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Be Prepared!

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“Be Prepared!”

Ephesians 6:10-20 (6:10) – August 25, 2024

            I love to go to a baseball game! I do not go that often now, but in years past, I used to regularly go to Wrigley Field and watch the Cubs play. I don’t know if everyone is familiar with the equipment that baseball players need, but one player on a baseball team needs special equipment. The catcher is in a key spot on the team, and a very dangerous one! The pitcher regularly throws the ball at very high speeds. A catcher needs protection from those balls! A catcher’s mask, a chest protector, and shin guards, just to mention a few!

            This is similar to our Bible reading today. The Apostle Paul is finishing up his letter to his Ephesian friends. He warns them to be prepared, with a few practical, direct words for his long-time congregation. (I say long-time, because he spent about three years with this church, longer than with any other church he planted.)

Paul goes through a list of spiritual equipment that will protect his friends from attacks – the attacks of the Devil! Paul does not pull any punches. He is straight and up front with his former church members. He wants to warn them, prepare them for some really difficult times. These difficult times can often come into our lives today, too.

Let’s look more closely at what Paul says. “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.”

            When I think of armor, my mind immediately goes to the military. Military service people definitely wear armor to protect themselves every day, in some duty stations, where some serve. Just as in baseball a catcher needs certain equipment to be prepared and safe while in a dangerous position, so do Christian people. Paul was in prison, in Rome, while writing this letter to the Ephesians. Paul was shackled to a Roman soldier inside of his cell, to make double sure he was going to stay put. Paul had the opportunity to become sadly familiar with the Roman soldier’s armor. Everyone, all believers in Christ need certain equipment (or pieces of armor) simply to be prepared!   

Let’s talk about baseball again, for a minute. What about the pieces of equipment the catcher wears? “The mask protects the catcher’s face from foul tips or pitches that might get past the glove. The glove protects the hand from balls. The chest protector protects the middle part of the body. Finally, the catcher wears shin guards to protect the knees and legs. No catcher would ever think of going into the game without this protective equipment.” [1]

            Here in the letter to the Ephesians, at the very end of the practical portion of Paul’s letter, Paul details the protection you and I need in our lives, too. (And, this protection is so similar to what a baseball catcher wears!) We can see very well the kind of protection Paul is talking about if we think of a Roman soldier. Roman soldiers were commonplace, all over the Roman empire. Paul calls this protection the armor of God. He is thinking specifically of the armor the typical Roman soldier wears.

            We buckle the belt of truth around our waists. This is like putting on truthfulness. We are to tell the truth – at all times. Sometimes, it is not easy to be honest! In some situations, we are so tempted to bend the truth a little, or even a lot! But, the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit will help each of us with this important foundation of our faith.

            Next, each of us puts on the breastplate of righteousness. That’s a word we mention a lot in religious circles. Another way of thinking of it is putting on right behavior, putting on justice. Just like a catcher puts on a chest protector. Paul exhorts us to act rightly! This is certainly not easy! This thoughtful and prudent kind of action and behavior is often laughed at, by many people. Just think of rude or uncaring people, who may tease you or be mean to you for acting in a way that Jesus tells us to! (And, Jesus is our model for righteousness.)

            Which leads us to our shoes. Paul tells us to put on shoes that show we are speakers of peace. Not to argue and bicker, we are to go out of our way to bring peace to people!  

            These next two pieces of armor are clearly protective pieces. The shield of faith is our protection against those fiery darts that Satan can fire at us. And, not just physical darts! What about mean and nasty words that come our way, words that plant seeds of doubt in our hearts and minds? And, the helmet of salvation keeps the Evil One away. Thank God we have Jesus gifting each of us with salvation, because that is exactly what Paul talks about here.

            The last piece of armor is actually a weapon. The sword of the Spirit is the word of God. The letter to the Hebrews tells us that the Word of God is living, and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword. The Roman sword is a short sword, or weapon, used for combat at close quarters. This means that we are to actually engage the enemy, become active participants in battle! No sitting on the sidelines, as far as Paul’s fellow believers are concerned. As we continue to follow Jesus, we will continue to win the battle against Satan.

Whether inside or outside the church, however and wherever we serve our Lord, God intends for us to be prepared. That means being prepared by these words of caution and exhortation. Paul used these words in Ephesians to advise all of us to be ready to deal with challenging, even dangerous situations. We all need this prudent protection of God’s armor, in our everyday walk as believers.

Final words for today, quoting Paul? Be strong in the Lord! Stand ready, inside and out. And, do all this in prayer, always asking for God’s help. Are you prepared? Am I? With God’s help, yes – we are! Alleluia, amen! 

@chaplaineliza

(Suggestion: visit me at my other blogs: matterofprayer: A Year of Everyday Prayers. #PursuePEACE – and  A Year of Being Kind . Thanks!

(Thanks so much to link http://www.lectionarystudies.com/sunday21bae.html from the Rev. Bryan Findlayson of Pumpkin Cottage Ministry Resources, a lectionary resource I often quote from. Rev. Bryan gave me a lot of insight this week, and I used much of his material for describing the pieces of Godly armor!)

[1] https://sermons4kids.com/sermons/the-armor-of-god

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Joyful, We Adore Thee

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“Joyful, We Adore Thee”

Matthew 2:1-12 (2:10) – January 8, 2023            

I love my Christmas tree ornaments. I have many that are very special to me! Quite a number came from my mother, and hung for years on her Christmas tree. A few came from both of my grandmothers. My ornaments are special to me for where and when I got them.            

One ornament I got a few years ago was made by my son Peter. He is skilled at the art of paper folding called origami; he folded this exquisite three-dimensional star. I think of this as my Epiphany star; it is very precious to me. I wonder whether the marvelous star the Magi followed was anything like this star? Bright, multi-colored, shiny from a long distance?             The 2nd chapter of Matthew tells us about these Magi, or wise men from the East. They traveled a long way, following this bright and shining star to Jerusalem. These Magi asked King Herod, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”           

The wise men dearly want to find the child born King of the Jews! But, where are they going? They themselves are not sure! They follow the star towards Jerusalem, but that town is where their books and ancient writings leave them all puzzled. “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?”            

We might think of three foreign kings, traveling around Palestine. But, this is most probably a misguided way of thinking. The whole mythology of “We Three Kings of Orient Are” embroidered the simple words found in Matthew chapter 2 into a fanciful tapestry involving three noble kings in rich robes, knocking at the door of the palace in Jerusalem.             

They were not kings, but instead “magi” from Persia. Wise people who studied the stars. Plus, these Persian astronomers (or, astrologers, since they put a great deal of stock in the movements of the stars, planets and other heavenly bodies) included both men and women. There may have been women in the group who followed the special star to Palestine!            

So, these wise men – or, wise people – were not quite sure where they were going. Simply that they were following a sign, a portent in the heavens. A special star that seemed to lead them onward, westward leading, still proceeding.            

Are you – am I – sure of where we are going? We have a good deal more revelation from God, more information from the Bible to guide us. But, do we know where we are being led? What is our path? Where does the Christmas star direct each of us to go, today?            

When the Magi arrived at the palace in Jerusalem, King Herod immediately asked the chief priests and Temple scribes to search the Scriptures and find some direction he could give to these foreign visitors. Herod “asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 ‘In Bethlehem in Judea,’ they replied, ‘for this is what the prophet has written.’”           

I find it fascinating that the chief priests and scribes (who wer  e also avidly studying the Scriptures themselves) did not “see” that special star. They did not “get” the message that this brilliant sign in the heavens was a particularly marvelous star. Whatever that brilliant star was had to be huge and visible from a long way away! But, only these foreigners saw something different in the sky and decided to follow it!            

The shining star that the Magi followed is surely a sign from God showing the birth of the Messiah, the newborn King of the Jews, as the Magi said.            

We know one often-repeated symbol for God is light. Since we can’t make a picture of light, we use things that make light like a star, sun, candle, or lamp. I have a lovely origami star ornament here. We can reflect upon the many reasons, the many signs of light that are talked about in the Bible, including the Star of wonder, Star of light. Just think of the Advent wreath and Christmas candle lighting services and note that we light those candles to remind ourselves that God the light is with us.  What’s more, think of the candles here on the chancel. We light the candles every week to remind us of the Light of the World, the Light that shines in the darkness, the magnificent Star in the sky the Magi followed.            

Turning back to our Scripture reading, “After the Magi had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.”            

The wise people who followed that star found what they were searching for. And, they worshiped, and were overjoyed. Are you – am I – sure of where we are going? Are we following that star, too? We have a good deal more revelation from God, more information to guide us. But, do we know where we are being led? What is our path? What does the Christmas star direct each of us to do, today?            

I ask all of us to consider these words from Howard Thurman, progressive theologian who wrote this poem: The Work of Christmas.

When the song of the angels is stilled, When the star in the sky is gone, When the kings and princes are home, When the shepherds are back with their flock,  The work of Christmas begins: To find the lost, To heal the broken, To feed the hungry, To release the prisoner, To rebuild the nations, To bring peace among others, To make music in the heart. 

            Let us take these words to heart, and go and do them. Alleluia, amen.

@chaplaineliza

(Suggestion: visit me at my other blogs: matterofprayer: A Year of Everyday Prayers. #PursuePEACE – and  A Year of Being Kind . Thanks!