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Morning Devotion for the Season after Pentecost
November 20, 2024
Edmund of East Anglia
Reading: Ephesians 6:10-17
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armour of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armour of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Meditation: Jo Ann B. Jones
If one goes to the Army website one finds a picture of an enlisted man in camouflage about to launch a piece of equipment. Next to the photograph is this slogan: Your future starts here. Take this short quiz to narrow down your choices and see jobs you might be interested in. We’re ready when you are. It incorporates all the features of modernity: the use of technology, a catchy slogan; an attractive male using a large piece of equipment, making a visual statement of power. It is enticing, so say the least. Of course, it is directed to young people. (One wonders if solely to men.) In any event, one responds using technology. I suppose that it can reach people across the socio-economic spectrum, or at least the prime target group that would enlist. What is presented is a life of excitement and possible some danger, but there is no hint of more serious, let alone, deadly consequences. One has no idea of the length of service or how far from home one might be deployed. It is an enticement to adventure with no downside that is made evident.
If we are to read this passage from Ephesians in the same manner, we would come to an abrupt encounter with a far different reality. The passage demonstrates that: the battle continues, and the weapons to be used include those worn by God himself or Jesus Christ. All the powers in heaven and on earth were, after all, made in, through and for Jesus, and have been reconciled in Jesus Christ. When the people rebelled they were disarmed and defeated on the cross and Jesus Christ has celebrated his triumph over them.
Currently, human kind is in a battle in which it can fully see the works of the flesh exhibited all around us. This does call for us to respond, yet we must be different. We must put on armor, but not weaponry.
Early Christianity was largely pacifist. Some early fathers of the church refused to baptize members of the military unless they renounced their profession. This may suggest that Paul was not advising a militarization of the faith. As a prisoner, Paul had ample opportunity to contemplate the various pieces of armor on the Roman soldiers around him. He is also familiar with the type of speech that a Roman general would deliver to stir up the troops. Here, he adopts in a subversive manner both the armor metaphor and the format to encourage courageous but non-aggressive faith. All but one of the pieces described here is for protection, not attack. The one exception—the “sword” of the Spirit—is the proclamation of the gospel of peace.
The threats Paul’s potential readers face are not, for the most part, physical ones, yet are no less real. Paul names them using terminology they will recognize. They must confront “the wiles of the devil,” the machinations of “rulers and authorities,” the schemes of “cosmic powers,” and “spiritual forces of evil in heavenly places,” Paul characterizes the social, political, economic, and religious “struggle” in which we and his readers find themselves as manifestations of the last, desperate stand of cosmic powers already defeated in Christ’s death and resurrection.
The Lord's Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy Name.
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the Kingdom, the power and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
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