Looking into the lectionary - The armor of God?

August 25, 2024 Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost  Ephesians 6:10-20 How do you feel when you hear Ephesians’ imperative to put on the whole armor of God? If you’re like me, you might balk at the presence of such militaristic imagery in the Bible, or at the idea of spiritual warfare. Isn’t the gospel supposed to be a gospel of peace? While we may be uncomfortable with the idea of taking up arms in the spiritual battle, there’s no denying we live in a world of violence. This summer, we’ve witnessed an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, another viral story of police violence against an innocent Black person, and wars in Israel/Palestine and Ukraine with no end in sight. As we wish it were otherwise, we live in a world that regularly attempts to solve its conflicts with physical violence. Ephesians 6 cautions us that the battle the Christian believer is called to fight is not against flesh and blood (our fellow human beings). Rather, our battle is against what the author calls “the rulers, the authorities, the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (v. 12). Our struggle is with evil in all its forms. And it is indeed an active conflict. We cannot stand idly by and assume things will work out. We must be dressed and ready for the fight, armored with all the gifts of grace that come from God: truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, and the Spirit speaking the word of God. It is worth noting that all but one of the items Ephesians urges us to be ready with are defensive or practical: belt, breastplate, shoes, shield and helmet. There is only one weapon, and that is the Spirit, which the author identifies with the word of God. After all, scholars believe the Christians who received this letter in the late first century were mostly pacifists. And yet they understood that there was a battle being waged between the “spiritual forces of evil” and God, made known to the world in the person of Jesus Christ. The author of Ephesians (perhaps Paul writing near the end of his life, more likely a devotee writing in his name) makes clear in the opening of the letter that the ultimate battle is already won: God has already “raised [Christ] from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion” (Ephesians 1:20-21). But the early believers who received this letter were living in the “already/not yet” of God’s kingdom — though victory in Christ was assured, there were still battles to be fought. And we, too, live in the already/not yet. We are still waiting for the final triumph of God’s love over all the spiritual forces of evil. And so we, too, are called to fight. But Ephesians reminds us that we must take care to fight the correct enemy. Our enemies are not our fellow human beings. Rather we should all stand united against the common enemy of evil as it manifests itself in the world, evil that leads to injustice, oppression, hatred and violence. Throughout his ministry, the Martin Luther King Jr. taught and lived four principles of nonviolence as he sought to confront the evils of racism, segregation, poverty and inequality. ... Thanks to this week's writer Ellen Williams Hensle. Read the rest of the commentary on the website. Order of worship for August 25, 2024, by Ellen Williams Hensle 10 tips for crafting inclusive worship experiences by Donald Griggs Doing good (August 25, 2024) by Elizabeth H. Doolin Jesus said what?! — Christian ed lesson for August 18, 2024 by Joelle Brummit-Yale Want the worship resources for August 18, 2024? You can find them here. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT... 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