5/22/20 I Devotion

Announcement: 

The Word for You Today devotionals for June, July and August are in! We would love for everyone to get theirs and not miss out on their daily devotions. We will send them out to everyone who would like one via mail. Please email Ann (main@ssumc.org) or call and leave me a message (404-255-1181 ext 221) and we will get those mailed out. Include your mailing address and how many you’d like.

Ephesians 6:10-20

10 Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and his powerful strength. 11 Put on God’s armor so that you can make a stand against the tricks of the devil. 12 We aren’t fighting against human enemies but against rulers, authorities, forces of cosmic darkness, and spiritual powers of evil in the heavens. 13 Therefore, pick up the full armor of God so that you can stand your ground on the evil day and after you have done everything possible to still stand. 14 So stand with the belt of truth around your waist, justice as your breastplate, 15 and put shoes on your feet so that you are ready to spread the good news of peace. 16 Above all, carry the shield of faith so that you can extinguish the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is God’s word.

18 Offer prayers and petitions in the Spirit all the time. Stay alert by hanging in there and praying for all believers. 19 As for me, pray that when I open my mouth, I’ll get a message that confidently makes this secret plan of the gospel known.20 I’m an ambassador in chains for the sake of the gospel. Pray so that the Lord will give me the confidence to say what I have to say.

Devotion

Let's recap of what we have learned so far in Ephesians. Ephesians opens up in chapter one talking about the blessings we get in Christ. We have redemption and a purpose, and then a few chapters later there is a prayer of thanksgiving. Paul emphasizes the importance of unity in the body of Christ. And then about halfway through the book, there is a change in the tone of the letter. We go from theological/mystical to moral/instruction. Paul begins to talk about, what the NIV puts as, “living as children of light.” There are instructions on loving each other, how to treat others in specific relationships…but then, almost out of nowhere, towards the end of the book there is an odd switch. 
 
Paul gets to Ephesians 6 verse 10 and says, “Finally”…like this is where he is going the whole time. This is where he wants to wrap it up and bring it all together. We go from straightforward instruction to a pretty complex metaphor about putting on the armor of God.
 
We often read these verses as an individual call to prepare ourselves for a spiritual battle. Now doesn’t that sound like a sermon title!? When you go back to the Greek, however, the verbs found in this metaphor are not singular, but instead they are plural. Ephesians is not written to individuals, but communities of faith. So what if this call to put on the armor of God was no longer a personal call, but instead a communal one?
 
During seminary I took a Faith and Health class where I learned learned about African healing, and how connected healing and spirituality are in a lot of African cultures.  When someone is ill and they go to a healer, and that healer might ask all kinds of questions that to us seem irrelevant to the illness. For example, they might ask about their spiritual life or if they are having any conflicts with family and friends. They might asks about their finances or about their eating habits.
 
There is a connectedness in African culture that I think we can learn from. A connectedness that I think is very similar to what the Bible describes as the body of Christ.
 
Paul said, “Therefore, pick up the full armor of God so that you can stand your ground” This is not a call to prepare for your own personal battle. This is a letter to a community, not an individual. Therefore this call to arm ourselves is not a call for individual combat, but a call for communal commitment. A call for the body of Christ to suit up.
 
Suiting up for battle. It is important that you are ready, and that you have what you need. But you are not going to make it very far if you head out to the battlefield alone.
 
So, what does it look like for the body of Christ to put on the armor of God?
 
In the biblical times soldiers did not wear what we wear now to battle. It was actually quite different. They wore long cloaks and during winter months wore many layers to stay warm. They were big and baggy. It was the belt that drew in their clothes close to their body so that they were able to move properly. If they had not been wearing a belt, then going to battle really would not have been an option. They would have been tripping all over their clothes and barely able to walk much less go into combat. The belt of Truth. So often today we focus on our split hair differences rather than our foundational truths. The “I believe in God the father almighty…” type of truths. What would it look like for us to draw near to one another in what we know is true so that we could properly move in the world?
 
A lot of times one person cannot accomplish what a group can accomplish. Yes obviously a group of people can get more done physically than one single person, but it is also true in other areas as well. It speaks volumes when a group of people stands up against an injustice rather than a single person. Many voices spoken in unison can be heard, while one solo voice is often be lost in background.
 
Which brings me to the breastplate of Justice…often referred to as the breastplate of righteousness. The Greek word here, can be translated both ways, but a communal call for justice speaks volumes. The breastplate covers some of the most important parts of your body. It covers your heart and all of your vital organs. Without the breastplate you would be left open and vulnerable. When I think of the heartbeat of God, it is the poor, widows, and orphans that echo through scripture. Let it be justice that we use to protect the vulnerable in our communities. May the Church’s heartbeat mirror the heartbeat of God. 

And oh how much easier it would be to put on our shoes to share a gospel of peace, if we were living like we actually liked each other.
 
Though actions such as these take boldness, we have not been left empty handed -- the shield of faith. When you hear the word shield, I do not want you to think of those little round metal shields that you would put your arm through. The shield that Paul is making reference to is made of wood and leather and was big enough to cover the entire body. He says, “Above all, carry the shield of faith…” For it is behind your shield that you find comfort and rest and protection. For this battle is not going to be easy. And it is not going to be short. 
 
You see this passage not only says that we don’t stand a chance without God, but it also says that we don’t stand a chance without each other. When we became Christians we chose a life where no longer make choices for ourselves, but instead we make choices for and on behalf of our brothers and sisters in Christ. Let us ponder this week what that looks like for us in our own churches and communities. 

Amber Lea Gray, Associate Pastor