Ephesians 6:10-20
“Gearing Up”
August 22, 2021
Uniforms – military, law enforcement, waitress, judge, cafeteria worker, flight attendant, school child.
Be it a shield, a helmet, camo, an apron, a robe, a hairnet, a coordinated outfit or a jumper and blouse, what folks wear in certain environments are meant to identify, protect, and prepare them to get down to business.
Having worked in multiple uniformed settings in my lifetime I can attest to the fact that being told what to wear and how to wear it is both a blessing and a curse. From 1st to 4th grade wearing a uniform to St. Mary’s School made mornings a whole lot easier for my harried mother with the biggest daily decision being ankle or knee socks.
By far, the ugliest and goofiest uniform I ever wore was the bright blue and yellow tunic and slacks that those of us known as “photo mates” working in the now obsolete drive-up film developing booths named Photomats in strip mall parking lots had to endure in the late 1970s.
In preparation for what was expected to be a battle with the forces of evil at the time, Paul wrote to the early Christian Church in Ephesus about how to prepare and what to put on in order to be a Jesus follower facing down potentially hostile “spiritual forces of evil.”
Folks back then would have easily related to the whole military style outfit of helmets, breastplates, shields and swords because they were accustomed to seeing the Roman soldiers who occupied their streets wearing all this equipment as a uniform with a message.
They were there to keep people in line and make sure they knew who was in charge.
The seemingly war-like language here is an acknowledgement that in order to face down those who lived by the creed that might makes right, Paul is advising the church to be prepared but with a different take on what it will mean to defend the reign of God.
So often throughout Christian history the emphasis has been on the arming for battle but too little about the alternate tools and “ammunition” that Paul is calling forth.
Instead, Paul is calling the new church to a different path, one that they will need to shore up their resources for because it isn’t the accustomed path.
Here he is inviting them into a radical and counterintuitive way of looking at true power.
This is a sacrificial and vulnerable love.
It may, in comparison to the show of power that was the norm, seem helpless and weak but not when the cross of Jesus Christ is remembered.
That kind of love, not domination, is what Paul pointed to when he reminded us that nothing in all of creation, not even death can separate us from.
On one particular day back during the apartheid era in South Africa, there was supposed to be an anti-apartheid rally but the government cancelled it.
Instead, Desmond Tutu, then the Anglican Bishop, brought what was to be the rally inside St. George’s Cathedral and made it a service of worship.
The riot police and military followed those who would have protested into the cathedral with all of their weapons held up, ready for conflict.
Bishop Tutu then preached on the evils of apartheid and that those who promoted it would ultimately fail.
He looked at and pointed directly at the armed police and military around the cathedral and said – “You may be powerful, but you are not God. God cannot be mocked. You have already lost.”
The tension in the cathedral was palpable at that moment.
And then Desmond Tutu came down from his pulpit, gave them one of his trademark glowing smiles and said,
“Therefore, since you have already lost, we are inviting you to join the winning side.”
Everyone in the pews exploded with approval and applause.
The soldiers and police put away their weapons and walked peacefully out of the cathedral. (Living by the Word, p. 121)
During this week when we as a nation finally ended our involvement in the longest war we’ve ever fought and pulled out of Afghanistan after 20 long years, admittedly chaotically, we officially were walking away from the violence and toward peace.
At least that is our hope.
Are we ready for peace?
What are we putting on to prepare for our work as builders of the Kingdom of God?
If we do not want to knock down but rather build up, what will that look like?
Maybe we can find a way to be peace builders and peacekeepers wearing God’s love on our sleeves, unashamed that we are not wanting to be domineering but rather approach others with open minds and open hearts.
When considering how to gear up for the work of going up against the evil of the world, let us live into this prayer from Rev. Laura Stephens-Reed:
In scripture you tell us to put on your armor, God,
but we have known too much of war.
What if, then, we paired your belt of truth
with a cozy cardigan, opening our soft fronts to your image in us and in others?
What if we put on comfy shoes that automatically transported us to the foot of your altar,
ready to worship?
What if instead of a shield to protect ourselves from the unknown,
we took water and food and diapers and feminine hygiene supplies to those experiencing homelessness?
What if we donned a colorful hat that let people know that we are allies,
appreciative of the full range of God’s creative genius?
What if we toted a bullhorn rather than a sword and shared it generously with those whose voices have too long been ignored?
Evil is out there, and it’s wily.
So may we pray in the Spirit at all times.
May we keep alert.
May we proclaim the gospel boldly in deed and in word.
And may we do all these things in ways that bring about your peace.