St. Paul Lutheran Church, Minden, Nebraska
Sunday sermon – Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost - August 23, ’09
“Able To Answer Critics”
Text: Ephesians 6:10-12
Even if you don’t watch morning or late night talk shows, you know how some of those talk-show conversations can turn on a dime.
For example: Talk show host asks a giddy, bubbly starlet, “Are you a religious person?”
Says the giddy, bubbly starlet, “Well, I’m very spiritual but I rejected religion when I went to college. I had my eyes open to all the ways that religion fosters violence, war, and prejudice. I think that one of the worst forces in the world today is religion.”
Closer to home, you probably have friends, relatives who simply say, “Religion? Who needs it? What good is it?”
So the focus of this fourth message for this fourth Sunday in August under the general heading of our month long question “Is Religion Good or Bad for You”; the focus this Sunday is two-fold.
First, as my former Circuit Counselor & spiritual mentor in Idaho the late Pastor Len Mietzner liked to say years ago, “To be fore-warned is to be fore-armed.” First, what is it that atheists & other critics have against religion in general & Christianity in particular that helps us to be fore-warned if we are to answer the critics and give a good defense of our religion?
Second, what is a good defense? What is the best defense Christians have in a world where as the apostle Paul writes in the epistle reading for this Sunday, those who would follow Jesus had better be armed fore-armed, be ready for a struggle, “for a fight,” even a “fight to the finish.”
In Ephesians chapter 6, following a chapter of down-to-earth, do-able, every-day admonitions & encouragement toward daily “walking” in love as Christ loved us and gave himself for us; in Ephesians 6 the apostle Paul writes:
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh & blood but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places
First be “fore-warned” - “Be prepared” is the way THE MESSAGE paraphrases it – You Christians are up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet
How and where and when do the devil, the world, and our own sinful flesh try to knock us off our feet, lead us onto slippery slopes, raise doubts that undermine our faith?
Even though many people may say they believe in God; even though people may say they are very spiritual, more & more there is in our society a slow, steady, subtle, undercurrent of criticism & condescension that implies being a Christian is either being a loser or being a fanatics.
For example, there’s one criticism that says Christians must be weak people that they need to have someone like Jesus to believe in. Not only that but who would want to believe in a Jesus who Himself wasn’t very strong and wasn’t very convincing or successful when it came to improving the affairs of government or influencing right living. The harshest version of this criticism I have ever heard depicts Christians as people with a “sick need for the crutch of religious superstition.” Or this is a criticism that says, Christians are “copping out” when they believe in someone/something other than themselves. In other words, the world mistakenly equates Christ-like meekness, humility, with being weak, soft, feeble, wasted.
A second criticism leveled against Christians is that to believe in the truth of Christianity implies you have a rigid personality or an “exclusive” mentality. Like you’re saying to other people “I’m right, you’re wrong. My way is the only way! I’m one of the in-group, I’m on the inside, sorry about you.” This may be why it’s often said “religion and relatives don’t mix!” The impression given is that religion is mostly for arguing and what does arguing change? Nothing! Or, religion is good at teaching people to be hypocrites.
A third critique of religion in general & Christianity in particular comes back to that “giddy, bubbly starlet” who said that college had opened her eyes to the fact that rather than promoting peace & bringing people together, religion brings about wars, violence, prejudice, bias. Some observers of how Christians practice their religion flat out say that there’s more discrimination goes on in this country among religious people on Sunday mornings than any other time or place during the week. So where’s the good in that?
To be fore-warned is to be fore-armed. You get the picture. Weak, feeble, sick, rigid, exclusive, narrow-minded, judgmental, old-fashioned, argumentative, out-of-touch with reality; on the surface these are some of the ways Christianity gets put down.
But underneath & behind it all, says St. Paul, is more than just the criticisms & complaints or thoughts & ideas of educated people. Behind it all is the fact that Christians do not wrestle against flesh & blood but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
What’s the answer? For followers of Jesus to be in the world but not of the world; for followers of Jesus to belong to the world and be at the mercy of the powers therein but not give in to them nor get beaten down by them, what’s the best defense Christians have going for them?
Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might, urges St. Paul. Take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to with-stand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.
“Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, love, hope, salvation are more than words,” writes Paul. “Learn how to practice them, learn to live up to them. Like a football player needs his protective gear, like a soldier needs his armor, so you need protective gear, the armor of God, the Word of God, the Son of God. Put on Christ; be strong in the quiet, inner strength of Christ throughout your life.”
Writes one commentator who sees the length & breathe & height and depth of the defense needed on the part of Christians . . “Jesus Christ has ultimately defeated “all the cosmic powers and spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” but His Gospel still must be proclaimed on earth (6:15).
“The cosmic and demonic powers still seek to exercise a tyranny over the Christian and in that sense the Christian appears to be ‘in bonds. But the fact is, the truth is, the bonds are broken and the powers are defeated ‘in Christ.’
This is what Paul is saying; this is our best defense. Don’t put up a front for Christ, put on Christ. Putting on Christ is not the easiest thing in the world to do, but the more you do it, the more you focus on the life & work & cross & death & resurrection of Jesus Christ, the more you value truth, righteousness, faith, hope, love, salvation; then the more these virtues will become a part of you, the more they become real & genuine & consistent in all you say & you.
“Listen up!” Paul is saying: “Don’t be naïve! Don’t go about your business in a world of ambiguity & uncertainty thinking that as a Christian you are immune to ambiguity or uncertainty.
Just as conscientious, Christian parents want their school-age children to eat a good breakfast, wear the right clothes, make sure they got their homework done & their backpacks packed as they head out the door encouraged & equipped to enter the world of learning and interacting -- so too, as we adults head out the door into a world that antagonizes, neutralizes & ostracizes Christians, don’t you know we don’t want to go out into that kind of world unprepared.
“If you’re going to be a disciple, put on faith, dress up in love, clothe yourselves with good intentions, and wrap the promises of God around you.
Read the Bible, even if you don’t understand all of it.
Pray, even when you don’t feel like it.
Seek the company of other Christians, don’t go it alone.
Boldly confess the Christian faith in the creed, even when you don’t always 100 percent believe it.
Then, having dressed well for the challenge ahead, having put on Christ & His Word, being joined to His love, His humility, His compassion go out and live it.”
Put on the whole armor of God and you will become what you desire. It doesn’t happen over night, but I can assure you it does happen.
Because I am a person who is somewhat timid & tongue-tied when it comes to taking on “giddy, bubbly starlets” & relatives who have given up on religion or have no use for religion, I love the way St. Paul ends his letter to the Christians at Ephesus. What Paul says to them I say to you.
And don’t forget to pray for me. Pray that I’ll know what to say and have the courage to say it at the right time, telling the mystery to one and all, the Message of Good News that I, ‘ambassador in chains that I am,’ am responsible for getting out.
Pure grace and nothing but grace be with all who love our Lord and Master Jesus Christ, Amen
