"Move...in Love" - Sermon, August 26, 2018
Community UMC,
Quincy
“Move…in Love”
Rev. Andrew Davis
August 26, 2018
Ephesians 6: 10-20
It is GOOD to be back with you this
morning. These last two weeks, I have
literally been on the move from driving to Sacramento, then flying to San
Diego, doing a lot of walking in San Diego, flying back to Sacramento, driving
back to Quincy for a brief minute, then to Lake Tahoe this past week. Talk about being on the move!! Yet amidst the busy-ness of these past two
weeks, my mind has been moved too, as I have learned a great deal at the School
of Congregational Development and look forward to sharing more with the lay
leadership of our church. Of course,
there was a lot I was challenged to think about, especially this last week at
Residence-in-Ministry at the Zephyr Point Retreat Center with fellow residents
seeking ordination as deacon or elder in the UMC and CA-NV Conference, as we
focused on theology and heard some deep, thought-provoking lectures from Dr.
Carmichael Peters from Chapman University.
But now, it’s time to be back
in the saddle and ready for things to really move in the church as we begin
ramping things up for Fall.
As the new school year has begun
here in Quincy and as we are preparing to begin a new year of Fall programs and small groups, we have this opportunity
to move in love as we conclude our series, “…in Love” this morning. Throughout our series, we have been working
through parts of chapters 4-6 of Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians and what it
means to build each other up, live together, and give thanks in love. Like Paul’s other letters, following the
greeting and prayer to the communities he’s addressing, Paul spends chapters
4-6 of Ephesians giving practical advice and admonishments to the church in
Ephesus, which includes building up, living, and giving thanks in love, with
love being the common thread. This all
culminates with a call to action to move, as Paul talks about putting on the
armor of God in this morning’s lesson before concluding with a
benediction.
Our lesson this morning follows some
of Paul’s reinforcement of the Roman household codes
that aren’t included in this morning’s reading, yet following the codes, Paul
calls the Ephesians and us to action. Now, I’ll be honest that this is one of those passages
that I am not entirely comfortable with, as there is a lot of militaristic and
battle language in it, as it is a form of Apocalyptic literature in addressing
the cosmic forces of good and evil, something Paul’s letters do contain. One reason for the urgency and the
in-your-face nature of Paul’s letters is that there was an expectation at that
time that Christ would return at any day or time, what is known in
stained-glass-language as the parousia.
So, it comes as no surprise that Paul is using such imagery, as “Christ
has triumphed over powers at work in the present age [and that] his exultation
provides the energy at work in believers and in the ministry of the imprisoned
apostle,” as Paul is writing Ephesians while in prison.[i]
In light of the work and energy that
Paul is prescribing to the Ephesians, Paul calls the
Ephesians and each of us today to move, to change our hearts, to transform our
lives, as even today as back then, we are being called as “Christians to [build
up] the body of Christ until all attain maturity [and] the fullness of Christ.”[ii] At the same time, moving in love may feel like a
race or battle at times, especially between good and evil. I know in his letter to the Philippians, Paul
uses the analogy of the race, while here at the end of Ephesians, he talks
about battles ahead when it comes to reckoning with the forces of evil and
wickedness in the world, something we are called to renounce in our baptismal
vows (UMH 33-34).
While I might be a little uncomfortable with the battle imagery
and militaristic language that Paul is using in this morning’s text and given
the amount of psychological and physical violence we see a lot of in the world
today, we will always have opportunities to renounce the forces of evil and
wickedness in the world as we move in love, even if it involves a battle,
whether it’s external or internal. One
way of re-thinking the armor of God is to see the items that Paul has named as
tools we will need in order to move in love and away from wickedness and evil. Rev. Geoffrey C. Moore explains that when it
comes to such battle imagery, we “need to read critically against the
historical structures, culture, and language of the Roman Empire,” which the
early church was often at odds with until the emperor Constantine’s conversion
during the Battle of the Milvian Bridge, similar to Paul’s own conversion on
Damascus Road in the Book of Acts.[iii] Geoffrey
Moore goes on to explain that when it comes to the armor of God imagery,
The whole armor of God is put on in this case for
protection as in [anger, wrath, and bitterness that we read a couple weeks
ago], but rather [its now] for good communication! Almost every time the armor is geared toward
communication: truth, righteousness (right relationship), proclamation, faith (kerygma), word, the whole
metaphor of armor is inverted. Instead
of something that is designed to protect the bearer, the armor of God is
something that is designed to engage with the one s/he encounters. In fact, the
gospel of peace (v. 15) draws on Isaiah 52: 7, in which the one who bears the
gospel of peace is a messenger.[iv]
Communication is highly important when we move in love, as are the words we use
and the manner in which we speak, whether it’s one-on-one or in a group
setting. As I’ve sung before, there’s
that little song of “be careful little lips what you speak,” or as we are in
the social media word, “be careful little fingers what you type/tweet/post.” When
we think of the armor of God in an inverted sense towards communication instead
of battle, are we striving for truth, right relationships, and faithfulness in
what we proclaim and in the words we speak and through our actions? Are we using our words and actions to build
up the body of Christ, live, give thanks, and move in love with each other and throughout
the community and world? How are we
using such armor/tools today?
To look at another perspective of
our lesson this morning, I’d like to
share verses 13-18 from The Message:
Be prepared.
You’re 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. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and
salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout
your life. God’s Word is an indispensable weapon.
In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and
long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s
spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out. (Eph. 6: 13-18)
Paul is saying that our actions are
just as important as our words, while saying that we cannot go this
journey of faith alone either, although we have these very tools that Paul has
named for us and can still apply them today.
God’s word can be a very powerful tool in renouncing the forces of evil
and wickedness in its own right, but be very careful in how you use God’s word,
because God’s word and the Bible have been used as a weapon to bring harm to
people too, something we do see happen today!!
Instead, let’s use God’s word to
move in love and be messengers of peace.
Make sure that when we do put on the armor of God, that it is for good,
or like John Wesley’s general rules say, to do no harm, do good, and to stay in
love with God. Likewise, “it is
important to remember that we have already been reminded that Christ, the one,
true Word of God, is love. We must also
speak the truth in love, and for any one who claims to ‘know’ the only true
path, the love of Christ surpasses knowledge.”[v]
So as we build up the body of Christ, live, give
thanks, and move in love, it is with the love of God and neighbor, watching
over each other in love, speaking the truth in love, and trusting in Christ,
the one whose love “surpasses knowledge” that moves us in love.[vi] In The Faith We Sing, on page 2219 is a song
with a text attributed to Archbishop Desmond Tutu called “Goodness is Stronger
than Evil.” When I think about putting
on the armor of God and using these tools God gives us to renounce the powers
of wickedness and evil, I want to share this text that “goodness is stronger
than evil; love is stronger than hate; light is stronger than darkness; life is
stronger than death; victory is ours through him who loved us.” We may feel like
the world around us today is a constant battle, but let us let the Christ in
each of us out and the Christ outside of us in as we move about to do good over
evil, to love instead of hate, to live abundantly and bring hope to everyone we
meet. We may not see eye to eye in
everything, but we can certainly stand side by side when we choose to build
each other and build up the body of Christ, live, give thanks, and move in
love. As Paul concludes in verses 18-19,
“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…” (Eph. 6: 18-19, MSG).
Let that be our call to action this week as we use these tools God has
given us to go out into the world to proclaim with courage God’s love to
everyone we meet and encounter, so that they will always know we are Christians
by our love. How are you going to move
in love this week and beyond through your speech, actions, and prayers?
In
the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, let the church say, AMEN!!
[i] Pheme Perkins “The Letter to the
Ephesians” in The New Interpreter’s Bible Commentary, Vol. XI
(Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1995), 458.
[ii] Ibid., 360
[iii] Ministries, Discipleship. 2018. "Fourteenth
Sunday After Pentecost 2018 — Preaching Notes -
Umcdiscipleship.Org". Umcdiscipleship.Org. Accessed August 25
2018. https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/worship/august-2018-post-pentecost-worship-planning-series/august-26-fourteenth-sunday-after-pentecost-year-b/fourteenth-sunday-after-pentecost-2018-preaching-notes.
[iv] Ibid.
[v] Ministries, Discipleship. 2018.
“Fourteenth Sunday After Pentecost 2018…”
[vi] Ibid.
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