Joshua 24:14–18 ESV

14 “Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” 16 Then the people answered, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods, 17 for it is the Lord our God who brought us and our fathers up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight and preserved us in all the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed. 18 And the Lord drove out before us all the peoples, the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore we also will serve the Lord, for he is our God.”

Ephesians 6:10–20 ESV

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, 19 and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.

Replace the Armor of War with the Armor of God

This text from Ephesians is not about war.

This passage from Ephesians is not actually about war.

This text is not about war.

I know, I know. It’s talking about armor. But based on the rest of the book of Ephesians, this author is not meaning to gear us up for literal war. We have to be careful, even, if we assume the author is meaning to gear us up for figurative war.

I repeat: we as Christians are not at war.

Sometimes the Bible compares the struggles of the Christian life to war, but we have to be really cautious about that sort of comparison in today’s culture. If we aren’t careful with what is often assigned as a children’s passage which lends itself to great costumes and visuals, we can wind up spouting some pretty terrible theology, or at best, expressing our theology in ways that turn off other people and make them want to avoid church and all those churchy weirdos.

Ugh!

It can cause us to get stuck in an “us vs them” mindset that is unhelpful and unhealthy. We’re not here to fight against the world, we’re here to help save it!

One of the reasons we have to be careful with passages like this is that we live in a culture in which one of the top fears for many people is religious extremists - or as we tend to call them - terrorists. Every religion has extremist sects and extremism hurts people. It hurts people spiritually, emotionally, and physically. The extremists we hear most about in our setting - the ones most talked about - are Muslim extremists like ISIS, but there are Christian extremists like the KKK or the Irish Republican Army, and there are Jewish extremists like those who seek to push out or wipe out all Palestinians or going back far enough, those who put Jesus to death. More and more non-Christians, former Christians, or sorta-Christians, are starting to associate all Christian churches with extremism or fundamentalism. If we aren’t careful in how we approach passages like this one, we run the risk of being lumped into that icky pile.

We’re not at war against the rest of the world. We aren’t combatants going out to do some fancy special forces missions. Put that imagery out of your minds. It’s that sort of interpretation of passages like this that has led toward or at least contributed to to justification of the violent and unjust removal of native people from their homes and land (around the world, not just here), the crusades, the Spanish inquisition, and more.

The letters to the church that we read in the new testament -including Ephesians - are full of calls to justice and peace and compassion and familial love. It would be terribly inconsistent for the author here to be literally telling us that because we are Christian, we are the true and holy warriors in the world.

Every religion has extremist sects and extremism hurts people. It hurts people spiritually, emotionally, and physically. The extremists we hear most about in our setting - the ones most talked about - are Muslim extremists like ISIS, but there are and have been Christian extremists like the KKK or the Irish Republican Army, and there are Jewish extremists like those who seek to push out or wipe out all Palestinians or going back far enough, those who put Jesus to death.

Ephesians is about peace and sharing the gospel.

We also need to be careful not to take the idea of spiritual warfare too far out of its Scriptural context and into a terrifying Frank Peretti-like literal angels and demons invisibly battling above us sort of way. The early ‘90’s were so strange, friends. If we file this passage away in the “how to scare off actual literal demons” drawer, we have just denied ourselves a powerful preparation for daily life. Because that is what this passage is actually preparing us for.

We all have to be cautious about how we use these sorts of metaphors and how literally we take them. There is a fine line between understanding daily spiritual protection and seeing ourselves as some sort of Holy Combatants. Most of us lead pretty normal lives. I can’t speak for all of us, maybe one of you is an angel or a secret agent or something, but most of us need to prepare ourselves not for war, not for supernatural spooks of some sort, but for the drag of boring, everyday life in which boring, everyday things distract us from the Gospel. We can get so busy looking for angels and demons in the street, we get duped into idolatry by things far more mundane like money and safety and apathy.

We’re not at war against the rest of the world. We aren’t combatants going out to do some fancy special forces missions. Put that imagery out of your minds. It’s that sort of interpretation of passages like this that has led toward or at least contributed to to justification of the violent and unjust removal of native people from their homes and land (around the world, not just here), the crusades, the Spanish inquisition, and more.

The letters to the church that we read in the new testament are full of calls to justice and peace and compassion and familial love. It would be terribly inconsistent for the author here to be literally telling us that because we are Christian, we are the true warriors in the world.

Ephesians is about peace and sharing the gospel.

We are normal people trying to live in ways that are faithful to Scripture and pleasing to God and that takes some preparation. It takes some special clothing and equipment. The author here is just using a common visual to help understand that we can’t go outside naked and expect to get very far.

Aha

The letters to the church that we read in the new testament are full of calls to justice and peace and compassion and familial love. It would be terribly inconsistent for the author here to be literally telling us that because we are Christian, we are the true warriors in the world.

Ephesians is about peace and sharing the gospel.

Whee

This passage is about being prepared because what we’re about to do is exhausting, it’s hard, it doesn’t always make sense, people aren’t going to like it, it goes against the grain. So like soldiers, we should go in prepared. The author isn’t saying we ARE soldiers, the author is taking a common uniform of the day and using it to illustrate preparedness and purposefulness.

Righteousness - breastplate - protects our vital organs. Our hearts are open to attack when we live in unrighteous - unjust - sinful ways.

Sword - spirit/Word - notice that the weapon is not something WE CONTROL. It is the Spirit and the Word. The Sword IS GOD.

sandals - readiness of the gospel of peace - this is all about peace, remember. Peace is what keeps us moving around in the world. Without peace, we are hobbled quickly from spreading the Gospel.

Helmet - salvation - keeps our head from getting chopped off. This is the part of us that makes us who we are. We lose who we really are without salvation.

Trouble in the World

There’s been big scandal in the Roman Catholic church lately that has blown up in a big way this past week.

We must daily choose God, even as the rest of the world is demanding our allegiance: patriotic, racial, familial, etc. Especially when we are part of a country with such a proud heritage that would call us American Christians rather than Christian Americans. Think about it. . . the way you order those words is pretty important. Are you an American who happens to be Christian or a Christian who happens to be American? What order do you say your gender or race, etc with the word “Christian”? Are you a Presbyterian Christian or a Christian Presbyterian? Ouch.

Please don’t go home and say that I’m anti-American or not patriotic or any silliness like that. I almost bought a t-shirt the other day that says, “I grew up in Kansas: it doesn’t get any more American than that.” But I can tell you surely that if someone were to tell me now I had to denounce my faith or renounce my American citizenship, there are plenty of other countries I can live in faithfully as a Christian. It wouldn’t be easy, but that’s what Scripture calls us to.

What I’m saying is that it’s really hard to put God first. If you don’t find it really hard to put God first, I wonder if you actually are putting God first or do you just think you are? Or could you please lend me your secret, because I would much rather be sleeping in or having brunch on many a Sunday morning. I would LOVE to be able to walk past someone who is hurting or homeless and be able to feel no obligation to do anything about their plight. I would like to vote for political candidates who are looking out only for the best interests of well-off white women like me above and beyond all other people, but that’s just not the way this justice for all seeking Christian life is meant to be lived.

Every day, there are dozens or more gods and masters competing for our attention. Who are you serving?

Who are you serving?

Serving God is exhausting. It’s hard. It doesn't fit modern life. And we need to be well-dressed for this!

Grace in the Text

Yeah!

So now that I’ve talked about why we shouldn’t talk so much about armor and why it can get us into some trouble. . .

let’s talk about armor.

Armor goes on after you’re up and dressed for the day, but before you head out into the world. These are all things that we need to make sure we are preparing ourselves with before heading out and about into the world. But it also implies that there are places in which we should be more vulnerable - places like with our church family. The places where we are dressed, but not armored.

It seems weird to start with the belt, but this isn’t the holds-your-pants up kind of belt that we tend to think of. It’s not a belt that goes over something. The belt that would have gone on with armor at the time this was written was an under layer of the armor. It was a leather strap, like our pants holding belts are, but it had hanging from it metal (usually brass) pieces that protected the groin. And here the thing that is said to be the belt is truth.

Truth - belt - holds up the things that protect the groin. As hard as it is to tell the truth sometimes, truth is what protects our sensitive areas from being hurt.

The belt of truth protects our most overtly sensitive parts.

The belt of truth protects our most overtly sensitive parts.

As hard as it is to tell the truth sometimes, or to hear the truth, real truth is what protects our sensitive areas from being hurt. Real truth, God’s truth, the truth we find in Jesus. Our sensitive parts are protected when we know the truth that we are beloved and precious children of God, that we all have a purpose, that we are all valued.

What is it that daily reminds you of the truth that you are a beloved child of God? How do you remember the truth about yourself and about those around you? Are there physical symbols of God’s truth that you wear or keep near you from day to day? An example of this might be the cross you wear that reminds you of how very much Jesus loves you.

The breastplate is the part of the armor that protects the vital organs. As sensitive as the groin is, the heart and the kidneys and all the other internal organs are much more important to survival. So we are told to protect our vital inner being with righteousness.

The breastplate of righteousness keeps our hearts safe from the corrupting and deadly powers of the world.

What is it that daily reminds you to focus your heart on God and God alone? Are there physical symbols of a righteous life that you wear or keep near you from day to day? An example of this might be a piece of artwork that you keep on your desk that reminds you of God so that you can focus on God throughout the day.

Our hearts are open to attack when we live in unrighteous, sinful, unjust ways. Righteousness and justice are used pretty interchangeably in the Greek Scriptures. When we participate in unrighteous or unjust patterns or when we treat others in unjust ways, we lose part of our internal vital being. When we ignore injustice around us, our heart is wide open to attack. It’s sort of like how the Grinch's selfishness makes his heart too small. Injustice atrophies our hearts.

What is it that daily reminds you to focus your heart on God and God alone so that you can be a seeker of righteousness and justice in the world? Are there physical symbols of a righteous life that you wear or keep near you from day to day? An example of this might be a piece of artwork that you keep on your desk that reminds you of God so that you can focus on God throughout the day or perhaps one that is a reminder of Jesus’ righteous compassion.

Along with vital organs, we also need a head. The helmet would have protected not only the head itself, but the neck - which has the very important role of keeping our head attached to our body. Our head is the part of us that makes us who we are. One of the terrible things that can happen with head injury is that part of the person injured can be lost. Head injury can cause loss of memory, change in personality, cognitive disabilities, and much more. Comparatively, we lose who we really are without salvation.

The helmet of salvation is what protects our true self - the person that Jesus truly meant us to be.

What is it that daily reminds you of the chain-free life that Jesus has brought us all into? Are there physical symbols of salvation that you wear or keep near you from day to day? I have a bracelet with the tree of life symbol on it that reminds me of the fullness of salvation and true lie.

Jesus came so that we might be able to live as the freed and sanctified people of God we truly are. Without salvation, we are lost and do not know who we truly are.

What is it that daily reminds you of the chain-free life that Jesus has brought us all into? Are there physical symbols of salvation that you wear or keep near you from day to day? I recently bought a bracelet with the tree of life symbol on it to remind me of the fullness of salvation and true life.

You don’t want to go out barefoot, so we are offered sandals - the readiness of the gospel of peace - this is all about peace, remember. Peace is what keeps us moving around in the world. Without peace, we are hobbled quickly from spreading the Gospel. It’s a humble reminder that this is not actually about war, after all.

The shoes of the gospel of peace are what keep us going.

It’s peace, not war, that brings us growth and freedom of movement.

What is it that daily reminds you of the gospel of peace that we are called to carry into all the world? Are there physical symbols of peace that you wear or keep near you from day to day? A piece of art I brought back from the middle east is a postcard of a lion and a lamb lying down together, representing the passage from Isaiah in which we are told about the radical sort of peace Jesus brings.

We are given a shield, of course. This is not so much to protect from direct, up close blows, but to bounce all the arrows off of. Faith is not what saves us from the up close and personal problem of our big, ugly sin, but it does help us get through the rain of little stuff that hits us on a regular basis. The shield is often heavy, it’s something we have to work to hold up, but it will protect us in the long run.

The shield of faith helps us to get through each and every day, even when it feels like we are getting pelted by darts from every direction.

You don’t want to go out barefoot, so we are offered sandals - the readiness of the gospel of peace - this is all about peace, remember. Peace is what keeps us moving around in the world. Without peace, we are hobbled quickly from spreading the Gospel. It’s a humble reminder that this is not actually about war, after all. We are not arming ourselves for battle, we are protecting ourselves for the purpose of peace.

What is it that daily reminds you of the importance of faith and holding that shield high, even when your arm is tired? Are there physical symbols of faith that you wear or keep near you from day to day? I think the star words we pass out at epiphany are a great reminder of the slow and steady work of holding up the shield of faith. It’s something we have to do, not just something that happens to be there.

Helmet - salvation - keeps our head from getting chopped off. This is the part of us that makes us who we are. We lose who we really are without salvation.

The act of coming to church week after week, month after month, and year after year is also an important representation of faith. The gathered congregation can be a great symbol of faith in our lives.

Oh, we are handed a weapon, but notice that the weapon is not something WE CONTROL. It is the Spirit and the Word. Many places in the New Testament, we are told that Jesus IS the Word of God. Jesus says that himself. The Sword IS GOD. We can TRY to control the Word and the Spirit, but let me know how that works out for you. The reason that we have a prayer before the reading of scripture every week in church is because we cannot read and interpret scripture well without turning it over to the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit uses us, not the other way around and Scripture is not like a gun we can aim at something we want to solve or at someONE we want to solve. This weapon is more like a named sword from a fantasy novel - it’s a weapon that aims and controls the wielder, not the other way around.

The sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, is not a weapon for us to attack others with. It’s not even something we control as a way to attack the powers of evil.

What is it that daily reminds you that God is in control and that our job is to serve God, not control God? Are there physical symbols of the presence of the Holy Spirit that you wear or keep near you on a daily basis? I have little white doves all over both of my church offices of a reminder that I am not in control of any of this.

There is a very funny and very irreverent movie called “Saved”. In it, a self-righteous, stuck up church girl gets mad at another girl and she literally throws a Bible at the another girl yelling, May the Power of Christ Compel you!” We can do that. We can try to use the Sword of the Spirit, but we will just wind up looking stupid. This weapon is not something we can wield. We can only be near it.

So, friends, how do you prepare yourself for daily life? Do an inventory this afternoon of how you keep yourself clothed in the ways of God that lead to peace. Balance out what is missing. Find ways to remind yourself each day of how we are called to prepare ourselves to be used in the world around us.

The belt of truth protects our most overtly sensitive parts.

What is it that daily reminds you of the truth that you are a beloved child of God? How do you remember the truth about yourself and about those around you? Are there physical symbols of God’s truth that you wear or keep near you from day to day? An example of this might be the cross you wear that reminds you of how very much Jesus loves you.

Are there physical symbols of God’s truth that you wear or keep near you from day to day? An example of this might be the cross you wear that reminds you of how very much Jesus loves you.

The breastplate of righteousness keeps our hearts safe from the corrupting and deadly powers of the world.

What is it that daily reminds you to focus your heart on God and God alone? Are there physical symbols of a righteous life that you wear or keep near you from day to day? An example of this might be a piece of artwork that you keep on your desk that reminds you of God so that you can focus on God throughout the day.

Go out and arm yourselves for peace.

The helmet of salvation is what protects our true self - the person that Jesus truly meant us to be.

What is it that daily reminds you of the chain-free life that Jesus has brought us all into? Are there physical symbols of salvation that you wear or keep near you from day to day? I have a bracelet with the tree of life symbol on it that reminds me of the fullness of salvation and true lie.

The shoes of the gospel of peace are what keep us going.

What is it that daily reminds you of the gospel of peace that we are called to carry into all the world? Are there physical symbols of peace that you wear or keep near you from day to day? A piece of art I brought back from the middle east is a postcard of a lion and a lamb lying down together, representing the passage from Isaiah in which we are told about the radical sort of peace Jesus brings.