allowing them to share projects they were working on, he would ask inappropriate questions. He was nervous, and would ask if the interviewee remembered a particular scene from a previous movie, saying, "That was awesome!"  He then would realize how badly the interview was going, would hit himself on the head, and would call himself an idiot. When I read the story of Jacob swindling Esau out of his birthright, I imagine Esau as Chris Farley on the Chris Farley Show.

Jacob and Esau were constantly at odds.  Jacob was loved by his mother, while Esau was loved by his father.  Each tried to outdo the other.  It got so bad that at one point Jacob had to run away because Esau planned to kill him!  Jacob went to stay with his Uncle Laban, who was about has dubious as Jacob!  Jacob lived with Laban's family for 20 years, marrying his two daughters and making him a very rich man.  However, Laban and Jacob, like Esau and Jacob, were constantly trying to deceive the other for personal gain.  Jacob came to a point where he knew he had to leave, lest Laban get the other hand and Jacob loose everything.  But where was there to go?

Jacob nervously decided to take his wives and children and return home to Esau. As he drew near, he sent servants with troves of gifts to try to soften his brother.  However, the servants said Esau would not receive the gifts and that he and 400 men were coming to greet Jacob.  Jacob divided his children among their mothers and sent them a ways off in an effort to keep them safe. As he waited, a man wrestled with him through the night, and in the morning, Jacob had the upper hand.  Jacob demanded a blessing from the stranger. The man asked Jacob's name.  When Jacob responded, the stranger revealed his true identity by saying, "You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with humans, and have prevailed (Genesis 32:28)."

In the morning, Esau came to greet Jacob.  Esau welcomed his brother with open arms and without a grudge. Esau refused the appeasement gifts, saying that he already had enough. Being reunited with his brother was all the gift he needed.

Jacob has two encounters with God throughout the story. The first is when he is running away from Esau, and the second is on the eve of the brothers being reunited. At no other point does Jacob pray to God, talk to God, or even make reference to God. Yet God changed his name to Israel, making him the father of the twelve tribes of Israel. You see, God does not choose perfect or pious people to do God's work. If God only used perfect or pious people, there would be no one for God to use. No matter your shortcomings, your sins, your flaws, God can use you. You just have to be open with God. You may even have to wrestle with God. In that wrestling, God makes you stronger and better able to do God's work.

Hear more about Jacob, Esau and Laban this Sunday in church.

Top Ten Reasons God Created Eve

If you missed church on Sunday, or just wanted to remember the opening joke, here it is:

Top Ten Reasons Eve Was Created

10. God was worried that Adam would frequently become lost in the
    garden because he would not ask for directions.

 9. God knew that one day Adam would require someone to locate
    and hand him the remote.

 8. God knew Adam would never go out and buy himself a new fig leaf
    when his wore out and would therefore need Eve to buy one for him.

 7. God knew Adam would never be able to make a doctor's, dentist, or
    haircut appointment for himself.

 6. God knew Adam would never remember which night to put the garbage
    on the curb.

 5. God knew if the world was to be populated, men would never be 
    able to handle the pain and discomfort of childbearing.

 4. As the Keeper of the Garden, Adam would never remember where he
    left his tools.

 3. Apparently, Adam needed someone to blame his troubles on when 
    God caught him hiding in the garden.

 2. As the Bible says, It is not good for man to be alone!

 1.  When God finished the creation of Adam, He stepped back, 
     scratched his head, and said, "I can do better than that!"

From http://www.yuksrus.com/religion_adam_and_eve.html

Snake in the Garden

Genesis 3:1-7New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

The First Sin and Its Punishment

3 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God say, ‘You shall not eat from any tree in the garden’?” 2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.’” 4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not die; 5 for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God,[a] knowing good and evil.” 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.

The grace of God is central to my theology.  Without grace, we have no hope for a right relationship with God.  Some Christians tend to equate God's grace as a New Testament concept, with the God of the Old Testament being the God of wrath.  For these, it is as if God was angry and jealous until he became a parent, at which point God became loving and merciful.  Yet, the first act of grace in Scripture appears to come from the first book of the Bible, and involved the first 2 humans.

The story tells us that Adam and Eve lived in the Garden of Eden, where they did not have to worry about what they would eat or how they would live.  Food grew in abundance in the Garden, and while they were naked, they were not aware of their nakedness, and were, therefore, not ashamed.  In the garden was a tree, whose fruit was forbidden to Adam and Eve.  They had been informed by God that if they ate of the fruit, or if they simply touch it, or they would die.

One day, the serpent, which walked upright and talked at the time of Adam and Eve, spoke to Eve and asked her, "Did God really say you cannot eat of the fruit in the garden?"  Eve replied that they could eat of all the fruit except for the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, telling the serpent that it would kill the humans.  The serpent informed Eve that she would not die, but that her eyes would be open, and she would know right from wrong and become like God.  The fruit looked desirable, and the the serpent's arguments made sense.  Who wouldn't want to be like God, after all.  She took a bite of the fruit, and it was good!  Meanwhile, Adam appeared and questioned his wife about what she was doing.  Eve shared the serpent's information with her husband, and being the dutiful spouse, Adam also ate of the fruit.  Immediately they knew they were naked, and they were afraid.  The Scripture tells us that they sewed fig leaves together to make loin clothes, which is humorous, as fig leaves are poisonous to people, causing a rash which can last for weeks!

Then it happened.  They heard the voice of God in the garden, and they were afraid, so they hid in the bushes.  The Lord called out and asked where they were, and Adam responded that they heard God coming, they knew they were naked, and they hid.  God asked Adam how they knew they were naked, questioning whether they had eaten of the tree with the forbidden fruit.  Adam's response to God is that of many men today who find themselves in trouble--"The woman YOU put at my side, she gave me the fruit!"  The interrogation now turns to Eve, while Adam breathed a sigh of relief, believing he was off the hook.  The woman quickly pointed out that the serpent had tricked her.  At this, God begins to explain the consequences of their actions, starting with the serpent.  The serpent would no longer walk upright, but would slither on its belly, instead.  The woman and her offspring would hate snakes, and snakes would hate people.  Humans would strike at the heads of the snakes, and snakes would strike at the heels of the humans.

Next, God turned attention to the humans.  Eve was told that her desire would be for her husband, and that she would bare children as a response.  She was also told that having children would be painful.  Finally, God tells Adam that the ground will now be filled with weeds and thistles, and that Adam would have to work the land in order to eat.  Life would no longer be a picnic for the humans.

This is where the punishment ends, and I believe many loose sight of the act of grace present here.  God makes clothes out of animal skins for the man and the woman, presenting them something less irritable and more lasting than fig leaves.  God then sends them out of the garden to keep them from eating from another tree, the Tree of Life.  This tree offered immortality, something that may seem appealing in a perfect world with no suffering and no work, but something that would be dreaded by people who suffer.  By sending the two away from the Garden, he gave them an end to their suffering.  This is truly Good News!

You see, we are like God, in that we know the difference between good and evil.  We are like God in that we have free will.  We are not like God in that we do not always to do the good.  There is suffering in the world.  We have to work to succeed.  Yet there is an end to our earthly suffering through death.  This is a gift from God, and the first act of grace in Scripture.