Pentecost 14, 2021 (Rally Day)
“The Whole Armor of God”
Ephesians 6:10-20
[Recording of Worship Service can be found clicking here]
Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
At the center of the battle were two flags. The battle flag of the Confederacy and Old Glory, the flag of the United States. Both sides would face heavy casualties. This was especially so for those who held, marched, and led with the flags. These men were the standard bearers and they suffered some of the highest mortality rates in the war.
Civil War standard bearers played a practical role as well as a highly symbolic one. The colors helped soldiers see where their units were located in the confusing, smoke-filled battlefield. Standard bearers also set the pace for the march, making sure it was the proper length and cadence. Flags were the centerpieces of the battle, often resulting in high casualty rates of color bearers and their guards. In addition, standard bearers didn’t carry weapons, increasing their likeliness of being killed or wounded. If a standard bearer happened to be shot down, a member of his guard would immediately pick up the standard leaving his weapon behind in order to rally the troops to charge to hopeful victory or to seek safety in retreat.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ we are at war and we need to rally…not to a flag but to the cross. As Christians we are at war with sin, Satan, those that reject Christ, and with our very own nature. We are at war with rulers, authorities, and a society that sides with Satan against God and His Word. These are tough words to hear and accept. Do you feel like you’re at war? When you go to the store, to school, to the doctor’s office…does it look like we are at war? We argue between being Republican or Democrat… conservative or liberal. We yell at each other for being pro vaccine or anti vaccine. We look down on those that wear masks or don’t wear masks. We continue a fight against a virus that kills indiscriminately. There were mandates given by the government, rescinded, and some back in place. We continue to argue, groan, and besmirch those that don’t agree with us…and all the while Satan is seemingly winning. For he has divided people. He has divided Christians. He has divided God’s children.
Not only are we divided as God’s people by Satan but we are also attacked as Christians from the world around us for simply believing in Christ as Lord.
We have brothers and sisters in Christ that are imprisoned and killed for their faith in Africa and the Middle East. Christians that are often called “sexist, bigots, homophobic, or hateful” for doing their best to follow Scripture which often calls the ways of this world wicked, evil, and sinful.
Satan uses every means possible in his war against Christians. If you want to know how powerful, cunning, and deceitful Satan is…read the Bible. Remember how he attacked Job with the weather, his wife, diseases, and his friends, to make his life very miserable. Some suffer from physical ailments and others mental illness or emotional problems. Some suffer from terrible diseases and calamities. We all suffer. We are all tempted. We are all at war with sin and Satan.
But what do we do? Satan is stronger than any of us…he is stronger than all of us combined. “Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish 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.” (Ephesians 6:13-17)
God gives to the Christian the means of protection, defense, and attack. The protections are three: the breastplate, the girdle, and the shoes; the defenses are two: the shield and the helmet; the weapons is the sword of the Spirit. Literally these items are: truth, righteousness, the Gospel of peace, faith, salvation, the Word of God, and prayer. These items are given to us because we cannot win the battle on our own. God has given us these weapons not only to keep us in the faith but to share the faith with the world. The Gospel must prevail and will prevail for all generations.
In this current climate of division concerning Covid 19 I will remind you again of Luther’s words while combating the plague. “I shall ask God mercifully to protect us. Then I will fumigate, purify the air, administer medicine, and take medicine. I shall avoid places and persons where my presence is not needed in order to not become contaminated and thus perchance inflict and pollute others, and so cause their death as a result of my negligence. If God should wish to take me, he will surely find me. But, I have done what he has expected of me, and so I am not responsible for either my own death or the death of others. If my neighbor needs me, however, I shall not avoid place or person, but will go freely. This is a God-fearing faith because it is neither brash nor foolhardy and does not tempt God.” (Martin Luther)
To make these thoughts and words my own: I do not enjoy wearing a mask. I do not like getting vaccine shots that I do not know entirely their efficacy. But I also trust the talents and wisdom God has given others in medicine and science. I wear the mask when asked and I have been vaccinated. I do these things because of good counsel, out of love of my family, and so that I as a Pastor am best able to be allowed to visit our homebound, our hospitalized, and those in long term care facilities. I do these things so that I may continue to faithfully serve Christ and His Church…neither being brash nor foolhardy, and without tempting God.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ. You have been given the full armor of God. Even more so…you have been sent a Savior. Jesus has already defeated sin and Satan. He has made you His beloved child. Mask or no mask…vaccine or no vaccine…we must remember that we are united in faith. We are united in love. We are one in Christ. Do not let Satan divide you from one another. Act out of love for Christ and love for one another. Pray for one another. Pray…that “Jesus, lead thou on. Till our rest is won; And although the way be cheerless, We will follow calm and fearless. Guide us by Thy hand to our fatherland.” Amen.
Now may the peace of God which passes all human understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior. Amen.
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