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Sermon August 22, 2021
The Rev. Rebecca S. Myers, MSW
The Church of the Nativity and St. Stephen’s
Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 16, Track 2
http://lectionarypage.net/YearB_RCL/Pentecost/BProp16_RCL.html
Audio: /documents/Eucharist_-_August_22__2021
Video: https://youtu.be/ZC0TwwG3ttM
Put on the whole armor 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. Ephesians 6:11-12
Please be seated.
Over this summer, I have been watching the TV series “Evil.” Originally airing on CBS beginning in 2019, the fictional series explores questions of the nature of evil. The main characters consist of a team employed by the Roman Catholic Church to explore reports of demonic possession and determine their nature. The team includes a non-religious and skeptical forensic psychologist; a journalist, turned Roman Catholic seminarian; and a skeptical technical/science person whose family is Muslim.
While not necessarily Hallmark Channel fare, each episode, as well as some through story lines, force you to think about the nature of evil. Is there a devil? Are there demons? Are there perfectly logical and rational reasons for what is being portrayed?
In my early social work training, we were taught that all human beings strive for health. What appears abnormal is often the way a person learned to cope with traumatic or challenging events. While those strategies don’t work in the long run or can create additional harm, we were taught to look for and support the person’s natural inclination towards health.
Yet…Yet. I’m sure many of us can name, if we think long enough, horrendous events…horrendous crimes between and among people. Is there a devil spirit or an energy of evil that surrounds us or moves through world?
In today’s reading from Ephesians, the writer unequivocally tells us to beware of the “wiles of the devil.” That 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.”
There is something, call it what you will, that pulls us away from the Gospel of Jesus Christ. There is something that pulls us away from our baptismal covenant and promises…our understanding that all are created in God’s image; that we are to respect the dignity of every person. There is something that calls us away from loving God and loving our neighbor as ourselves.
Is it fear? Is it greed? Is it a tribal nature to “protect our own” group that possibly helped us survive at one time, but is not the best way to live?
Joshua raises this question for us when he asks the Israelites, to “choose this day whom you will serve.” Will we choose to follow Jesus Christ or will we be captured by the “wiles of the devil, or pulled into the cosmic powers or attracted by the spiritual forces of evil?”
The Letter to the Ephesians warns us of the temptations and attractions we face as Christians doing our best to live the way Jesus taught us and the way God created us. Just like we wear safety equipment when doing many jobs or activities, the writer explains the safety equipment we have in our faith that protects us from danger and harm; that keep us living the Christian life.
We have the belt of truth. Now truth is not always easy to discern and yet we do our best to discern it. We protect the area of our chest with the breastplate of righteousness, striving for life as God wants it and wills it. For the protection of our feet, which carry us about, we need shoes that make us ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. For added protection, we have the shield of faith to deflect evil cast our way. To protect our heads, we have a helmet of salvation, knowing we are saved and loved by God. We have a sword for protection, which is of the Spirit and is the Word of God. We are told to pray in the Spirit at all times.
Whenever we face the challenges of truly following Jesus Christ, of truly living as Christ taught us, we have so much protection to keep us centered and rooted in the Christian life of love.
Yes, we are faced with challenges that demand the armor of God response from us. Whether it is the continuing Covid-19 virus world-wide pandemic, or the results of climate change affecting people and creatures all over the world, or the earthquake followed by storms after government difficulties in Haiti or the chaos currently reigning in Afghanistan and the subsequent necessity for people to relocate, or the seemingly intractable nature of racism, we respond in ways consistent with the armor of God, consistent with our baptismal promises. We do not get pulled into the wiles of the devil or the spiritual forces of evil that plague us when responding to these challenges.
What is the truth? What is the way God wants us to live? What is the Gospel of peace that we bring to the situation? What is our shield of faith, our helmet of salvation and the Spirit and Word of God that guides us and guides our response? Where will we gather with each other to pray in the Spirit?
Let us put on the whole armor of God. Just like the writer of Ephesians, we are also like Peter in our Gospel today who knows the only way to live is through Jesus Christ. We put on our armor and say confidently and emphatically, “Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.” (John 6:68-69)
Amen
Evil TV Series: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evil_(TV_series)
