Pentecost 13B, 2024

13th Sunday after Pentecost, Year B

In the name of the Father, and of the +Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Brothers and sisters in Christ: grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Hardly a day goes by anymore that I don’t stop to think that the things and the events I see happening around the world and our country are simply unbelievable. Not that I don’t believe they’re actually happening. I believe the reporting to be true. I just find it hard to believe that our world has become what it is. Most recently, I have been hearing over the last week or so that the unrest in England has gotten so bad that many think a civil war there is not just likely, but inevitable. In England? The home of proper manners and civility? How can that possibly be?

Well, it didn’t happen overnight, did it? Much like many of the problems we have here at home. And much of it I would blame on what we call the “slippery slope”. We’ve gone from “burning the US flag is an expression of freedom of speech” to “that flag is offensive, and our homeowners’ association has decided to prohibit it from being flown in this subdivision.” This is one that I can’t wrap my head around.

On the heels of the 2024 Olympics, how about men competing in and dominating women’s sports? Did you see the women’s boxing competition? Of course, that’s not the only sport, but it’s the most violent one. I watched a biological man punch a woman 2 times, and she threw in the towel - less than a minute into the match. She stated later that she had never been hit that hard.

What do these things have in common? No one is allowed to speak the truth to these lies. And that’s what they are: they’re lies. The root of the problem for our friends in England is that they’ve let immigration run wild and unchecked for far too long. And now they’ve got a large immigrant population in their midst who do not adhere to Western values (which, by the way are mostly Christian values), and would like to see England’s society, culture, and government replaced with their own. Half of England believed they should be welcoming to their immigrant population, and the other half feared being called racist or xenophobic (fear of outsiders), and so they remained silent while this problem grew beyond repair. No one spoke up. Ironically, now those who do speak up, particularly on social media, are being arrested for so-called “hate speech” and are charged with stirring up violence, and even some laws covering terrorist acts. For posts on Facebook and Twitter (“X”). Did you see that the UK Government has even threatened to charge American citizens and request extradition for Americans speaking out against the problems? I guess I’ll probably be on that list just for telling you about it now.

Why did no one speak up sooner? Why was the truth not an obstacle to these problems getting out of control? I think it’s for a couple of reasons. And Paul addresses them in his letter to the Ephesians. He begins with “Let no one deceive you with empty words” - Empty words are those which do not speak truth and do not reflect reality. Here’s an example: if a biological male claims to identify as a female, then that person is a female. That is what happened in women’s boxing match I described earlier. There is a scientific certainty to every human being’s sex, which can be either identified visibly or by their chromosomes: XX for women or XY for men. This has never been questioned in all of human history except for the last, what, 4 or 5 years? And now we are told that when we cite that scientific truth, *we* are somehow wrong. No. It’s time to stop participating in the lies. Let’s not forget who the prince of lies is. And make no mistake: he is God’s enemy, and he is our enemy.

Here’s something else the enemy has been working on: have you heard the phrase “my truth” or “your truth”? As though truth itself were subject to an individual’s perspective. That defies the very definition of truth. Truth is the same no matter how you view it. Certainly different people view the world differently. They may even have different feelings about the truth when they encounter it. But that does not change the truth. It is merely their perspective…their opinion. “Let no one deceive you with empty words...”

Paul continues: “…for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.” Paul has described this before. If we look at Romans 1:18 “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.” And what does that wrath of God look like?

Romans 1:22–25 (ESV)

Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

God’s wrath in this case is simply to let them do what they want. Let them live the lie and suffer its consequences. Those who want this and live this are the “sons of disobedience”. Remember: disobedience is sin - that which separates us from God. In the first few verses of chapter 5, Paul has been warning the Ephesians about sexual sin, but that is not all that they are to avoid. It is just one of the prominent sins that had to be addressed. He also names greed (“covetousness”) as an obstacle to righteousness. Paul considers unbelief as disobedience as well.

So what is the Christian to do? Well, first of all, “do not become partners with them.” Do not participate, do not support, do not encourage disobedience. The word Paul uses here means “do not support, associate with, or adhere to them, and do not share or hold what is theirs.” And that starts with not participating in the lies. Do you remember a couple of years ago I mentioned an essay called “Live Not by Lies” by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn - he spoke about this, too with the same advice: simply do not take part in the lies. Don’t just go along to get along. Stand up for truth…God’s truth.

In my military journey, we were taught early on that no one can take your integrity from you against your will. You must choose to give it up. Going along with a lie is a choice. I think Paul would agree. He acknowledges that “at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.” Notice he doesn’t say “once you were in darkness, and now you are in the Light.” No, it’s “you were darkness, now you are light in the Lord.” This is an important difference.

Paul is saying that in times past, these people were darkened by their affiliation with the world. They identified with the world, they lived in the way of the world, and that is the way of darkness. They are no longer that way. They are now baptized, believing Christians who are affiliated with the Light of the World - Jesus Christ… united with him... by faith in him… [Lenski, 604] This applies also to us! Like the church in Ephesus, we have no reason to turn back to the ways of darkness. This would be to willingly give up the gift that God has given us through His Son. It simply doesn’t make sense.

We are now light in the Lord, so Paul tells us to “Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true)” [Eph 5:8–9] If we’re going to talk the talk, we certainly ought to walk the walk. How we live our lives - either in light or in darkness - can be easily seen by the fruits our lives produce. “Light and life go together. Being children of light and walking as such means what Jesus says in Matt. 5:14–16,” which is also what we are charged with in our baptism: “let your light so shine before others that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven.” We are created (spiritually) for good works. [Lenski, 605]

Paul’s instruction continues: try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. They’re so shameful we shouldn’t even speak of those things. Expose it by the light. “Make it public” is another way to translate that. Christ’s light will show it for what it is.

So much of the things that trouble me when I see all these things are, quite frankly, a rebellion against God. The transgender issue especially. “Male and female He created them” is what God’s Word tells us in Genesis 1:27. The world would now have us believe that there are dozens, even hundreds of genders, not two. These people are not rebelling against science; they are rebelling against God and His good, created order. This is fruit of God’s enemy.

“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise, but as wise...” In verse 10, Paul said that we are to “discern what is pleasing to the Lord.” Put another way, we are to “‘Walk … testing’ [which] means examining ourselves… [The word Paul uses here is the same word] used with regard to testing metals as to whether they are genuine, of coins as to whether they are the real metal and of full weight. The word matches v. 6: ‘Let no one deceive you.’ Satan deceived Eve. Endless deception offers what is morally rotten as though it were perfectly sound. Test every thought, word, and act. That is why we are children of light and have the standard for testing [in God’s Word].” [Lenski, 607]

So in order for us to be wise and not unwise, “The Christian must walk in the full gospel light, and that means the gospel wisdom… To be wise is more than to know; it means to use, apply, and thus to get the most out of knowledge in our walking or in the management of our life.” [Lenski, 614] It’s not enough to simply *not* break God’s Law in disobedience; we must be obedient to Christ and all that the Gospel calls us to - to follow Christ’s example and to live according to his teaching - *that* is how to be wise. We can and should be thankful for God’s truth, which is a powerful tool for helping us to stand against the lies. We are reminded of that truth when we read His truth in the Scriptures. And we are refreshed with His truth when we receive the Bread of Life - Christ’s body and His precious blood in the Sacrament of Holy Communion, which we will receive in a few minutes.

“Make the best use of the time, because the days are evil.” Are the days now evil? Did any of you watch the Grammys back in February? One of the key performers of the show came out dressed as the devil himself and the performance looked like an act of satanic worship. Or, the Olympics again - they prohibited a Brazilian athlete from using his surfboard because it had the image of Christ on it. They prohibited athletes from communicating any message that was political or religious. Of course, that didn’t stop them from openly mocking Christ in the opening ceremony. They’re not even hiding it any more. But honestly, looking at their fruit (all the problems I spoke of at the beginning) is this any surprise?

I am afraid that we - as a society - don’t acknowledge any of this because then we would have to admit to how bad it’s become. And we’ve gotten complacent. It’s certainly easier to “go along to get along” - no question about that. But is there a line you won’t cross, where you finally put your foot down? Where do you draw the line? “It’s okay if they’re doing that over there…it doesn’t affect me here” or “they’re not hurting anyone, just expressing themselves.” Perhaps the most insidious: “as Christians we have to love them and accept them just as they are.” That’s the most dangerous kind of lie: it contains an element of truth, but twists it. Yes, we are to love our neighbor. But we don’t leave them as they are. Christian love doesn’t mean accepting sin, and it definitely doesn’t include celebrating sin. Love means helping them fight and resist sin, and leading them to Christ and His truth.

So to “make the best use of the time,” that word there for time is kairos. “A καιρός is the special time that is adapted for a certain thing, the season for something, [an] opportunity. Christian wisdom makes the most of its opportunities. These seasons are brief, they soon slip by; one must recognize them and must buy while the buying is good. We say ‘use’ the opportunity; Paul says ‘buy it out,’ purchase all that it offers. That means: pay the necessary price in effort and exertion. It is lack of wisdom to hold back and to wait for a still better opportunity, which then often fails to arrive. It is certainly still greater lack of wisdom not to see the opportunity at all and thus to let it slip by.” [Lenski, 614] There are opportunities in our church family right now (just ask the Nominating Committee), and some others we’ll be discussing in the months ahead. I encourage you to consider and pray about how God wants to use you in those opportunities.

Brothers and sisters, I don’t know what the next few months are going to look like, but as a presidential election year, I suspect that our country and perhaps even our community is in for some turbulence until it’s over. Until then, I think we are called to walk as light and speak God’s truth. I think we are going to be faced with many choices in the days ahead, and some of those may be difficult. If we keep our eyes on Christ and use His Word as our guide and our truth, then we will be in a good position to help others and lead them to Him as well. And this is God’s Will, and it is also our Vision - to be a Great Commission church. Let’s all make the best us of this time, and make the most of every opportunity.

In the name of the Father, and of the +Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.