Not for the WWE
Ephesians 6:10-20
There is not a lot of subtlety in this passage of scripture. The exhortation to be strong, to stand strong, to wrestle, to resist evil and protect yourself with every spiritual gift you can muster is reiterated over and over again. I don’t know about you but every time I read this passage I always flash with the image of a wrestler like Hulk Hogan or the Rock even though the things that those guys and others in World Wrestling represent are always so silly and contrived that they aren’t really helpful. Unfortunately, images like those often hijack our concept of wrestling.
The struggles we face indeed are physical, metaphysical, sometimes apocalyptic and imminent. This sobering conclusion to the letter to the Ephesians emphasizes how important it is that we are ready to handle whatever challenges evil or simply life might throw our way.
I know that the militaristic imagery that Ephesians uses is a bit disconcerting to many of us – particularly those of us who know what it is like to be the object of other Christian soldiers marching off to war. This imagery worked in ancient times because it was familiar. We too are familiar with implements of war and while we are rightly repelled by the violence and destruction of military action, I don’t want us to miss the deeper truth scripture is trying to convey. Our passage shows the intensity of our spiritual struggles and the complexity of the forces with which we are confronted. If we can glimpse the truth behind the imagery what we see is that we, as people of faith, need to be able to use all the tools available to us in the struggle against evil, oppression, hatred, etc. These tools are also helpful when we are wrestling with options life presents us. Some of these tools are assertive and some are protective. Notice that we are called both to stand and withstand – to assert and to protect. Ephesians reminds us that we must excel in prayer, alertness, perseverance and courage – spiritual tools available to each of us. Struggle comes in many forms.
This week the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America gathered in conference here in Minneapolis to debate the place of gay men and lesbians among the clergy. Minneapolis seems to be a good place to debate our issues, evidently. You may remember that it was here in Minneapolis a few years ago that the Episcopal Church met in conference and elected their first openly gay bishop, Gene Robinson. The Lutherans voted overwhelmingly to end the ban on partnered gay and lesbian clergy. There must be something in the water in Minneapolis!
Good people with opposing opinions wrestled and struggled to find truth, common ground, unity and hope. Nobody has any illusion that the issue is settled for the Lutherans by this vote so we in MCC must keep our Lutheran brothers and sisters in our prayers. Our struggles are a matter of faith.
Human Rights Watch reported this week that Iraqi gay men are being beaten and murdered in unprecedented numbers by militia, government forces and even their own relatives who call their murder “honor killings” because they claim a gay man dishonors the family. The same cultural understanding that says it is an “honor” to murder a daughter who resists her family is also being used to kill gay men. Our struggles are a matter of life.
President Obama, whom many of us thought was such a breath of fresh air after the Bush years, has the ability to issue an executive order ending “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” but has failed to do so. Almost 300 GLBT service members have been removed from the military since Obama took office. That issue and the repeal of DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act) are two of the major reasons a call has gone out for another March on Washington this October. Our struggles are a matter of justice.
I walked into a hospital room of a congregant this week and heard the terrible story of how alcohol addiction and untreated mental illness had nearly killed him. He described in vivid emotion the tremendous struggle he faces everyday to stay sober and to stay mentally balanced.
Over the last year we have watched Thomas grapple with his call to ministry as he discerns what God is calling him to and where. He has had to wrestle with tradition, denominational identity, personal theology and being a leader in a really gay setting. Our struggles are personal.
We sometimes approach life secretly hoping to avoid struggle but in doing so we do ourselves a disservice. I’m not suggesting that we need to create struggle, simply that life presents plenty of opportunities for us to experience struggle. Sometimes people naively assume that church should be a place free from struggle. Think about it. In our relationships with each other we only really struggle with people who are important to us and with whom we all want to succeed. Struggles may be tedious but they are not without benefit.
Frederick Douglass once said, “If there is no struggle, there is no progress.” Sometimes I think I have experienced enough struggle to progress me to another dimension by now!
Our text from Ephesians is the closest thing we have to a field guide during times of struggle – whether they are struggles of faith, life, justice or personal direction. And yet, it seems that the tools we are offered are pretty nebulous. What do you do with a belt of truth, a breastplate of righteousness and a shield of faith? It almost sounds like a Star Wars character! Maybe the nebulous feeling comes from the reality that the ways in which we will be called upon to stand or withstand are so varied. Rather than a list of directions, we are given the principles of truth, righteousness, faith, prayer, courage and wholeness to guide us. Maybe that is why Ephesians associated each spiritual principle with a physical article – a belt of truth, a helmet of wholeness, a shield of faith. For those of us who are visual thinkers, it is easier to go down the list of those tools like checking yourself in the mirror before leaving the house – keys, wallet, hair, clean teeth…
Often, it seems, when we go through times of struggle, we feel vulnerable, powerless, uncertain or confused. Ephesians asserts that we have a range of tools already available to use. We simply need to remember we have them and then employ them effectively. Truth, righteousness, faith, prayer, courage and wholeness are not to be wielded in the hands of the holy as weapons but as tools to bring meaning out of our struggles. These tools are always within our reach.
Sources:
www.homileticsonline.com The Liquid Armor of God, August 2009.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/08/17/iraq.homosexual.killings/index.html#cnnSTCText “Gay men attacked, executed in Iraq, rights group says” August 17, 2009.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/images/lutheran.jpghttp://wwwimage.cbsnews.com/images/2006/02/14/image1312853s.jpghttp://farm4.static.flickr.com/3376/3185421103_466d5296ab.jpg
