AfterWords: Walking ... into Battle

 

Ephesians 6:10-18

At the end of my time in Basic Training for service in the US Army Reserves, our platoon was put into the field one night to test our skills and to make sure we knew how to use our tools—maps and compasses, field radios, hand-grenades, M-16-A1 rifles, flashlights, and more. The platoon was divided up into squads of five or six soldiers each, and we were given a spot on the other side of the valley we had to make it to without being discovered by others who were looking for us. We did fine, even though I was going through the motions with ‘walking pneumonia’ (my sergeant made it clear—“you can go to sick bay and start the training over, or you can push on through and graduate with your platoon…”). One of the takeaways from that night is the obvious fact that our tools do nothing for us unless we use them.

Paul, writing to the church at Ephesus, wanted to share the same message with them as I learned that night in Basic Training. God gives us tools to fight against evil, chaos, and darkness. Like our world today, the same forces of evil pushed against the followers of Jesus in Ephesus. Evil can be understood as anything or anyone who works against God and the ways of God. So, those ideas and messages that encourage us to think only of ourselves, to break the rules when it suits us, to say whatever we want and however we want, to think too highly of ourselves or too lowly of ourselves—these are all evil.

Paul reminds the church of the tools we’ve been given to combat the works and voices of evil: truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, the Word of God, and prayer. Just like the tools Uncle Sam gave me to fight enemies, “foreign and domestic,” God gives us tools to fight against evil, against chaos, against darkness. The verbs Paul uses make it very clear that the tools rely on our using them—take up, put on, hold on to. We have to act. We have to put these tools to use.

We need truth—the truth of God’s amazing love for us in world where we are told constantly that we’re not good enough. Righteousness (or ‘rightness’)—to do what is right, even when it may not ‘benefit’ us, in a world that whispers to us that we should take shortcuts or do whatever gets us ahead. Peace—in a world filled with violence…violent acts and violent words. Faith (or trust)—in God’s goodness, in God’s presence, in God’s promise to work all things together for good. Salvation—knowing it is ours thanks be to God’s grace…whether we feel saved or not. The Word of God—to remind of all we know and to teach us what we need to know. And, prayer—the one thing that connects us to God.

With these tools, we combat the works and words of evil. With confidence, we can walk into battle.

Sunday, September 1, 2024
“Walking…into Battle”
Watch/Listen: HERE