7-12-09
We turn now to a famous passage in the New Testament which gives us a peculiar image for Christian living: battle armor.
Ephesians 6:10-20
Pray with me: May the meditations of my heart, the words of my mouth, and the message from this text be made pleasing unto you, O God, and may we be moved to listen, act, and make real Your truth. Amen.
My father came home with a piece of balsa wood and a sharp, curved “Exacto” knife. I was in fifth grade and needed to carve a wooden canoe for a school project. I had desperately tried to begin this project with a piece of fire wood and kitchen knife. But I learned quickly that with a dull instrument and a hard, unforgiving piece of wood that I would likely graduate from high school before my project was completed. So my father stepped in and brought me home some soft, easy wood for shaping; and a sharp, precise knife for whittling. Just the tools I needed.
So, one day after basketball practice, still dressed in my cut-off t-shirt and shorts—well, if you remember the late 80's and early 90's, what I was wearing was probably more like a basketball speedo; I'm glad that trend changed. But there I am, in my athletic apparel, taking up my new piece of wood and this new tool. The work was much easier. The strips of wood were flying off my blade and the balsa wood was quickly forming the curvature of a canoe. Then, I hit a tough spot. A thick, difficult spot in the wood that was not so easy to shape. I had hit many knots in the wood I was using previously, so I knew just what to do. Grit my teeth, hold the knife firmly, and press hard. The knife quickly gave way to the force of my entire body and my hand flew across the balsa wood and swiped my thigh.
Looking at this gaping canyon on my thigh which opened before my eyes, I yelled the only think I could think of, “I CUT IT!”
My dad was sitting across the room reading the newspaper, not even glancing up, and responded: “Good Michael, I knew it would be easier to cut.”
“No, Dad, I really cut it!”
Looking up he realized that I was not effectively cutting the wood but had instead sliced my leg open.
After a trip to the emergency room, a number of stitches, and a great deal of relief that I had not damaged any muscle or tendons, I returned to my project, finishing it with a new-found respect for the tools I used. My knife was something of great value for the project I was completing, but it was also dangerous because it could be misused; even if unintentionally.
Our scripture passage today deals with the tools we have for Christian living. We read that at our disposal is:
Belt of Truth
Breastplate of righteousness
Shoes of readiness that come from the gospel of peace
Shield of faith
Helmet of salvation
Sword of the spirit which is the word of God
Each of these could be the subject of an independent sermon, and trying to address each of them in one service will take us far beyond our time limitations today. But we can draw our attention to a few important things from this list:
We do not go into this world, as Christians, without equipment—we have tools and resources which give us the ability to do the work of God. Our Christ-centered faith can “work in real life,” as our mission statement indicates, because our faith provides us tools—it equips us. The thrust of the armor metaphor is that we have equipment to use in the work God has called us to do.
The problem is that concepts like “love, righteousness, salvation, grace, peace” can seem like tools that are too abstract for us to use. So, even though we are equipped with God's love, grace, and peace, we may not see clearly what that means. I want to suggest that the bible is an additional piece of equipment, important for our lives as Christians, because it gives us stories, metaphors, and images which can bring these concept to life for us.
Yet, like the knife which I managed to use both to whittle and to cut myself, the equipment provided by our faith can be used for both good and ill.
The bible as one such piece of equipment can be used to hurt and harm. It has been used to justify slavery and the oppression of women. It has been used to guilt people into doctrinal submission. A well-intentioned man once counseled me over dinner saying that if I were to be a stay-at-home dad and let my wife work full-time, then I would be living in a life-style of sin. He quoted scripture and referred to biblical passages to “prove” his point.
The problem is that the bible, like many things, can be used to advance all kinds of agendas. Unfortunately, that might make us shrink from the task of exploring and investigating and equipping ourselves appropriately with the bible.
The challenge for us is to use well the equipment we are given; to not cut ourselves with our tools, but rather to build up God's kingdom. And I want to suggest that the bible is a piece of our equipment “bag” which opens up truth, reality, and God's vision for us. It helps us put flesh on God's love. Our lives can take shape around the stories of the bible and show-forth God's love. The bible can help us texture our lives.
I'm reminded specifically of the way Mary Jo Copeland textured her life with the bible. She took a biblical image—foot washing—and brought it new life with God's love.
She tells this story: I met a man on the street I'll never forget. He had a knit hat that came over his eyes. He had dirty raggedy clothes. He had big black boots. And he carried a big potato sack. And in that potato sacked everything he owned clicked and clanked. He was so angry. You would go near him and he would say “get away from me, get away from me.” I knew he had bad feet. So I convinced him to sit down one afternoon and soak his feet. He didn't even want me to go near him, he was so angry. People that live outside get very angry and very upset because they have been hurt. So I knelt down and started to yank off his black boots, and then his wet socks. I've never seen such sores in my life. I looked up at him and said how did your feet get so bad? He said Mary Jo, I live outside and I try to soak them in the river every single day, but they don't get any better. And then his story unfolded. He said every time I close my eyes at night I picture my dad and older brother beating my head against the side of a car and saying to my face, “I'm gonna beat you boy.” He said, “when I was 15 years they tried to drown me, they tried to suffocate me, and I slept in my own urine for days because they hand-cuffed me to beat me up and I couldn't crawl to the bathroom. I never had a bike, I never had a ball. I never smelled a home-made cookie. And I never, ever had anyone say 'I love you...' Why me? Why me? When I was 15 I left home, I bought a gun, I had rocks in both my pockets, and a knife—I've been living in the woods, under bridges, in a forest, and been arrested in every state in the union for being a vagarant, for being a bum.” Well, I looked at him and I said, “I don't know you but I know God loves you and I want to help you.” He said you “you can't help me, I'm an animal.” So I waited outside my office door for four months, and then, one night, I gave him a broom and told him to sweep. That night I told him to sweep because he couldn't sweep around the volunteers, he was so angry. Then I taught him how to turn a key in the door, how to get dressed. I took him into a trauma specialist. Brought him into the dentist to get his teeth fixed. Taught him how to drive, got him some little dogs and a house to live in. and gave him the dignity the all-mighty God intended him to have. He came in one day and said, “Mary, thank you for saving my life.” And I said, praise, God Brian. God works through people. God doesn't just work through me now. Blessed are you who are merciful. Blessed are you who are the peacemakers. We are all channels of God's peace, kingdom, and love.1
1See her speech at the National Youth Conference recorded on the video entitled It is so Hard to be Poor: The Story of Sharing and Caring Hands and Mary's Place.
