Sermon – Battle Clothes Rev. Sandy Lacey August 25, 2024
When our kids were young, Mike and I noticed that they spent far more time preparing to play their games than actually playing them. The critical piece to the preparation was the wardrobe and it took the longest time (even more time than hashing out the rules for the game.) So, for instance, cowboys and Indians took a good deal of preparation as they found various accoutrements to fit the part – cowboy hats, feathers and a headband, jeans with flannel shirts, bare chest with leather fringed vests, boots, moccasins, face painting, make-shift guns, bows and arrows, etc. The underlying assumption was that you couldn’t play the part if you did not dress the part. Playing pirates was the same way because one had to find an eye patch and somehow tape a stuffed animal to your shoulder. And even playing football was serious. Yes, one of them had an FSU uniform with helmet while the other had a Univ. of AL uniform with helmet. I wonder if our sons took their cue from the Apostle Paul, for he writes in several of his letters the importance of donning the right clothes to follow Jesus. Whether we are “putting on” the Lord Jesus Christ as it says in Romans, Corinthians, and Galatians or “putting on the new self” and “clothing yourself with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, and love” in Colossians; Paul (or his disciple) encourages us to prepare ourselves for discipleship by selecting the right clothing. Much like early baptismal practices included the wearing of a white robe as you come up from the baptismal waters that symbolized a radical change, Paul is concerned that followers of Christ need to be easily recognizable. Why? Because of the “powers and principalities” that rule the world around us are evil and a follower of Christ needs to look and act different. Paul’s letter to the Ephesian church, scholars think, was to several churches in Asia Minor in his day. These early Christians were a religious minority in the area and as such, were faced with regular persecution, or at least marginalization, in the Roman empire. For Paul, the powers and principalities were larger forces at work – empire forces, cultural forces – any kind of force that holds us captive and keeps us from being who we are created to be.[1] We are to stand firm in the face of these forces, Paul reminds us. He says, “be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power” and the Greek wording is a little more nuanced than our translation. It is more of a “we are being made strong in the strength of the Lord’s power.” It is important for us to understand that our strength comes from Jesus and not from ourselves.[2] So, let’s wonder together about the powers and principalities in our day. I think about the man, William Wilberforce, who fought the issue of slavery in England his entire life, trying every year to get Parliament to agree to abolish slavery and then, finally in his later years, was able to achieve it through a technicality in the laws of the day. The movie, Amazing Grace, chronicles his many attempts and his remarkable achievement as he fought for justice amidst the evil of slavery. I think of another example from a movie that chronicles the life of the Italian Nun, Cabrini. Sr. Cabrini fights against children’s poverty in New York after she immigrates to this country. She was appalled to see how immigrants were treated, especially the children. In her work, she not only had to fight against the mayor and the prominent business leaders of the city, but she also had to fight against the male leaders of the Catholic church in her day who wanted to keep the peace and not make any waves. She took on the religious leaders, the city leaders, the average person on the street, the business community; and the result of her hard work and determination was orphanages were established for the care of immigrant children so that they did not have to live on the street and medical facilities were established that agreed to care for immigrants. These programs eventually became nationwide and are a fixture in our society even.
Today, we can imagine just about any “ism” as a power and a principality for which we need God’s strength to battle, whether it is racism, sexism, consumerism, capitalism when it becomes predatory (like pay-day lenders), classism, etc. One of my preaching professors, Charles Campbell leans on William Stringfellow’s work when he says that the “powers usually take more subtle forms – political, social, personal, and especially moral. This death they deal involves the death of our humanity, the death of our compassion, the death of the creation God intends us to be. We become servants or acolytes of the powers, doing what we hate but unwilling or unable to resist. We go along. We give up. We stay busy. We become numb. And in so doing, we die, like the owners and bankers in The Grapes of Wrath, who had become, ‘cold.’ In subtle ways, the powers seek to kill our ‘moral conscience.’ And when they succeed, the powers have no need to resort to persecutions or imprisonment, for people are already morally captive.”[3] According to Paul, to battle these powers and principalities, we need the right clothes. We need armor. But what kind of armor? Notice that the right kind of armor is almost all a kind of defensive armor. We need the clothing of truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, and the Spirit. We also need the offensive weapon of the word of God. The Scriptures are our sword, the only offensive weapon we need – and note that it is not just holding them up, but actually knowing them. (And I would add that when the Scriptures are confusing or contradictory, we can remember Jesus’ rule: the most important commandment is “to love God with all that you are and love one another as you love yourself.” If you use that rule as your measuring stick for the rest of Scripture, you cannot go wrong.) Interesting kinds of armor and weapons, are they not? If we’re honest, their effectiveness for quelling evil forces seem a little less than obvious or maybe even suspect. How can we be expected to battle with so little? Let’s talk about this “rule of love” or as Paul might call it, the “weapon of love” as it pertains to the battles we face. I have been reading a book by Episcopal Bishop, Mariann Edgar Budde called, How We Learn to be Brave. In it she says, sometimes we do “not choose the circumstances in which we find ourselves. All we can do is decide how we will respond. . . when we choose love in response to what we wish we could change but can’t; when we choose love as our response to the world as it is, not as what we wish it were; when we choose love over denial, or anger, or cynicism and withdrawal, we share in God’s redeeming (making right) of our world . . . Acceptance remains among the hardest things asked of us. The price is always high, but in the face of what we would never choose and cannot change, it does provide a way forward. Our lives are full of unforeseen choices, struggles, and callings. Sometimes we can overcome these obstacles, and sometimes we must make peace with them. Sometimes, like Jesus, we are called into the wilderness or to the cross – to physically and spiritually go to those places that challenge us, test us, break us open, and cause something to die within us. Accepting what we did not choose involves a leap of faith that God is present and at work in ways that we cannot comprehend.”[4] The point is not having the most tricked out gear or gun for our battle; the point is relying upon/trusting the God who promises to never leave us and who gives us the strength to persevere. Friends, you can see why it is important to wear the right clothes as we live our lives under the shadow of the powers and principalities in our world. Just like my sons took what seemed like FOREVER to prepare for their work of play; I pray we will take even more time, energy, attention, and thoughtfulness to prepare for our daily work of engaging the powers and principalities in our culture. Evil always insists upon tearing people down, marginalizing them, while elevating some. The kingdom of God never elevates some at the expense of others. We are all equal in God’s sight. The work we do in Christ’s name is important and we will need each other as we seek to be, both individually and corporately, who God created us to be. Won’t you join us in this work? AMEN.
1. Haruko Nawata Ward, “Theological Perspective” in Feasting on the Word: Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary, Year B, Vol 3. (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2009.) pp. 376, 378. 2. Beverly Gaventa, Texts for Preaching: A Lectionary Commentary Based on the NRSV, Year B. (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 1993.) pp. 479-480. 3. Charles L. Campbell, The Word Before the Powers: An Ethic of Preaching. (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2002.) p. 32. 4. Mariann Edgar Budde: How We Learn to be Brave. (UK: Authentic Media Limited, 2023.) pp. 102-103.
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[1] Haruko Nawata Ward, “Theological Perspective” in Feasting on the Word: Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary, Year B, Vol 3. (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2009.) pp. 376, 378. [2] Beverly Gaventa, Texts for Preaching: A Lectionary Commentary Based on the NRSV, Year B. (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 1993.) pp. 479-480. [3] Charles L. Campbell, The Word Before the Powers: An Ethic of Preaching. (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2002.) p. 32. [4] Mariann Edgar Budde: How We Learn to be Brave. (UK: Authentic Media Limited, 2023.) pp. 102-103.
When our kids were young, Mike and I noticed that they spent far more time preparing to play their games than actually playing them. The critical piece to the preparation was the wardrobe and it took the longest time (even more time than hashing out the rules for the game.) So, for instance, cowboys and Indians took a good deal of preparation as they found various accoutrements to fit the part – cowboy hats, feathers and a headband, jeans with flannel shirts, bare chest with leather fringed vests, boots, moccasins, face painting, make-shift guns, bows and arrows, etc. The underlying assumption was that you couldn’t play the part if you did not dress the part. Playing pirates was the same way because one had to find an eye patch and somehow tape a stuffed animal to your shoulder. And even playing football was serious. Yes, one of them had an FSU uniform with helmet while the other had a Univ. of AL uniform with helmet. I wonder if our sons took their cue from the Apostle Paul, for he writes in several of his letters the importance of donning the right clothes to follow Jesus. Whether we are “putting on” the Lord Jesus Christ as it says in Romans, Corinthians, and Galatians or “putting on the new self” and “clothing yourself with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, and love” in Colossians; Paul (or his disciple) encourages us to prepare ourselves for discipleship by selecting the right clothing. Much like early baptismal practices included the wearing of a white robe as you come up from the baptismal waters that symbolized a radical change, Paul is concerned that followers of Christ need to be easily recognizable. Why? Because of the “powers and principalities” that rule the world around us are evil and a follower of Christ needs to look and act different. Paul’s letter to the Ephesian church, scholars think, was to several churches in Asia Minor in his day. These early Christians were a religious minority in the area and as such, were faced with regular persecution, or at least marginalization, in the Roman empire. For Paul, the powers and principalities were larger forces at work – empire forces, cultural forces – any kind of force that holds us captive and keeps us from being who we are created to be.[1] We are to stand firm in the face of these forces, Paul reminds us. He says, “be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power” and the Greek wording is a little more nuanced than our translation. It is more of a “we are being made strong in the strength of the Lord’s power.” It is important for us to understand that our strength comes from Jesus and not from ourselves.[2] So, let’s wonder together about the powers and principalities in our day. I think about the man, William Wilberforce, who fought the issue of slavery in England his entire life, trying every year to get Parliament to agree to abolish slavery and then, finally in his later years, was able to achieve it through a technicality in the laws of the day. The movie, Amazing Grace, chronicles his many attempts and his remarkable achievement as he fought for justice amidst the evil of slavery. I think of another example from a movie that chronicles the life of the Italian Nun, Cabrini. Sr. Cabrini fights against children’s poverty in New York after she immigrates to this country. She was appalled to see how immigrants were treated, especially the children. In her work, she not only had to fight against the mayor and the prominent business leaders of the city, but she also had to fight against the male leaders of the Catholic church in her day who wanted to keep the peace and not make any waves. She took on the religious leaders, the city leaders, the average person on the street, the business community; and the result of her hard work and determination was orphanages were established for the care of immigrant children so that they did not have to live on the street and medical facilities were established that agreed to care for immigrants. These programs eventually became nationwide and are a fixture in our society even.
Today, we can imagine just about any “ism” as a power and a principality for which we need God’s strength to battle, whether it is racism, sexism, consumerism, capitalism when it becomes predatory (like pay-day lenders), classism, etc. One of my preaching professors, Charles Campbell leans on William Stringfellow’s work when he says that the “powers usually take more subtle forms – political, social, personal, and especially moral. This death they deal involves the death of our humanity, the death of our compassion, the death of the creation God intends us to be. We become servants or acolytes of the powers, doing what we hate but unwilling or unable to resist. We go along. We give up. We stay busy. We become numb. And in so doing, we die, like the owners and bankers in The Grapes of Wrath, who had become, ‘cold.’ In subtle ways, the powers seek to kill our ‘moral conscience.’ And when they succeed, the powers have no need to resort to persecutions or imprisonment, for people are already morally captive.”[3] According to Paul, to battle these powers and principalities, we need the right clothes. We need armor. But what kind of armor? Notice that the right kind of armor is almost all a kind of defensive armor. We need the clothing of truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, and the Spirit. We also need the offensive weapon of the word of God. The Scriptures are our sword, the only offensive weapon we need – and note that it is not just holding them up, but actually knowing them. (And I would add that when the Scriptures are confusing or contradictory, we can remember Jesus’ rule: the most important commandment is “to love God with all that you are and love one another as you love yourself.” If you use that rule as your measuring stick for the rest of Scripture, you cannot go wrong.) Interesting kinds of armor and weapons, are they not? If we’re honest, their effectiveness for quelling evil forces seem a little less than obvious or maybe even suspect. How can we be expected to battle with so little? Let’s talk about this “rule of love” or as Paul might call it, the “weapon of love” as it pertains to the battles we face. I have been reading a book by Episcopal Bishop, Mariann Edgar Budde called, How We Learn to be Brave. In it she says, sometimes we do “not choose the circumstances in which we find ourselves. All we can do is decide how we will respond. . . when we choose love in response to what we wish we could change but can’t; when we choose love as our response to the world as it is, not as what we wish it were; when we choose love over denial, or anger, or cynicism and withdrawal, we share in God’s redeeming (making right) of our world . . . Acceptance remains among the hardest things asked of us. The price is always high, but in the face of what we would never choose and cannot change, it does provide a way forward. Our lives are full of unforeseen choices, struggles, and callings. Sometimes we can overcome these obstacles, and sometimes we must make peace with them. Sometimes, like Jesus, we are called into the wilderness or to the cross – to physically and spiritually go to those places that challenge us, test us, break us open, and cause something to die within us. Accepting what we did not choose involves a leap of faith that God is present and at work in ways that we cannot comprehend.”[4] The point is not having the most tricked out gear or gun for our battle; the point is relying upon/trusting the God who promises to never leave us and who gives us the strength to persevere. Friends, you can see why it is important to wear the right clothes as we live our lives under the shadow of the powers and principalities in our world. Just like my sons took what seemed like FOREVER to prepare for their work of play; I pray we will take even more time, energy, attention, and thoughtfulness to prepare for our daily work of engaging the powers and principalities in our culture. Evil always insists upon tearing people down, marginalizing them, while elevating some. The kingdom of God never elevates some at the expense of others. We are all equal in God’s sight. The work we do in Christ’s name is important and we will need each other as we seek to be, both individually and corporately, who God created us to be. Won’t you join us in this work? AMEN.
1. Haruko Nawata Ward, “Theological Perspective” in Feasting on the Word: Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary, Year B, Vol 3. (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2009.) pp. 376, 378. 2. Beverly Gaventa, Texts for Preaching: A Lectionary Commentary Based on the NRSV, Year B. (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 1993.) pp. 479-480. 3. Charles L. Campbell, The Word Before the Powers: An Ethic of Preaching. (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2002.) p. 32. 4. Mariann Edgar Budde: How We Learn to be Brave. (UK: Authentic Media Limited, 2023.) pp. 102-103.
_____
[1] Haruko Nawata Ward, “Theological Perspective” in Feasting on the Word: Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary, Year B, Vol 3. (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2009.) pp. 376, 378. [2] Beverly Gaventa, Texts for Preaching: A Lectionary Commentary Based on the NRSV, Year B. (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 1993.) pp. 479-480. [3] Charles L. Campbell, The Word Before the Powers: An Ethic of Preaching. (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2002.) p. 32. [4] Mariann Edgar Budde: How We Learn to be Brave. (UK: Authentic Media Limited, 2023.) pp. 102-103.